Help with genetics?

[Handyhens]

Hi. I am doing an extra credit report on genetics over the summer, and I want the topic to be about chickens and their genetics, because I think it would be fun to write. The one thing is, I think I would get the best information about what genes in a chicken and dominant or recessive from experienced chicken breeders, aka BYC Members. I would love it if you could share your experience/knowledge here. I would surely benefit from it, and maybe some beginner breeders will benefit too.
Also, Amerucauna breeders, I would love to know about the reason why the "beard" gene kills, and what the outcomes are for chickens with 2 hetero or homozygous bearded parents. Thank you!
I will make sure that the members that help and BYC will get credit in this report. Thank you again!

I am thinking of including these traits:
Feathered feet
Beards
Silkie feathers
Color patterns
Crest
Comb types

 

[GitaBooks]

Sounds exciting! I love studying chicken genetics, especially in crossbreeds. There is a lot of good information on their in books, in the internet, and from breeders.

I hope to get back to you with more information on genetics, but I just thought I'd bring up some interesting things I've noted in my crossbreeds.

I crossed a Silver-laced Sebright with a Red Pyle OEG bantam hen and got four chicks (that survived, the others got eaten by a cat). They were all white with a couple black specks on them but both girls had grey legs and both boys had pink legs (their father having grey and their mother having pink).

These crosses, which I called "Banshees" (they were mean, just like their father) bred with a Naked-Neck, white silkie rooster and produced four more chicks, two boys and two girls. The girls where fluffy and white with crests, beards, and feathered legs. They had grey skin and black feathers among the white, leading to the name "Dalmatian". The boys didn't seem to have black feathers, only red feathers. They had a walnut comb.

Then these Dalmatians either bred with their brother or father (didn't want to inbreed them, but it just happens sometimes in a large flock). Some of the eggs could also have been from my Golden-laced Sebright. I got six chicks. One had pink skin, a beard, no crest, and fluffy feathers that weren't silkied. The rest had dark skin. Some had the large eyes of sebrights. Most or all of them had feathering on the legs to some extent and many had the 5 toes of the silkie. A couple didn't have crests or beards but did have feathered legs. One of them had silkied feathers. Most of them were white, though a few had tiny, tiny black markings on them.


The top photo is of Susie, my Dalmatian bantam. The bottom is of one of my Banshees.






Sorry about how long it is, but I love talking about my chickens genetics.

Best of luck!