How do you get a frizzle....

[roosty]

I read in the mcmurray hatchery catalog that the frizzle gene does not hold true.. I assume thats why you would get some frizzled and some not....????

....but they would all have the gene.

 

[Mrs MIA]

I love all this genetics talk... I'm learning so much!

Thanks guys!

 

[SusanJoM]

According to this little abstract, the Frizzle Gene (F) is incompletely dominant.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/trop/2003/00000035/00000004/05145774

And, going back to my very favorite genetics site

http://home.ezweb.com.au/~kazballea/genetics/theory.html

incomplete dominance is also why/how a black bird crossed with a splash bird will give you a blue bird....



Vewwy vewwy intewesting....

Susan

 

[jimnjay]

You are so right Susan, Vewwy vewwy intewesting. The incomplete dominant gene sort of throws me. I would not really know how to explain that one. The articles I have read get so complicated that I get lost most times. I have just stuck to breeding smooth to frizzle because the hatcheries have in the past used frizzle to frizzle and people has received very strange chicks that do not feather out completely or others the look like they are in a bad molt all the time. It is pretty sad especially when they can look so beautiful. I am glad to hear that they have changed their approach and people still end up with a strong and healthy chick even though they may not have curls.

 

[Krys109uk]

Frizzle isn't actually a lethal gene as such, but the presence of two frizzling genes causes the bird's feathers to be too curled & brittle, which is why people used to sometimes get these poor partly bald chickens.
Incompletely dominant means that when has one of each of two possible genes for a trait gene (in other words they are heterozygous), such as having one frizzle gene & one non frizzle gene. the results will be intermediate. Somewhere inbetween the extremely curled feathers & the normal feathers which are not curled. Really, it could also be said that non frizzled is an incompletely recessive trait.
When the breeder puts a heterozygous frizzle with a non frizzled bird. Those offspring which inherit the frizzled gene from the frizzle parent will also be heterozygous for frizzle. But when the offspring inherit the non frizzled gene from it's frizzle parent as well as the non frizzle gene from the non frizzle parent, then they don't hve any frizzle genes to change the feather & thus are smooth feathered.
Hope that makes it easier.