Genetics - Runner duck colouring

[iheartrunners]

Hi!

I used the genetics calculator to determine what I would get it I crossed my pencilled runner drake with a black runner duck.

It says:
Males - black self runner/pied
Female - chocolate self runner/pied

Does it mean they would be the same pattern as the pencilled but have different colour vests (as I call them (ie: the chest and head) - brown for girls, black for boys?

I can't seem to find any photos of what this may look like. Can someone describe how they may look or does anyone have photo examples?

Thanks!

 

[Duck Hill]

DAD: Penciled drake: double brown, double runner, one blue gene ?

MOM: Black duck: double black gene

Girl babies: one brown, one runner, possibly one blue, one black. Should look chocolate, lighter if there is a blue gene. There may be a few white feathers around the neck and possibly white wing tips due to the single runner gene.

Boy babies: one brown, one runner, possibly one blue, one black gene. The babies will be black, possibly with a slightly brown shine, possibly grey if there is a blue gene. There may be a few white feathers around the neck and possibly white wing tips due to the single runner gene.

This is assuming the parents are genetically pure for what they are. You could still get some surprises.

 

[iheartrunners]

Very interesting! Thanks for the reply and the explanation.

Just so I'm clear:

r+r+=no Runner pattern
Rr+=may be a few white feathers around the neck and possibly white wing tips
RR=full Runner pattern

Correct?

So that means the babies should be sexable at hatch by colouring!

I'll need to do some more reading on the chocolate dilution - From what I understand the girls show the chocolate and the boys don't (very simplified)

I'm very interested to see what hatches out from this combination, I have a pencilled breeding pair but have just introduced a black duck. I thought it may be interesting to see what comes from the pencilled/black match up (and was hoping for sexable ducklings). It will be interesting as well because it could tell me if the pencilled drake has any "hidden" genes I'm not aware of.

Know anyone who has done this combo (or similar), and has photos? Mostly curious about the Rr+ patterning.

Thanks again!

 

[Duck Hill]

Yes, a brown dad on a black girl will let you know at hatching. All brown ones will be girls.

I have had several ducklings with Rr patterning. They all had one or several white feathers on one or both wing tips. They almost all had some white on their necks. The two on the right are the parents: Fawn and white runner dad, trout girl. The duck offspring has a little white spot on her neck and white feathers at the tips of her wings. The drake offspring has a little white at the base of his neck (even in breeding plumage) and has a white feather on one side of the wing, which barely shows in this picture. Note that this girl has a brown gene and a single blue gene. The boy also has one brown gene (which should not be dominant but seems to show a bit) and one blue gene also.



In your case black is dominant so the girls should be chocolate and the drakes black. That is, if the girl is pure for black...

 

[iheartrunners]

Great! Thanks for the additional description and the photo is a great help! Thanks for sharing. They are lovely!

Not sure if my girl is pure black... She's a beautiful black and with a nice green sheen in the right lighting! But I have noticed that in different lightings I can see a sort of brownish hue at times I think... so I'm not sure yet... guess the babies may help me figure it out.

Not a great picture of her but I thought I would include it

 

[Duck Hill]

Your black duck is beautiful! Being a girl, she cannot carry a hidden brown gene. If she had a brown gene it would show and she would be chocolate in color. However, it is possible that she carries a single black gene and that whatever is under (e.g. dusky or some other color) is showing through slightly making her slightly brown. It could also be an effect of fading in the sun. Babies are a great way to know. If she is half black, half the babies will not carry the black gene at all and will be a completely different color. If she is full black all babies should be black or chocolate (or some other color in the black line).

Please post pics when you have babies!!!

 

[Duck Hill]

Cinnamon (right) and Indigo (left) both carry hidden white genes. I knew that some penciled ducks carry white, so I thought Indigo might have this gene. However, it's only when Beacon was born that I realized that Cinnamon also carries a white gene!

 

[iheartrunners]

Will definitely post pics!

Nice photo, they are stunning! Their colouring is so rich!

Hmmm I hadn't considered that she may only have one black gene - which totally makes sense as a possibility. Now I'm even more curious about will hatch! It will finally clear up what genes she carries! Fascinating stuff hehe!