Cochin Thread!!!

Quote:
Mille Fleurs should have a black bar running across the feather immediately preceding the white mottled tip. (sometimes referred to as a chevron)

In Tolbunts, you still have a white mottled tip, but instead of a black bar preceding the white tip, the feather is laced in black.

Calico is basically anthing that doesn't fall into the above. They originally came out of the Mille Fleur projects that were lacking the proper black bars, or had excessively large mottled tips. Mottling that runs farther up the feather than just on the tip is usually referred to as hysterical mottling. It is often seen in Seramas. Many have come to prefer the Calico coloring over the Mille Fleurs, but there is no written Standard for Calico plumage.

To further clarify the mottling gene, it actually does not create a white-pigmented tip. It is actually the exact opposite - it prevents the pigment of the feather from reaching the feather tip.
 
Mille Fleurs should have a black bar running across the feather immediately preceding the white mottled tip. (sometimes referred to as a chevron)

In Tolbunts, you still have a white mottled tip, but instead of a black bar preceding the white tip, the feather is laced in black.

Calico is basically anthing that doesn't fall into the above. They originally came out of the Mille Fleur projects that were lacking the proper black bars, or had excessively large mottled tips. Mottling that runs farther up the feather than just on the tip is usually referred to as hysterical mottling. It is often seen in Seramas. Many have come to prefer the Calico coloring over the Mille Fleurs, but there is no written Standard for Calico plumage.

To further clarify the mottling gene, it actually does not create a white-pigmented tip. It is actually the exact opposite - it prevents the pigment of the feather from reaching the feather tip.
Ahhh ok, thank you. That helps my brain make sense of it :)
 
Not yet but some people are getting very close.
How? If mille fleur is a mottled gold spangled?

Gold laced does not incorporate the Db gene. That would make them Tolbunt if they are gold laced mottled. I have just seen some silver spangled project birds and they are not correctly patterned yet so where are these gold spangled birds?

This reminds me of the "lemon blues " that are no such thing.

Don't get me wrong, some of these birds are gorgeous. I like patterned birds, but they have to be correct genetically to breed true.
 
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Quote: a laced bird is columbian + pattern gene + melanizing gene. so yeah you could get mille fleurs, but the pattern and melanizing genes may cause a 'dirty' appearance to the pattern.

Nancy, You know I talk to Annamay a lot also, and she's always telling me that as long as I have Tango, even though I'm not breeding Mille Fleurs any more, I should try her in with my Golden Laced to see what I get. Annamay loves genetics, and is not afraid to put things together with similar genetics and patterns to see if it helps one or the other.

What you have to remember is that, with maybe the exception of Lynne's because she has a closed flock, no one can tell you exactly what the genetic background of their Mille Fleurs are going back at least 5 full generations. Pretty much the same is true with all the (bantam) Golden Laced running around. None of us have properly laced female Golden Laced, with full, complete lacing through the back and saddle, which means none of us have "genetically" pure Golden Laced.

So crossing Mille Fleur and Golden Laced is basically a crap shoot, IMHO. Always worth a try, if your birds have good type, and you have the room to house them and the money to feed them. I would not bother trying if your birds don't even have good type to begin with.
 
Nancy, You know I talk to Annamay a lot also, and she's always telling me that as long as I have Tango, even though I'm not breeding Mille Fleurs any more, I should try her in with my Golden Laced to see what I get. Annamay loves genetics, and is not afraid to put things together with similar genetics and patterns to see if it helps one or the other.

What you have to remember is that, with maybe the exception of Lynne's because she has a closed flock, no one can tell you exactly what the genetic background of their Mille Fleurs are going back at least 5 full generations. Pretty much the same is true with all the (bantam) Golden Laced running around. None of us have properly laced female Golden Laced, with full, complete lacing through the back and saddle, which means none of us have "genetically" pure Golden Laced.

So crossing Mille Fleur and Golden Laced is basically a crap shoot, IMHO. Always worth a try, if your birds have good type, and you have the room to house them and the money to feed them. I would not bother trying if your birds don't even have good type to begin with.
Unfortunately, this hens type is the very thing that was tempting me, however I don't have the space or the money to feed out a gazillion odd chicks. The other compounding problem to breeding this gorgeous little girl is her mixed up genetic background. She was purchased as a Birchen, came to me LOOKING like a perfect little Birchen hen and rapidly began to show mottling as she molted out her feathers. She now looks like a very pretty Mottled but I know she isn't what she appears to be. I've given up on even trying to breed her, everything I've gotten to this point has been a mess in the and as I said, I just don't have that much room.

Here is a pic of the hen
 
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Quote: Nancy - she looks great to me - but as you said, Mottled and not Birchen. As so many are crossing in Mottleds to improve type, perhaps there was Mottled in both her parents backgrounds? Maybe she's an omen telling you to add Mottleds as another Variety to your breeding program in 2013. With her type, you'd be off to a great start! She's a beauty - you'll find a way to use her - either with your Birchens, or by getting a Mottled male.
 
Nancy - she looks great to me - but as you said, Mottled and not Birchen. As so many are crossing in Mottleds to improve type, perhaps there was Mottled in both her parents backgrounds? Maybe she's an omen telling you to add Mottleds as another Variety to your breeding program in 2013. With her type, you'd be off to a great start! She's a beauty - you'll find a way to use her - either with your Birchens, or by getting a Mottled male.

I don't think she will work for mottleds either. I tried using her with one of mine. None of the chicks made it to hatch but they appeared more birchen in color thank mottled
 

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