Feathered Shanks genetic conundrum. Pti-1^L vs. Pti-1^B

[VillageChicken]

How am I getting feathered middle toes on offspring from parent birds with clean middle toes?
If I understand the genetics properly, the Pti-1 is an allele that has 3 options: clean shanks, Langshan single toe feathering and Brahma two toe feathering.
The Pti-1^B brahma type is supposed to be dominant. I have found this to be true with the Black Copper Marans.
But with my Wheatens, I have paired up two parent birds with very clean middle toes - no stubs, nothing. And I'm getting 2 out of 3 offspring so far with feathered middle toes.

I know there are shank feathering inhibitors that are recessive and exist in some production breeds that express clean shanks but possess the feathered shanks genes.
But I have not read or heard of anything about an inhibitor that affects middle toe only. And it would have to be dominant to act this way.

I'm stumped on this one. Any suggestions?

 

[Debbi]

Hi Roger,

Gosh, if you're stumped, God help the rest of us!

I've not had that problem..yet. Do your Wheaten hens have real heavy shank feathering down the shanks? How old are the chicks? What I find here, is that the heavy feathering does not come through on a regular basis. Maybe hold on to those chicks with the middle toe feathering, and breed them to lesser feathered mates? Although a few of my F1s did have feathering, most of it was sparse at best, and that was with heavily feathered roos. How is the shank/toe feathering on your roo? Could this be sex-linked somehow? Calling Dr. Hancox!!

 

[VillageChicken]

Hi Deb,
Yeah, this is a weird one. Goes to show that phenotype doesn't always show you the genes under the surface.
I've got a few more chicks from this pair in the hatcher, so we'll see what I get.
The hen is lightly feathered, and the roo has more, but not what I would call heavy.

Aparently there are so many multiple genetic combinations, that almost anything is possible.
I posted on the Classroom @ the Coop thread, where there's a lot of genetic gurus posting, and got some useful info.
One guy crossed Cochins to clean shanks and got Marans type leg feathering on only shanks and outside toe in his F1s.
Of course these did not breed true. Cochins, in theory, have two different shank feathering genes that give them the heavy shank feathering.
So if heterozygous for both of those genes, then the pheno is single toe feathering.

But I did the math, and I should be getting some with no feathers, and some with crazy heavy feathers, and I'm not.

Still trying to figure this one out.

Hey I just noticed I got a BYC educator thing... that's funny, I've learned so much from being on this forum. Not sure how I got that!

 

[Debbi]

Wow, well good luck with the hatch. Let us know what all you get. Congrats on the Educator badge, you do deserve that! I know you have explained quite a few things for us all in plain and easy to understand lingo!