Quote:
Actually, he does NOT look birchen. The birchen pattern consists of more than silver hackles in males. Note these photos from feathersite:
Birchen requires silver in the head, saddle and shoulders as well. Also, the male breast is laced with silver--ideally only near the top--too far down the breast is undesired (I have a friend who breeds brown reds and birchen modern games). Females show colour on the head, hackles and breast.
Genetically, birchen is the birchen e-allele: E^R. Birds with gold are called brown red, those who are silver are called birchen, those with blue and gold are called lemon blue, those with blue and silver are called silver blues.
Colour showing in the hackles of an otherwise solid coloured bird indicate insufficient melanizers, which will be inherited by offspring. No use mating this bird with another solid bird unless you want many seasons trying to remove hackle colour. If you breed to a grey hen with very good pattern and colouring he might be useful--type and other silkie traits appear to be very nice.
Kev is right on the money in his response.
ALL chickens carry gold or silver--they are two alleles for the same gene. All chickens carry lavender or not-lavender, they are the alleles for a different gene than silver/gold. There is no linkage between these two genes.
A cock can be any of
S/S Lav+/Lav+
S/s+ Lav+/Lav+
s+/s+ Lav+/Lav+
S/S Lav+/lav
S/s+ Lav+/lav
s+/s+ Lav+/lav
S/S lav/lav
S/s+ lav/lav
s+/s+ lav/lav
A hen can be any of
S/- Lav+/Lav+
s+/- Lav+/Lav+
S/- Lav+/lav
s+/- Lav+/lav
S/- lav/lav
s+/- lav/lav
