How does laced plumage happen

[cwalter141]

Basically I have been searching for an answer and trying to understand....
How does lacing in plumage occur? I am very new in my research on plumage colors and genetics. I understand how to get mottled but...
How to get laced???
Thank you.

 

[Sally PB]

Really curious too. Hope someone explains this.

 

[DarJones]

There are three genes involved in lacing. Columbian, Melanotic, and Pattern are the gene names. Columbian tends to be inherited separately as it is on a separate chromosome. Pattern and Melanotic tend to be inherited together indicating linkage on a single chromosome. I have seen pattern and melanotic separated in my crosses with Silver Laced Wyandotte X Blue Egg Brown Leghorn indicating that cross over is common.

Columbian is the gene that gives the strip color effect on neck and hackle feathers. It is easy to see if you look up Delawares which have white background and black striping from the Columbian gene.

Melanotic is a background black gene that turns feathers either dark gray for down (underplumage) or black for vane feathers.

Pattern gene causes black to flip to white for an oval area on each vane feather. The combination of all three genes causes the typical "laced" type feathers.

These three genes play very well with a few other genes making interesting effects. For example, red can be exchanged for black making red laced birds possible. The typical "blue" colors are possible where black and splash interact. Some of the prettiest birds I've seen are Blue Laced Red Wyandottes.

One gene they do not play well with is partridge and it's variants. Combining partridge with the three genes involved in lacing gives a salt and pepper effect to the feathers.

 

[The Moonshiner]

For example, red can be exchanged for black making red laced birds possible.

Have an example of this?
Are you saying red can be changed to black or black can be changed to red?
This is incorrect either way you're trying to say it.

 

[Amer]

There are two laced phenotypes.
ERERCoCoDbDbMlMlPgPg (the lacing in Sebrights)

ebebCoCoMlMlPgPg (the lacing in Wyandottes. They have black, unlaced main tails)

 

[Amer]

Basically, the way lacing works:
Genes like Columbian and ginger extend the gold in a bird, pushing it all over the body. But melanotic and pattern gene create more black. However, this black tends to start at the edge of the feather. So columbian and ginger push all the black only to the edges of the feather where melanotic and pattern gene have the most effect on the feather.
Does that make sense?

 

[DarJones]

"Have an example of this?
Are you saying red can be changed to black or black can be changed to red?
This is incorrect either way you're trying to say it."

How to phrase things so it is easily understood is sometimes beyond my reach. How would you describe the red on white pattern of a blue laced red wyandotte? Did fundamental black from melanotic change to red? or did black change to blue for the vane margin and white change to red? Either way, they are pretty birds. Then, how do you describe white laced Red Cornish? Please give a try describing this.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Blue.laced red is gold laced with mahogany changing gold to red and blue changing black to blue.
Red and black aren't changing places.

 

[DarJones]

I need to verify some of this as there is potential background genes coming from the Brown Leghorns is affecting some of the results... but: Melanotic turns the entire feather black. Note that this is not a partial flip, the entire feather vane turns a charcoal black color. I'm looking at birds in my yard right now that are almost entirely black except the faint striping from Columbian. Columbian opens up the rachis with a flipped color, in my birds, this is white because I have selected heavily against the gold gene. Pattern pushes the flipped color to the outside of the feather. Combining these genes with mahogany pushes the fill color to red. From this perspective, mahogany red displaces white which displaces black. Think about it a bit more. We may both be wrong in describing how patterning works. I can see counterexamples in my own birds as I write this.

Should mention that I describe Mahogany as Red because it is the closest to red that I've seen in my birds. The other forms of red I've seen are actually reddish brown unless they are combined with Mahogany. One caution, I have partial color blindness in the red/brown color range. I can see them, but they kind of run together. I may describe a color as brown but you might see it as a shade of red.

This brings up another question I have not looked into. Can lacing be produced with color combinations other than black/white (Silver Laced), gold/white (Golden Laced), red/white (red laced), and brown/white (brown laced)? I haven't looked into this, but suspect there is a variant similar to Golden Buff that could be produced on a laced feather. I saw this in a few F2 birds about 5 years ago but did not pursue it as it was not in the color range I am selecting.

 

[The Moonshiner]

When you have the laced pattern the outside is black or black based and the inside is silver or gold or based on those. What I meant was you can't switch that. You can't but the silver/gold (including red) in the blacks place or put the black inside with something else outside.
The black edge can be be changed by any gene that can effect black.
Dilutes like blue, splash, chocolate, lavender, etc. It can also be turned off and appear white by dominate white.
The inside can be changed by genes that effect silver or gold. Mahogany, dilute, both, cream, etc.