Finding the genetic code is difficult. I’ve been reading over these sites posted, as well as several other pages, and I can’t find it, such as the Swedish Flower Hen, with their Speckled, Flowery color and pattern.
The SFH has a variety of possible combinations. There is no firm standard for coloration, but the standard set by the Swedish Gene Bank is that than they MUST have mottling, a single comb and four toes on each foot. Skin color can be white or yellow, or lightly mottled. Beyond this, they can be any color or combination of colors and even be crested.
As for plumage coloration, most birds have either E (extended black) or eb (partridge), and though I have seen a few e+ (wild type) as well, they are not very common. I've only had 3 in the last 7 years of breeding the SFH. E-based birds are often heterozygous with plenty of leakage. The eb-based birds are typically mille fleur patterned.
The black pigment varies in all shades of blue black and splash. Many of us (SFH breeders) refer to their birds as black-based, blue-based or splash-based, in reference to this gene.
The red pigments also vary from dilute (often referred to as sno-leopard) to mahogany.
Other genes that may be involved are the melanizing gene and the Columbian gene (responsible for the mille fleur pattern) and even the pattern gene (Pg). Pg is not present in all birds, but I have seen and bred birds that could be considered incompletely laced, supporting this idea.
Another gene that appears infrequently is the dominant white. When heterozygous, many of these birds appear red/white and may be mistaken for a splash based bird, but when bred to any other color, can produce black-based offspring.
Hope this helps explain the confusion that is the SFH "color pattern".
Here are a few images...
A painting done by Leigh Schilling Edwards of one of the original SFH roosters imported by Greenfire Farms.
Another group of photos, compiled by Leigh Schilling Edwards, of some of her own birds showing the variety of colors possible.
The rooster, 3rd row, first column on the left, is an example of the dominant white effect in the SFH. This cock produces blue and black based offspring, proving that he is not, in fact, a splash.
One of my own cockerels, showing an age progression from E-based chick through adult. He also carried Mahogany and the crested gene.
A melanized mille fleur hen showing the black hackles common to Ml.
A group of youngsters. Four carrying E, two are blue, one is also Ml (front left). The rear-most chick is a black-based mille fleur cockerel with eb.
