DUMB QUESTION about bird colors

[Sonoran Silkies]

One feature that would be nice to add to the calculator would be to be able to specify the known genes and hte desired phenotype, and have the calculator show you which alleles are needed to create the bird using the known genes.

For example, a pure black bird based upon e+, e^b or E^R.

 

[Krys109uk]

I thought someone said there was no choc gene in US birds.

The choc gene is present in EU. Henk, the creator of the chicken calculator is from Netherlands.

Talking of crossing anything with recessive white is a poor example. Unless one already knows what other genes the recessive white bird is carrying it would be very difficult to plug in the correct genotype in order to predict any results.
From my own point of view I find the calculator an excellent tool, very useful.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

For some reason, people new to silkies ask the question ALL the time.

My example was to show how very different results could be obtained using the "same" cross. I agree it is a wonderful tool. It helps me understand the affect that changing a single gene can have on the phenotype, and it helps me predict possible outcomes with a bird in my flock.

 

[Krys109uk]

For some reason, people new to silkies ask the question ALL the time.

Yes, I've noticed this.

I could see that you were illustrating the usual recessive white cross question, very well. I was agreeing with you... pointing out to those questioning the results, that recessive white crossed with another colour is one of the most unpredictable mixes.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

I think I understand now. Thanks Sonoran and amazondoc!

 

[warmfuzzies]

Wow this is really interesting! I am learning alot. One interesting thing is I have a buff x black cochin, and they say it has a 50% chance of being either black or fawn. It has yellow down, and its feathers are coming in either black or black and buff striped. Why is that? And I dont know what color fawn is. It is about 4 weeks old.

Also, if I cross the black with the partridge it says they will be all black. I have some that look just like the partridge, and some that are black with a tinge of brown. Will they be all black as they get their adult plumage?

This is very fun to play with!

 

[Henk69]

Buff is a color that has a few mysterious ingredients. In the calculator I added dun factor to explain the absence of black feathers in the tail and flights.
Not all buffs do have that factor. See the remark-hyperlink in the calculator.

Furthermore some buffs have Db next to Co. This Db may have impact on extended black, but this is not yet documented (in science).

Extended black E in crossings can become rusty (groundcolor leakage) in male hackle and saddle, if melanizers, many are unknown, are incomplete.
I did not implement this rust phenomenon into the calculator because you can not set these unknown melanizer genes.

If you enter my calculator via the hyperlink in my subscript the above aspect is mentioned.

There are many buts in chicken genetics. Didn't have room on the calculator-page to write them all down...

Sonoran,
The proposed feature has come to mind, I have seen it in parakeet calculators. First you would become a lazy geneticist (better play with the lists etcetra... ) and second people would "sue" me for wasting resources if the calculator would cough up a wrong choice of chicken...

Maybe next winter.

 

[Crunchie]

Quote:
The choc gene can be found in the U.S.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Really? Where can I get my hands on some choc birds?

 

[Crunchie]

Ok, well maybe I shouldn't say that the choc gene can be found in the U.S., because I don't know enough about genetics to know if that is the actual gene. What I do know is that there are chocolate birds. Wether they are chocolate as the result of the choc gene someone with more knowledge of genetics will have to answer.

I guess if it is not the choc gene, would it be the dun gene? Is there such a thing?

Oh, and I don't know if the conversation about chocolate was in reference to a particular breed (I think you guys were talking Silkies, but the person I quoted who was asking about chocolate, I was assuming was talking about choc in chickens in general not just Silkies). I'm not talking about Silkies, I'm referring to chocolate Polish...so my rambling may be just nonsense rambling, anyway.

That happens to me a lot.