genetics questions (prediction on how chicks would look)

[Lgbchickie]

We have two Roosters (Black Australorp cockerel, buff Orp Roo) and 3 hens (Silver ameraucana, straight comb black easter-egger, cushion comb black easter egger) and 5 pullets (black australorp, rhode island red, GLW and buff orp mix, Dominique, and a blue rock and GLW mix) and I was wondering what each chicks would look like since im going to incubate at least 1 egg from each preferably 2

also is there a way to tell which rooster feralized an egg other that hatching it? when we make egg most if not all are fertilized, they have the white ring spot thing

NOTE: only two of our chickens are related and are both pullets (the GLW mixes) so there is no inbreeding the orpington is just a coincidence

 

[Silkies4everr]

Not a genetic expert, but here's a calculator that might help, this one's for feather color mainly: https://kippenjungle.nl/chickencalculator.html

If you look at the top near the right, there's a link that says "Chicken Quest version" that one is the same calculator but with more genes like comb type and leg feathering.

 

[Otcho]

In order to make predictions about what the chicks will look like, you'd have to research both parents' breeds, identify their e-locus allele (E, Eb, e+, eb, or eWh) and any other genes layered on top of that, and then calculate the chances of them passing those traits onto their offspring (a Punnett Square is most helpful for this).

Unfortunately, there's no way of telling which eggs are fertilized by which rooster if they're all housed together and mating. You could separate your hens from both males until they stop laying fertilized eggs, then reintroduce one rooster. Any fertilized eggs from that point onwards could only belong to that reintroduced male.

Finally, chickens are very resistant to the negative effects of inbreeding. Introducing new blood every generation isn't necessary unless your stock is showing signs of inbreeding depression. Backcrossing offspring to their parent(s) is a way to strongly encourage certain traits, but sibling to sibling pairings aren't often recommended because you're virtually reshuffling the parents' genomes (unless that's your goal, of course). There are other ways to utilize inbreeding (spiral method, line breeding, etc.), but considering that your birds are almost all different breeds, that would be a concern for any future generations, not necessarily the crosses you're asking about

If anyone with firsthand experience/different information would like to add on to this or correct anything, please do so!

 

[Lgbchickie]

In order to make predictions about what the chicks will look like, you'd have to research both parents' breeds, identify their e-locus allele (E, Eb, e+, eb, or eWh) and any other genes layered on top of that, and then calculate the chances of them passing those traits onto their offspring (a Punnett Square is most helpful for this).

Unfortunately, there's no way of telling which eggs are fertilized by which rooster if they're all housed together and mating. You could separate your hens from both males until they stop laying fertilized eggs, then reintroduce one rooster. Any fertilized eggs from that point onwards could only belong to that reintroduced male.

Finally, chickens are very resistant to the negative effects of inbreeding. Introducing new blood every generation isn't necessary unless your stock is showing signs of inbreeding depression. Backcrossing offspring to their parent(s) is a way to strongly encourage certain traits, but sibling to sibling pairings aren't often recommended because you're virtually reshuffling the parents' genomes (unless that's your goal, of course). There are other ways to utilize inbreeding (spiral method, line breeding, etc.), but considering that your birds are almost all different breeds, that would be a concern for any future generations, not necessarily the crosses you're asking about

If anyone with firsthand experience/different information would like to add on to this or correct anything, please do so!

No hen is related to any rooster (that I know of, idk how hatcheries work)

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

No hen is related to any rooster (that I know of, idk how hatcheries work)

Breeding offspring back the parent is very common with livestock. It’s called line breeding. I don’t know how hatcheries do things exactly but any hatchery working to improve a breed is very likely practicing line breeding. At any rate…I wouldn’t worry about whether or not your chickens are related.

 

[Lgbchickie]

How do those genes work like, give one of the pure breeds as an example like the black australorps or my buff orpington rooster, do those genes vary chicken to chicken even if there a pure breed

 

[Lgbchickie]

Breeding offspring back the parent is very common with livestock. It’s called line breeding. I don’t know how hatcheries do things exactly but any hatchery working to improve a breed is very likely practicing line breeding. At any rate…I wouldn’t worry about whether or not your chickens are related.

It just feels weird from a moral standpoint to me since there pets and there's no goal to them, breed-wise

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

How do those genes work like, give one of the pure breeds as an example like the black australorps or my buff orpington rooster, do those genes vary chicken to chicken even if there a pure breed

Genetics is complicated so I won’t pretend to understand it but I can tag someone who does. I do believe it varies chicken to chicken just like with people. If you breed a rooster with qualities you like to a hen of the same breed you will have traits show up that don’t resemble the parents exactly and so breeders cull (take out of the flock) the birds that don’t fit the standard and repeat to get as many birds that do fit the standard as possible. Hatcheries aren’t as strict about this as dedicated breeders so if you want a show-quality bird of any breed you are better off getting stock from a breeder generally speaking.
@MysteryChicken @Amer

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

It just feels weird from a moral standpoint to me since there pets and there's no goal to them, breed-wise

Yeah backyard chicken keepers don’t generally worry about this stuff. I have two roosters and over 20 hens and I don’t care who breeds with who or what the offspring look like because my breeding goals are not to meet a Standard of Perfection but to create a landrace which are two very different things. Breeding goals vary widely. In your case, because you want pets, this is all just extra. But somewhere down the line you might decide you like a certain chicken’s temperament and want to breed that forward, or a certain egg color, etc so it can be useful to know a bit before you start aiming for your goal.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Genetics is complicated so I won’t pretend to understand it but I can tag someone who does. I do believe it varies chicken to chicken just like with people. If you breed a rooster with qualities you like to a hen of the same breed you will have traits show up that don’t resemble the parents exactly and so breeders cull (take out of the flock) the birds that don’t fit the standard and repeat to get as many birds that do fit the standard as possible. Hatcheries aren’t as strict about this as dedicated breeders so if you want a show-quality bird of any breed you are better off getting stock from a breeder generally speaking.
@MysteryChicken @Amer

I'll come by tomorrow, it's getting late here.