Genetics questions boggling my mind!!!

[Pyxis]

And if that is the case, the buff girls also got saddleback from their mothers.
What a cool science project!

Now, that wouldn't be possible if the saddleback gene was sex-linked recessive. It WOULD be possible if it was sex-linked dominant, but only if the goslings were males, not females.

Which they can't be because buff is sex-linked recessive.

So that would indicate that the saddleback gene is in fact NOT sex-linked.

And also that your buff gander must be carrying one copy of it.

 

[Pyxis]

Okay, thinking about the genetics, your buff is the father of the saddlebacks and the buffs. He has one copy of Spotted, but it's regular recessive and doesn't express, right?

So with your Grey Saddleback hens, he can produce female Buffs, female Saddleback buffs, male Gray Saddlebacks, and male Greys.

I am ruling out the Lavender gander because he would have also passed a copy of Blue to all his offspring, and none of them are blue. He might have fathered the white one, though. That's possible if he has a copy of Dilute. Reviewing the picture of him, that white patterning on him and him not actually being solid Lavender makes me think he does.

 

[Goosey Girl]

Small flock. Only 3 adult females. All goslings are theirs. All adult females had same parents: Pomeranian gander and White Sebastopol goose.

 

[NatJ]

Okay, thinking about the genetics, your buff is the father of the saddlebacks and the buffs. He has one copy of Spotted, but it's regular recessive and doesn't express, right?

So with your Grey Saddleback hens, he can produce female Buffs, female Saddleback buffs, male Gray Saddlebacks, and male Greys.

I agree that could work.
But it works even if spotted IS sexlinked.

If spotted is sexlinked, the male's Z chromosomes would be:
buff/spotted
buff/not-spotted
So he would show buff but not show spotted.

And he would pass buff to all offspring, but spotted to only half of them.
So his daughters could be buff or buff saddleback.
His sons could be buff or dark, depending on what they get from their mothers.
With a saddleback mother, his sons could also be saddleback or not.
With a non-saddleback mother, the sons would never show saddleback.

So I think the buff male must have one copy of the gene for spotted (saddleback), but we still cannot tell whether it is sexlinked or not.

I am ruling out the Lavender gander because he would have also passed a copy of Blue to all his offspring, and none of them are blue. He might have fathered the white one, though. That's possible if he has a copy of Dilute. Reviewing the picture of him, that white patterning on him and him not actually being solid Lavender makes me think he does.

That makes sense to me, too. I was having trouble trying to figure out the white one.

 

[ChelliesSassySeramas]

Small flock. Only 3 adult females. All goslings are theirs. All adult females had same parents: Pomeranian gander and White Sebastopol goose.
View attachment 3184468

Ma'am! I'm going to need you to stop posting these incredibly adorable pictures of your geese! I already have a hard time walking away from the babies at feed stores and now I find out they come in CURLY feathered varieties?!?! Ugh, one more thing to tell my husband I need in my life or I'm going to die...time to start coming up on my argument about why.....

 

[Goosey Girl]

These were my seven last week. I sold three that looked like carbon copies of two others. These are the product of my 2 males and 3 females...

Here are two from same possible females. I think the darker one might be considered a grey?

And finally the very first one that hatched about three months ago. I think he/she would be considered a blue?

So a recap of all the goslings hatched with my adult combination: 1. solid white, 2. solid buff, 3. solid shades of dark grey, 4. solid shades of light grey (blue), 5. saddleback dark, 6. saddleback buff.
I don't think any other visual traits would be possible.
Here's another view of part of the group including my Metzer babies from this spring.

 

[Goosey Girl]

As far as breeding goals and experimental combinations, what would be the most interesting when I split adults into smaller groups this winter and have selective breeding next year?

Males:
1 lavender,
1 buff,
1 Metzer white boy (hatched this year),
1 grey saddleback boy (hatch this year).

Females: 3 original Saddleback adults,
1 buff adult (no fertile eggs this year),
2 Metzer white (hatched this year),
1 buff (hatched this year) and
1 buff saddlebacks (hatched this year)
1 dark grey solid (probably female)
1 the blue (probably female)

I know the youngest might not have fertile eggs until later in season. Perhaps my adult female buff with a Metzer boy and goslings will be sexlinked? The lavender male with the dark solid female so the lavender color will become darker, maybe? Are there any combinations that would produce 100% sexlinks? Any combinations to definitely avoid?

 

[Pyxis]

I agree that could work.
But it works even if spotted IS sexlinked.

If spotted is sexlinked, the male's Z chromosomes would be:
buff/spotted
buff/not-spotted
So he would show buff but not show spotted.

Good point! I didn't think about that. Well then, it is still a mystery, haha.

 

[Goosey Girl]

Pattern must pass from mother to daughter. I have one female that has a saddleback usually hidden by her wing feathers with distinctive head markings:

One of her goslings has grown up to look remarkably similar to her except in buff color (from the gander).

My hypothesis based on what I see is that the spotting gene/pattern/saddleback does indeed pass from mother to daughter. I can't think of any other explanation. The front view and other side view are also very similar as well.