Genetics Makes My Eyes Bleed

[YborChix]

So....I have 2 Silkie pullets, one blue and one partridge. If I get them a roo, which color would be most likely to produce desirable colors in the offspring and what could I expect?

 

[Sydney Acres]

Oh my, the title of your thread made me laugh so hard I almost choked on my tea! I'm sure there is someone that can give you the answer off the top of their head, but here's a link to the chicken calculator: http://kippenjungle.nl/kruising.html

This looks intimidating, but play with it for a while and it's really quite easy. Just plug in the colors of the hen and the (potential) rooster and see what comes out. After a while you'll get a feel for it and your bleeding eyes will heal!!

What do you consider desirable colors??

 

[rainbowrooster]

"desirable" is in the eye of the beholder of both owner and/or observer. If you want partridge get a partridge male. If you want blue then get a blue, black, or splash male.

 

[Winterwolfbane]

Yeah, your thread title sure made me laugh too. Oh, shoot it's not that hard to figure out. LOL!

Ok, if you get a Partridge rooster . Of course with the partridge hen will produce all partridge babies , no brainer there. Blue hen will produce blue and black chicks that carry partridge.

If you get a Blue rooster, will get black/blue chicks from the partridge hen. Those will carry the partridge genes under the black/blue. And blue and black chicks from the blue hen.

If you get a Black rooster. Black babies with the partridge hen, but carry the partridge genes. Blue and black with the blue hen.

If you get a Splash rooster. Blue chicks with the partridge hen (again they carry the partridge genes). And blue and splash with the blue hen.

Anything bred together that is blue and carries the partridge genes. Then has a chance of producing a blue or splash partridge. This is how it usually works. Though some birds carry hidden recessives. That when paired one copy from each parent, can come up with oddities. Like recessive White. Or even Partridge which is also recessive.

Hey, whatever you decide. Have fun with it and good luck.

 

[Twistedfeather]

I was introduced to this website today: http://www.edelras.nl/chickengenetics/
Haven't really gotten too much into it yet, but I think it still might make your eyes bleed. Why do genetics have to be so hard?

 

[Winterwolfbane]

I don't know why the text books can't put them into more "layman's" like terms, myself? It took me awhile to get a lot of it. What I suggest, is to only learn what you need to know. For what birds you have. Like what color they are and what it is genetically. What recessives/dominates it has. Then branch out from there.
I think the most important genetic traits to learn is the sex-linked genes. Which are Silver/gold and Barring/non-barring. Get how those work and everything kind of falls into place.

I just joined here myself about a month ago. And am more here to kind of help, then ask questions. Not everyone should ask questions, some need to answer some of them too. LOL! I have over 20 years of experience with chickens/birds.

One correction from my last post here. I meant to say "Crele" not Creole. The first is a feather color. The later is a southern lifestyle, language, or cooking.

Sorry about that.

 

[Twistedfeather]

That's how I started I love to answer questions than getting answers that's something I can ask someone in person and get direct answers because honestly it's easier to understand someone in person. But on occasion I'll ask within a thread specific questions to people who really didn't give enough information to see if I can find out more. I asked someone what they would want to see in a article for kids in a poultry newspaper and they said genetics. I could only think of the poor children who would struggle with the genetics piece.

 

[Winterwolfbane]

It all depends on how it's presented to kids (and some adults).

If you keep genetics simple and use say, visual examples. Like simple chicken icons in color. I'm sure it can be done. In a way even young children could understand and not struggle with. People are very visual in nature and if given more then just written facts and figures. And something more to spark their interest. They can learn things pretty quickly. You can actually see the light bulb go on. I am of course speaking from human phycology, and how we learn. And having a background in visual art myself.
I think this is why I caught on so quickly is because I am a visual artist. And don't just see one thing when I look at things. I see an over all picture. Of course things like feather color are not like mixing paint. Some people think they are, though. But where you can mix black and white to make grey in paint. In chickens you mix black and white. You get black. A little more complicated, but once you understand the genetics. Everything falls into place.

Most of what I know I have learned from text books, a lot of experimental breeding and a dear friend, David Hancox. I've actually been away from social media for 6 years or better. Frankly because I needed to work on my "experiments" and learn things. Got tired of not finding answers any other way. And listening to people who really didn't know jack. I've come back to maybe share what I have learned in that time? I am by no means a know-it-all. But if I can't answer someone's questions. I can at least point them in some direction. Not be left to flounder. Like I was a lot of times.