Making a new "breed" of chicken. Read inside please lol

[Spazzyyarn]

Ok, bare with me here please.

My daughter is very interested in chickens. Her goal is to have a hatchery of her own one day and a line of chickens (similar to the foley (sp) line)

Her goal is to create a standard laced ameracauna (again spelling isn't my strong point)

After her working for months and us chipping in, she has a nice flock of true ameracauna and several nice, not hatchery stock, laced chickens.

Is this something she can realistically accomplish? I know that sounds horrible, but as a mother of an austic child (aspergers) I don't want her to be disappointed.

If it is, where should she start? She has been researching for months and has piles of data and ideas, I just lack the knowledge and want to support her and guide her as best as possible.

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.

 

[Spazzyyarn]

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[donrae]

What color is she wanting to work with? What colors Ameraucana does she have now, and what breeds are the laced birds?

 

[Spazzyyarn]

She has blue, black and splash amercauna. She also has two blue laced reds from the foley line (they are wynadottes.) she also three silver laced wynadottes.

She said she wants to work with a blue or splash amercauna and incorporate the lacing of wynadottes until she can make a line with perfect lacing that breeds true. She prefers a blue laced silver or a black laced silver as the final result.

 

[Ravynscroft]

The part that stands out first that would be difficult to overcome, breeding towards the Ameraucana standard, is the yellow legs of the Wyandotte... Ameraucanas should always have white skin and one of the hardest things to breed out is yellow skin since it's dominant...

 

[donrae]

Skin color was my thought also.

I'm not sure one can make a blue laced silver?

silver laced black would be the easiest way to go, I think. I'll mull it over today and see what the brain digs up.

 

[Spazzyyarn]

I just want to thank both of you so much for helping. I told her what both of you said and she is out in the barn now with her laptop drawing up new plans.

 

[Spazzyyarn]

Ok. Can anyone point me in a direction for some reading material so I can understand what she is doing? I feel helpless

 

[Kev]

Try google- basic genetics for the names, inheritance patterns, etc Any website or book will do for this, pick the one that is the easiest for you to understand. Tall pea plant vs short pea plant will teach you the basics just as good as learning chicken genetics- naked neck vs non-naked neck is still the same basic genetics....

then google or search on here for chicken genetics for colors/patterns in general- be warned some color patterns are genetically very complex.. even something seemingly simple as solid buff.. which is actually one of the harder colors to accomplish from scratch. So do not be afraid to start on genetics of other animals or plants- some are far simpler and 'easier' to understand at first.

Lacing is also rather complex because it involves several genes and then being pure for all involved genes.

A good solid source of chicken genetic starter page:

http://kippenjungle.nl/basisEN.htm


Dont get too scared, keep re reading if your eyes get crossed...

 

[keesmom]

There are also some poultry genetics books out there. The Genetics of Chicken Colours has a lot of information on what genes are involved in colors and patterns. Grant Brereton has an e-book on creating new colors http://www.gbpoultry.com/E-Books.html , and another book, 21st Century Poultry Breeding.

Is she the type that likes long term projects?