from what I have read is... mille over mottled will get you all mottled carrying recessive gene for mille. I have my first X generation hatched and as soon as possible I will have the pullets under their daddy to see if what I have read is true.
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The color in a millie is produced by the interaction of the columbian gene, the sex linked gold gene and the dominant wheaten gene. Darker ( as in more eumelanin or black pigment) colored millie are most likely brown and not wheaten. They also carry the mottling gene.
eWh/eWh , Co/Co, mo/mo, s+/s+ or s+/_.
e+/e+ wild type and eb/eb will also produce a millie
mille fleur on mottled = mottled offspring
You will have to back cross the millie roo to the offspring to get a bird that looks millie fleur. The birds will be smutty black so you will have to back cross the best to the roo again. If you hatch enough birds, you should get some descent mille fleur. You could back cross again or cross the best offspring to improve the mille fleur pattern.
Tadkerson, I have a columbian cochin trio and am getting a mottled trio in Nov. I was also thinking of trying to get some millies. Was thinking of throwing in a mottled hen with my columbians and a columbian hen with my mottleds. Then adding either buff or red cochin to get the base mille color. I've never seen a wheaton cochin. Would this work?? I like the more mohagany mille so was thinking of using a red. Would I get that mohogany color? Would those birds be to the standard? -after some generations? Thanks!! -Erin
I have never seen wheaten cochins either. Is it possible to de-construct the mille fleur into its different varieties? (i.e. wheaten, columbian, speckled, what have you? and what crosses would break down the code into different color varieties?) Are your eyes crossed yet? A nice flock of wheaten cochins grazing on the front lawn... now that would also be a worthwhile endeavor, maybe more "doable" too
really? Someone just gave me four really nice partridge cochin hens. She is going to ask the breeder for a roo for me too! Now birchen... the only birchen-ish roo I know of local is one I gave away because he is a mottled with a ton of silver laced feathers around his neck! Wouldn't you know... He's just down the street, and I'm sure she would let me breed my hens with him, but... are you sure about that birchen/partridge thing? I suppose if a little mottled wheaten popped up every now and then it wouldn't be a catastrophe, would it? LOL
Edit to add here he is the day before I passed him along...
want to squeeze him. I have no idea about genetics bit it sounded good. I read on Katherine Plumers website (she's a top breeder of rose combs) about her getting all her different types by using one or two colors. She must have 15 different varieties. I think that by messing around long enough, you'll get a start on the color you want. The hard part is just improving that color over several generations....I think