Grey Silkie?

[marie_martin]

I have blue black and splash silkies. I have a few light blue silkie girls and the rest are dark blue or black and one splash right now. I recently hatched a baby that looks like it could be grey. How could that happen? I have not added any new birds recently except for a black roo but I know where he came from and there is no grey in that line. Any suggestions? Could the baby just be an off colored blue or splash? here are a few pics, not great, but maybe you can tell. I also think it might be a frizzle, and I do have one sizzle girl in there.

this is today:

http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/marie_martin/Chickens/?action=view&current=IMG_4961.jpg

http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/marie_martin/Chickens/?action=view&current=IMG_4960.jpg

http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/marie_martin/Chickens/?action=view&current=IMG_4959.jpg

some earlier pics:

http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/marie_martin/Chickens/?action=view&current=IMG_4891.jpg

http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/marie_martin/Chickens/?action=view&current=IMG_4828.jpg

here it is with one of my light blue girls

http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/marie_martin/Chickens/?action=view&current=IMG_4787.jpg

Do you think light blue? or could grey have gotten in there somehow. There are some white wing feathers, I will try to get pics if I can tomorrow.

Thanks,

Marie

 

[LilPeeps]

It's blue, and does have a bit of grey patterning. If it weren't carrying blue, it would be much more apparent. Do you have any birds with silver in the hackles or saddles of males or breasts of females? It could also be present and hidden in a splash because of the lightness of the feathers.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

To get grey patterning all you need to do is remove part of the lacing that blues carry.

PgPg Mlml Coco (lacing gene-set)
+ PgPg Mlml Coco (lacing gene-set)

PgPg mlml coco (penciling gene-set: a percentage; not all)

To put that in English, a blue laced hen (which is what the standard calls for) who has one allele rather than two for two of the genes needed to create the lacing bred to a male who also has one copy of those alleles will each pass Co to about half their offspring, and co to the other half. Likewise with Ml.

So the various combinations for offspring that could come out of this are:

PgPg MlMl CoCo--laced
PgPg Mlml CoCo--laced only at tip of feather
PgPg mlml CoCo--columbian pattern

PgPg MlMl Coco--laced
PgPg Mlml Coco--laced only at tip of feather
PgPg mlml Coco--columbian pattern

PgPg MlMl coco--double laced: one variation of partridge
PgPg Mlml coco--multiple laced, aka penciling: another variation of partridge
PgPg mlml coco--multiple laced, aka penciling: a third variation of partridge

Note that this requires that both the parents are heterozygous for both Ml & Co. If they are also het. for Pg, there are even more patterns that could result.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
HUH?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

If both parents have one copy rather than two of the melonotic and columbian genes, which are needed to create lacing, a certain percentage of their offspring will inherit zero copies of those genes and the offspring will inherit the genes for penciling (partridge pattern) rather than lacing.

Pg Ml Co is a laced pattern

Pg ml co is a penciled pattern (aka partridge)

Pg Ml co is a double laced pattern, another variation of partridge

 

[marie_martin]

Ok so I sort of get it on a very basic level. But should this bird be culled in order to avoid breeding in more like that? I assume that if it is bred back into the flock, it would increase the chances of having grey birds?

Thanks

Marie

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

It depends on the varieties you wish to keep. If you want greys, it is worth keeping; if you don't find someone who does.

Just realize that removing this particular bird from the flock doesn't prevent more from cropping up in the future. Both parents carry an incomplete set of the genes for lacing. Complete would be PgPg MlMl CoCo.

Think of it as being somewhat like cooking. If you leave out the paprika & cinnamon your goulash becomes a simple beef stew instead.

 

[marie_martin]

Is there any way for me to tell who might be throwing that color? None of my birds have any discoloration like you mentioned. I did have something strange happen a while back. I had a couple of buff girls that started to lay before I moved them out of the b/b/s pen and I hatched a few of the eggs and got some that were muttled/mixed colors but a couple looked like actual partridge, with the striping etc. Looked just like the partridge I have seen. I wonder if that has something to do with it. If so, maybe the partridge/grey is coming from a roo? That would narrow it down alot.

Marie

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Each parent is contributing part of the recipe that creates penciling. If you changed either parent for one who is homozygous for all the genes that make lacing, you remove the possibility of penciled offspring.

 

[NOnuggets]

Is there a website anywhere that gives the genetic breakdown of color and pattern in Silkies - basically reduced to a punnett square?
We have a black and a white...what will their offspring be?