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

[Spazzyyarn]

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? 

She is. Her mind works differently then most 12 year Olds and we truly encourage it. She has a genius IQ but zero people skills, she has always preferred her chickens over people. Lol so we really want to aid her in this as much as possible.

She has a tendency to focus on a project and stick with it. She has been researching her project for 2 years and honestly the charts and data she has is beyond my understanding

 

[donrae]

She is. Her mind works differently then most 12 year Olds and we truly encourage it. She has a genius IQ but zero people skills, she has always preferred her chickens over people. Lol so we really want to aid her in this as much as possible.

She has a tendency to focus on a project and stick with it. She has been researching her project for 2 years and honestly the charts and data she has is beyond my understanding

She's in great company here

 

[Spazzyyarn]

She's in great company here 

Is there an age requirement to join? She has been on my account reading all day. Lol

 

[trailrider330]

There are some breeders who are working with Blue Laced Silver Barnevelders (a.k.a. Double Silver Double Blue Barnevelder), though the ones I am aware of are not located in the U.S. They are truly stunning birds. If your daughter is successful, I am sure there would be a market for them. Good luck!

 

[trailrider330]

Just thinking on this further...

Wouldn't the Wyandotte's dominant rose comb also pose a problem in your daughter's breeding program? Or, is a pea comb dominant over a rose comb?

Would you be better off trying to use a silver penciled rock to introduce silver lacing? Though you would still have issues with them having yellow skin. You could also try Barnevelders which are available in blue, as well as silver, but they too have yellow skin.

Then there is the whole issue of egg color. The blue will remain dominant, but bloom from the other breed will be introduced causing more of a green or olive colored egg, correct? Is it then possible to ever get back to a true blue egg?

I am certainly not a genetics expert so I would love it if someone else could pipe in with their opinion

You could also try posting your questions on this thread to see if there are some genetic experts out there who could help you more:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/927652/color-genetics-thread/620

 

[junebuggena]

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...

Actually, white skin is dominant over yellow.
The big issue I see is that Blue/Black/Splash birds are usually extended black, the most dominant pattern gene chickens have. Lacing is complex and requires the presence of several genes to express. Leave out just one, and the lacing quality is lost. It will be a long, hard road to get that lacing to express consistently.
Also, Wyandottes have a rose comb, which will compete with the pea comb for dominance. A rose comb breed crossed with a pea comb breed will produce 'cushion' combs. That will be a long culling process as well.
Then, there is the task of breeding out the 'brown' eggshell coating genes.
Bottom line, this is the sort of project that will take many, many years for her to get even close to her goal. And it will require possibly decades of dedicated breeding with lots and lots of hatching, and strict culling.

 

[junebuggena]

Just thinking on this further...

Wouldn't the Wyandotte's dominant rose comb also pose a problem in your daughter's breeding program? Or, is a pea comb dominant over a rose comb?

Would you be better off trying to use a silver penciled rock to introduce silver lacing? Though you would still have issues with them having yellow skin. You could also try Barnevelders which are available in blue, as well as silver, but they too have yellow skin.

Then there is the whole issue of egg color. The blue will remain dominant, but bloom from the other breed will be introduced causing more of a green or olive colored egg, correct? Is it then possible to ever get back to a true blue egg?

I am certainly not a genetics expert so I would love it if someone else could pipe in with their opinion

You could also try posting your questions on this thread to see if there are some genetic experts out there who could help you more:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/927652/color-genetics-thread/620

Silver penciled Rocks are not laced. They are penciled, hence the name.
Barnevelders would be a better choice to start this project with over Wyandottes, since the single comb is recessive, and is easily bred out.

 

[Spazzyyarn]

Silver penciled Rocks are not laced. They are penciled, hence the name.
Barnevelders would be a better choice to start this project with over Wyandottes, since the single comb is recessive, and is easily bred out.

Thank you so much!! This is a bird she had considered. You guys have no idea how much I appreciate all the help. She has been reading these and making adjustments.

Just an FYI, she argued with me for over an hour about white vs yellow skin dominance Lol. She insisted she was correct Lol

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
Go to the thread just above this one called "linebreeding, how do I get started". Go to Post 76 of 84 for a quality list of poultry books. I esp. recommend the Standard of Perfection, and the 2 Van Dort books.
Best,
Karen

 

[junebuggena]

Thank you so much!! This is a bird she had considered. You guys have no idea how much I appreciate all the help. She has been reading these and making adjustments.

Just an FYI, she argued with me for over an hour about white vs yellow skin dominance Lol. She insisted she was correct Lol

White is dominant over yellow. Everytime.
From the Marans breeders club -
http://www.maransofamericaclub.com/basic-genetics.html
Then there is this website -
https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/09/02/gms10-skin-and-shank-color/
And for more info about genetics including skin color, there is this article -
http://articles.extension.org/pages...or-small-and-backyard-flocks:-an-introduction