Cochin Thread!!!

[ChickenCrazy123]

My comment on this that a Black bird may not be a "Black" genetically. Many of our varieties have been bred to other varieties/colors for improvement purposes over the years. That makes truly knowing the outcome of any mixing of varieties to be a best guess sort of arrangement. I understand the fun in wondering what would I get if I bred certain varieties together.

Ok, thanks. Yeah it can be fun cause not that I would ever breed such a mix up of colors but it is fun to think hum I wonder what colors would come from those two colors bred together.

PS: Thanks everyone for the help

 

[ShysCreations]

Some pullets just chilling in the shade

 

[ShysCreations]

 

[suncatcher]

Some pullets just chilling in the shade

 

[koolkyle08]

Wow! Shyscreations, what a gorgeous birdie!!!! I am wondering how she got those stunning colors. Chicken genetics confuse me :/

 

[lilcrow]

ditto

 

[ki4got]

Wow! Shyscreations, what a gorgeous birdie!!!! I am wondering how she got those stunning colors. Chicken genetics confuse me

the problem is people try to think of it as one series of mutations, but there are a large number of individual groups of mutations, some interact with others, while some act independently of the others... some mask others, some negate them...

if you use the kippenjungle chicken calculator, look at each pull down menu as one individual group of mutations. you'll have one or another change between them. it shows dominance or recessiveness among the group, and what phenotype (appearance) you can get with each variation. once you get what each one does, then you start combining one here or there, and see if it changes everything or just one part...

chicken mutations (that affect color) fall into basically 3 categories... pheomelanin enhancers/restrictors (making red pigments darker or lighter), eumelanin enhancers/restrictors (black pigments, again darker or lighter) and pattern mutations that change how the color is laid out on the feathers...

examples of pheomelanin mutations are mahogany (darker red) and dilute (lighter red), a common eumelanin enhancer would be the melanizing gene (adding black pigments) or blue (diluting black pigments), and patterns would be like Columbian, the pattern gene, barring, mottling, etc.

often enhancers and diluters can be on the same bird and possibly negate each other, while some work on different areas. the pattern mutations are a bit different, since some when combined differently give totally different results... for example, Columbian restricts the black pigments to certain areas of a bird and pushing it to the outside edges of the feathers that do have black. Mottling adds a white tip to each feather. but combine mottling and Columbian, and you have mille fleur. each feather now has black only on the outer half of the feather (or so) and a white tip on the ends...

another good example of combinations. the pattern gene is responsible for silver penciling and partridge coloration. the melanizing gene increases the amount of black pigmentation on primarily neck feathers, but also somewhat on head and body feathers, and again Columbian pushes the pigmentation to the outer edge of the feathers that have pigment. combine all three of these, and you have the black markings given to each feather by the pattern gene, make it darker all around, and then push it to the outer edge of the feather. Now you have a laced bird.

 

[elieugene6]

Wow that is the best and longest explanation I have seen. Other than in my books.

 

[makluvsanimals]

beautiful coloring

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Wow that is the best and longest explanation I have seen. Other than in my books.

I have to agree that in a few paragraphs Ki4got gave a great basic explanation. When I read my books my eyes glaze over.