Chicken Genetics 101

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I will reply when I get the time, this is very extensive and just ran out of time, the good thing is that you have until spring break.

Spring break is in about 2.5 weeks so I have some time to work on my presentation.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I will be giving a presentation on chicken genetics to my mother’s science classes ...

What age are the students?

I would think that a basic overview demonstrating a couple of genes that are easy to relate to, such as egg color and comb type would be good for a general introduction, and that trying to cover too much might make it too confusing? But maybe they already have a solid background in the basics, so more would be ok?

If you need to keep it basic, maybe cover heterzyguous vs homozygus with a completely dominant trait such as the Rosecomb gene

Then cover the concept that more than one gene can control a given trait, and again use the comb but introduce the Peacomb gene, building on what you've already covered, etc.

Comb Calculator link

Then maybe talk about egg color, or feather color, etc. explaining how things can get more complex, and how crossing out is used to isolate genes in a flock, etc

Just some thoughts, sounds like a fun presentation though!

also, here's another link
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...cs-egg-color-feathering-inbreeding-etc.73285/

 

[sylviethecochin]

What age are the students?

I would think that a basic overview demonstrating a couple of genes that are easy to relate to, such as egg color and comb type would be good for a general introduction, and that trying to cover too much might make it too confusing? But maybe they already have a solid background in the basics, so more would be ok?

If you need to keep it basic, maybe cover heterzyguous vs homozygus with a completely dominant trait such as the Rosecomb gene

Then cover the concept that more than one gene can control a given trait, and again use the comb but introduce the Peacomb gene, building on what you've already covered, etc.

Comb Calculator link

Then maybe talk about egg color, or feather color, etc. explaining how things can get more complex, and how crossing out is used to isolate genes in a flock, etc

Just some thoughts, sounds like a fun presentation though!

also, here's another link
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...cs-egg-color-feathering-inbreeding-etc.73285/

Agree, but:

Most comb shapes are caused by combinations of two genes, R and p. There is no such thing as the "rosecomb" gene.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Agree, but:

Most comb shapes are caused by combinations of two genes, R and p. There is no such thing as the "rosecomb" gene.

I thought the R gene was known as Rosecomb gene and P was known as Peacomb gene, maybe not?

As for the combinations of the 2 genes, I thought that would be a good straight forward way to demonstrate to young students the effects of combining the different combinations of hetero and homozygous states of the genes that control the comb trait.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Agree, but:

Most comb shapes are caused by combinations of two genes, R and p. There is no such thing as the "rosecomb" gene.

Or I guess what I was attempting to suggest, was that for the purpose of the preseantion, explain the R gene and homo/hetero states first (RR= Rosecomb Rr= Rosecomb , rr = Straight comb) and then move on to introduce the P gene, and explain the various combinations... and then discuss how they work together to create more combinations.

But again this is assuming that the audience is fairly new to genetics and the general concepts, and brand new to chicken genetics... so that framing the presentation in this way might help them "digest" the concepts a bit more easily.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

The students are 7th and 8th graders.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Here’s what I have so far

 

[Amer]

Did somebody say "shank color genetics?" Prepare for me to dump some info on you.
Males:
w/wI/I yellow
W+W+/I/I white
W+/W+i+/i+ slate
w/wi+/i+ willow
Female
w/wI/- yellow
W+/W+I/- white
W+/W+i+/- slate
w/wi+/- willow

i+/i+ is the gene for dermal melanin
It is recessive.
So.
My hen EE for example.
Yellow legs for the father and blue legs for the mother.
w/wI/I x W+/W+i+/-
=
W+/wI/- white legs
If she had brothers it would be
W+/wI/i+ white legs

However, if we reversed the process we would have

W+/wi+/- for the girls, slate legs
W+/wI/i+ for the boys, white legs.
So
i+ dermal melanin sexlinked recessive
I dermal melanin inhibitor sexlinked dominant
And
w yellow recessive
W white dominant

 

[Amer]

Leg feathering is usually dominant.
Clean legs are usually recessive.

 

[nicalandia]

Most comb shapes are caused by combinations of two genes, R and p. There is no such thing as the "rosecomb" gene.

extensive research has been done on the inheritance, sperm motility and overall reproductive linkage of Rosecomb and has been found to be a completely dominant single autosomal gene, not a combination of two genes.