Genetics

[guineaguy]

So is it true that a hen cannot be split to any other color she only cares one color gene

 

[Dany12]

From Hopkins genetics ..... a peahen split pied !

http://www.hopkinslivestock.com/ima...9_IB_silver_pied_dark_pied_hen_wings_open.JPG

 

[guineaguy]

[/IMG][/IMG]this is the conversation we are having about this guess I'm trying to understand how the hens are not split cameo or at least a 50/50 chance

 

[guineaguy]

1st

 

[guineaguy]

my response 2nd

 

[guineaguy]

3rd another opinion I'm wondering why the hens are not split to cameo?

 

[new 2 pfowl]

I know virtually nothing about pea genetics.

But, according to Deerman, hens cannot be split to cameo -- I would tend to believe him:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/373826/cameo-genetics

(We miss you Deerman!)

*ETA:
It seems that hens cannot be split to any sex-linked colors.
Here is information from the Peafowl Stickies 201; Advanced Genetics:

Sex-linked Colors
The current sex-linked colors are Purple, Cameo, Peach, and Sonja's Violeta (the newest). These colors do not transfer between birds like normal colors. Instead they travel on the gender chromosomes. Males must have 2 copies of the allele to display the color but females only need 1 copy. For the sake of simplicity, I will show the transference of the color when bred to a Blue. I will use purple as the sex-linked color. I will add pictures of punnet squares for visual examples when I get the time to use a scanner.

Purple male x Blue female = Blue split Purple males and Purple females
Purple female x Blue male = Blue split Purple males and Blue females

When a sex-linked color is bred to a blue split to its own color (ie purple bred to split purple), males and females of the sex-linked color can be produced. Remember that blues split to sex-linked colors will ALWAYS be male (see below). Additionally, the sex-linked colors will breed true when bred to itself.

Purple female x Blue split Purple male = Blue split Purple males, Purple males, Blue females, and Purple females
Purple male x purple female = Purple males and Purple females

No female will ever be split to a sex-linked color, because they only need 1 copy to display the color. A female with the gene will always be the sex-linked color. I will use Purple again as my sex-linked color for an example.

Purple male x Opal female = Blue split Purple/Opal males and Purple split Opal females

When two sex linked colors are bred together, the male offspring will be blue split the colors of the parents and the females will be the color of the father. Let's use Peach and Purple as our two sex-linked colors.

Peach male x Purple female = Blue split Peach/Purple males and Peach females

If you were to go insane and decide to breed the children of the pairing above together, it would be awesome and look something like this:

Blue split Peach/Purple male x Peach female = Peach males, Blue split Purple/Peach males, peach females, purple females

A note on Peach color: The current theory is that Peach is an interaction of the Purple and Cameo colors. If that is true, a Peach bird will necessarily be "split" Purple and Cameo, and could produce either when bred.

 

[Rosa moschata]

Being "split" for something means having one copy of the mutated gene, and one copy of the normal gene. For genes that are NOT found on the sex chromosomes, males and females can be split because all of those chromosomes come in matched pairs. The sex chromosomes are different -- in birds, males have two copies of the Z chromosome, while females have one Z and one W. Since they don't have two different Zs, females can't be split for traits carried on that chromosome (they have either a normal copy or a mutated copy). So that means peahens can't be split for Purple, Cameo, Peach or Sonja's Violetta. But they CAN be split for all the other traits -- Black-Shoulder, Bronze, Midnight, White, etc.

 

[Rosa moschata]

Oh, and that bit from the genetics sticky on peafowl about Peach X Purple is incorrect. I corrected it in responses to the sticky, but I guess it didn't make it to being edited into the original post.

 

[Pavomuticus]

Interestingly I've have had a peach chick off a peach hen that was put to a Blue male (the odds of the male been spilt to peach are akin to winning the lottery- the female is as far as i'm aware one of only three in the country and the chick to my knowledge would be the first chick hatched out of a Peach peahen egg ever in my country ), not sure whats happened waiting for the next egg to hatch to see what colour that will be and what sex the present chick will be....