Is the color gold genetically the same as red?

[pbjmaker]

I ask this because I have learned that when a chick grows in red feathers on their shoulders it is most likely a cockeral. I have a batch of mixed chicks and there is one that is black with red tipped shoulders and neck feathers growing in ( I will assume he is a roo) but there is another one that is a light blue and it has some shoulder and neck feathers that have a faint gold tint to them.

Is gold like a dilluted red?

 

[blackdotte]

Sex linked Gold s+ is the base gene, and is opposite to sex linked Silver S.
This base colour can be darkened , for instance by the presence of Mahaogany,etc or diluted by Dilute or Inhibitor of Gold etc.
There is also another autosomal red, called Autosomal Red which makes the salmon red breast on Duckwing e+, & the body colour on Wheaten eWh birds.
Genetics of Chicken Colours - The Basics is a good book to learn from.
David

 

[Akane]

I was trying to see if I could tell my very slow maturing breed by the color of those feathers and nope. Half the hens I raised this year have those red feathers on black bodies just like the young roos. I still have to wait until they are 4months or more before the roos really get different feathering and combs from the hens. The other breeds I usually have at least a good guess by 4weeks.

 

[Henk69]

gold and red are both pheomelanin, opposed to the other pigment-kind eumelanin which is typically black.

The silver mutation can block the expression of the gold groundcolor but does not fully inhibit red features like the salmon breast of duckwing hens or the red shoulders of roosters, if these are enhanced by autosomal red and/or mahogany.

 

[pbjmaker]

Thanks that helps. The black bird that is getting red shoulders is a silkie X [ BCM X Cuckoo maran]. The silvery blue bird is also the same cross (but potentially different dad) but I did notice some gold all over even on his/her chest now, so I will wait to decide if it is a roo or not. I can't wait until spring when I can build some different pens and seperate my big gals with the BCM roo.

Blackdotte - I think I might get that book, do you know where I can order it?