Frizzle genetics???

[bockbock2008]

Ok, I'm trying to understand frizzle --dness. I have just hatched out frizzled chicks and have some questions. They just hatched yesterday so they haven't feathered out yet. The father is BCM frizzle and the mother is probably a JG but could be a something else. I hatched out some pure Black JG with these frizzles and all the chicks look alike. BUT, the frizzles have feathered legs, like the BCM roo. Anyway, since I am impatient, will the chicks probably be frizzles or is that a for sure thing? Secondly, lets say one turns out to be a frizzled roo, do I have to breed it with a frizzle hen to get frizzles or is this gene dominant?

 

[LarryPQ]

if you breed a firzzle with a non frizzle, you should get a 50/50 split.

You do NOT want to breed a frizzle with a frizzle. That is a double dose of the gene, and can cause "frazzle"-ing. Frazzles have very brittle feathers and can be "naked" or never develop feathers.

 

[bockbock2008]

Ok. That makes sense. Thanks for your help.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Birds who are homozygous for the frizzle gene (have two copies) do NOT "never develop feathers." The feathers are overly curled, often brittle. With proper care they will do just fine.

 

[LarryPQ]

Quote:
Sorry, I should have been more clear. There are a few instances I have seen here, where a bird got a double dose and ended up with big-ol bald spots, or were mostly "naked". This is rare, but does occur. I am trying to find a thread where the lady had a chick with a double-dose and was holding the chick (on accident) over the stove. THere is another that won the "ugly chicken" contest. They had wing feathers but nothing else.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=222316&p=4

see frankenchicken

 

[bockbock2008]

So all in all, breed a frizzle to a non frizzle and I should be OK?

 

[LarryPQ]

yeah- forgive me for my poor vocabulary

SonoranSilkies is the expert.

 

[Keri78]

Right! I have a little "frazzle"(doubel doser girl) that I got from a hatchery order. She is sooo runty and tiny and has no feathers under her wings and very thin feathering on the rest of her body so she can't fly at all! Which is horrible b/c she can't protect herself from predators or jump up to roost. She gets over heated easily and gets cold very very easily. Her feathers that she has are sooo brittle that they just break right off you have to be so careful when holding her and petting her. We LOVE our "Tushie"(named b/c that's where she lands every time she forgets that she can't fly and attempts it!) but I would never ever breed frizzle to frizzle after having to care for her. Blessings,Keri

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Sorry, I should have been more clear. There are a few instances I have seen here, where a bird got a double dose and ended up with big-ol bald spots, or were mostly "naked". This is rare, but does occur. I am trying to find a thread where the lady had a chick with a double-dose and was holding the chick (on accident) over the stove. THere is another that won the "ugly chicken" contest. They had wing feathers but nothing else.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=222316&p=4

see frankenchicken

Brittle feathers can and will break off unless extra care is provided. There is a slow feathering gene which is unrelated to the frizzle gene, but from what I have read is common in some breeds. Chicks with slowfeathering take much longer to grow in all their feathers--specifically feathering on the back takes much longer to fill in.