Calling all genetics geeks

[Poultry Friend]

What color is this? It is recessive, but you can see very faint ghosting on the birds. Some have pale grey lacing or penciling. Some have pale gold and some have both pale grey and pale gold. Their eyes are brown or black.

These are Javas

Chick comparision:


The grey colored one grew up to be the hen below









These are not my birds, but I am trying to help the owner figure out what they are.

I thought they might be sex-linked recessive incomplete albinism (s^al) but they do not have red eyes, so I doubt it is.

Any ideas?

 

[nicalandia]

What color is this? It is recessive, but you can see very faint ghosting on the birds. Some have pale grey lacing or penciling. Some have pale gold and some have both pale grey and pale gold. Their eyes are brown or black.

These are Javas

Chick comparision:


The grey colored one grew up to be the hen below









These are not my birds, but I am trying to help the owner figure out what they are.

I thought they might be sex-linked recessive incomplete albinism (s^al) but they do not have red eyes, so I doubt it is.

Any ideas?

interesting.... when looking at the grown bird I would have said heterozygous white or homozygous blue(Splash) but the chicks just dont look like white or splash birds... the faint lacing is due to the Power of Pg(pattern gene) and Ml(Melanotic) being almost inmune to dilution on a Extended Black background(E)... again interesting...


maybe you need to add Opal to the guesstimates...

 

[Poultry Friend]

It cannot be heterozygous white, since it has to be a recessive gene and any recessive gene will not show in the heterozygous state. These 'white' birds were hatched from an all black flock, that is how I know it has to be recessive and only expressed in the homozygous state.

It also cannot be blue (or splash) since blue is not see in Javas.

Could you tell me more about Opal. I cannot find any info on this gene at all. What loci is it at? What breeds is it found it? What is it's symbol?

 

[Henk69]

Well, opal is not yet located
Earlier findings suggested the recessive white locus, but a recent topic on this board contradicted that.
The difference between opal and sexlinked incomplete albinism (s^al) is that a "grey" roo would always produce "grey" daughters and that a black female can not carry s^al

 

[nicalandia]

Well, opal is not yet located
Earlier findings suggested the recessive white locus, but a recent topic on this board contradicted that.
The difference between opal and sexlinked incomplete albinism (s^al) is that a "grey" roo would always produce "grey" daughters and that a black female can not carry s^al

what has changed from the earlier findings, I think sjarvis provided enough documentation and breeding records...

 

[Poultry Friend]

I had seen that there was thoughts it could be on the C loci and the most recessive with the symbol cOp. Is this no longer the case? If not, why?

 

[nicalandia]

I had seen that there was thoughts it could be on the C loci and the most recessive with the symbol cOp. Is this no longer the case? If not, why?

well Sjarvis a very meticulous breeder just re confirmed the C allelic school of thought,
the poster that said it was an allele of dominant white has not given enough proof to change our minds

 

[nicalandia]

What color is this? It is recessive, but you can see very faint ghosting on the birds
Chick comparision:


The grey colored one grew up to be the hen below




Any ideas?

Sjarvis has been working with Opal for years now, and look how his pure Opal chicks look....they look gray at hatch, but then later turn into Opal, the hen you show may very well be Opal

Here are a few Pics. Pure Opal first,

Here is one from last winters matings that was a Blue chick.

the faint lacing again is due to Pg Ml on a Extended black background, some of Sjarvis birds seem to also have those genes...

check it out

Young Pullet, you can see hackle color and lacing very well..

 

[Henk69]

what has changed from the earlier findings, I think sjarvis provided enough documentation and breeding records...

See topic https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/389761/ginger-red-and-opal-colors/30#post_9696883

Unless the results in that topic were from Sjarvis and were somehow misinterpreted, I would like that hurdle to be handled...

 

[nicalandia]

See topic https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/389761/ginger-red-and-opal-colors/30#post_9696883

Unless the results in that topic were from Sjarvis and were somehow misinterpreted, I would like that hurdle to be handled...

I´ve seen the topic. not impressed with provided documentation(or lack of thereof)