Color genetics thread.

[draye]

It's not true crele but will end up looking sort of like one. True crele are on a "clean" red duckwing- no other mutant genes other than barring. This chick has other genes that make his color darker. True crele chicks hatch out with full chipmunk stripes.. Here's a picture: Part of the problem with the name is it's very abused by many in the fancy, like the so called crele polish, orpingtons etc.. so there can be pictures of crele birds and chicks that look not quite the same or even completely different.. like a solid light brown with white on head.

Daddy was my Black Sex Link Naked Neck, (His daddy was the Salmon Nsked Neck andom was a Barred something) and the mother if this chick was a Weksummer hen ( are those considered BBR)?

 

[carcar80]

I have just hatched chicks from a blue AM over a BR hen. Trying to figure out if this would be a sex-linked breeding? Only one appears to have a white dot on its head. Chicks are a fairly even split of blues and blacks and all look to have white points (wings/chest)..

 

[Cherie1n2]

I have just hatched chicks from a blue AM over a BR hen. Trying to figure out if this would be a sex-linked breeding? Only one appears to have a white dot on its head. Chicks are a fairly even split of blues and blacks and all look to have white points (wings/chest)..

What is an AM?

As long as the father does not have a gene for barring/cuckoo then all male chicks will hatch with a white spot on the tops of their heads. As long as the chicks surrounding down color is dark enough (not white or light yellow) then they can be identified. The white underbelly, neck, cheeks,and wingtips are typical of the E series genes which include blacks and birchen.. You only look at the top of the head for sexlink characteristics.

Included are pictures off my black sexlink project, lavender Ameraucana over BR and cuckoo marans..my lavender Ameraucana has a gene for black and a gene for birchen (I rest bred him before the project so I would know what to expect)

 

[carcar80]

What is an AM?

As long as the father does not have a gene for barring/cuckoo then all male chicks will hatch with a white spot on the tops of their heads. As long as the chicks surrounding down color is dark enough (not white or light yellow) then they can be identified. The white underbelly, neck, cheeks,and wingtips are typical of the E series genes which include blacks and birchen.. You only look at the top of the head for sexlink characteristics.

Included are pictures off my black sexlink project, lavender Ameraucana over BR and cuckoo marans..my lavender Ameraucana has a gene for black and a gene for birchen (I rest bred him before the project so I would know what to expect)

Thank you! And sorry- AM was for Ameraucana. So no, the father has no barring gene. Wasn't sure if the single barred parent always makes for a sex link.. Good to know! Thanks!

 

[horselover1999]

What would a partridge Cochin over a white silkie be?

 

[Cherie1n2]

Thank you! And sorry- AM was for Ameraucana. So no, the father has no barring gene. Wasn't sure if the single barred parent always makes for a sex link.. Good to know! Thanks!

For black sexlinks yes, but the barred parent has to be female. Here's the way it works..

Barring is located on the Z gene which is also the sex gene and is dominant to base color so only one copy is needed to produce a barred bird. In chickens, a male is Z/Z and a female is Z/0.. When bred, each parent contributes to the genetic makeup equally.. So females give Z or 0..the father can only contribute a Z.. Since 100% of the chicks that get Z/Z are male and one copy came from their mother, they will have the yellow spot which indicates they will be barred. Since it is impossible for a female chick to receive the barred gene from their mother, they will not have the spot.

 

[carcar80]

Total sense. Great explanation.

 

[Cherie1n2]

What would a partridge Cochin over a white silkie be?

White covers expression of color bases and patterns and can be either dominant or recessive. There are no sexlinked attributes of that cross. I will be experimenting with silver/gold sexlinks in the near future.. Silver is dominant to gold and the trait is also located on the Z sex gene.. So if breeding a silver FEMALE to a gold male will produce male silver chicks all gold female. Since white silkies can carry silver or gold then it may be possible to use the Sexlinked characteristics at hatch..

Unfortunately I only have a silver male and no white females at all..( Muchless carrying gold)

 

[horselover1999]

I have a broody silkie on 3 of her own eggs, 3 Cochin eggs, and 1 red sex-link egg. I am excited to see the Cochin x silkie!

 

[Kev]

I have just hatched chicks from a blue AM over a BR hen. Trying to figure out if this would be a sex-linked breeding? Only one appears to have a white dot on its head. Chicks are a fairly even split of blues and blacks and all look to have white points (wings/chest)..

you got good info but did not see mention of blue being a dilutor gene. It can make the head spot harder to detect due to lack of contrast.

it can also affect barring- some blue chickens are poorly barred. Not all of them though, don't know why some have fairly good barring yet how on some it can be so sparse.