Color question...

[SunAngel]

Is black a dominant gene?

I know next to nothing about chicken/color genetics, but figured someone here definitely would.

I have chicks hatching today and the first 4 have all hatched out black. One is more of a smokey gray, the other 3 have white chests and wing tips. The dad is a Black Frizzle Cochin....the possible moms are 2 Mille Fleur d'Uccles, a Silver Sebright, 2 Wheaten OEGBs, a White Cochin or a black Japanese. I have various colored Silkie hens also (Splash, Partridge, Black, Blue, White), but none of the chicks have 5 toes or black skin...so I am mostly ruling them out.

With the hens I have, is it possible to get any color chicks but black? And will they all feather out black or is it possible for them to get some sort of color variations? I want to add some more bantams to my group and possibly frizzles, but worried all I will get are black ones.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Henk69]

Your worries are justified...

The splash (=double dose blue) and the blue (single dose) hen should produce blue offspring though, 100% and 50% respectively.

Also the black cockerels you will get could be rusty, leaking groundcolor (gold to silver).

 

[SunAngel]

Oh well, hopefully I will get some Sizzles out of him before I find a new roo.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Dustin Biery]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but you will have to breed the f2 generation back to the parent bird to get the sizzle because silkie feathering doesn't show until at least the second generation?

 

[SunAngel]

I'm sure I will keep some of the chicks. But now I am confused about the future babies.

So if you breed a frizzle Cochin to a Silkie, all the babies that hatch will be normal hard feathered? Like the Cochin?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

With sizzles you do not want silkie feathering. That would be a frizzled silkie, not a sizzle.

 

[SunAngel]

What will I get chick wise if I cross my Frizzle Cochin with my Silkie hens? Would half the chicks be hard feathered and half Silkie feathered? Or will I get some frizzles too?

Would I have to breed the babies back to the frizzled father to get Sizzles? Would those babies then hatch out half frizzled Silkies and half Sizzles? Ack, I am lost lol.

 

[SunAngel]

The 6th chick to hatch today is either black or dark blue and definitely a Frizzle Cochin/Silkie mix. Black beak & skin, 5 toes, straight comb. Am really curious to see how it will feather out.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

Sonoran - whats the difference between a sizzle and a frizzled silkie?

(I just posted about this on another thread and was all proud of myself, and this sizzle/frizzled silkie thing just shot that all to hell! LOL!)

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Genetically, a frizzled silkie is F/f+ h/h. Translated that is one copy of frizzle, one copy of not-frizzle; and two copies of silkie.

A sizzle is also F/f+, but should have at least one copy of H+ (not-silkie)--ideally two copies.

If I can find batteries for my camera, I will try to take a photo of both types of birds together tomorrow.