My Breeding Project and Help with the Genetics

[MeanCheek]

I have several second and third generation mutt hens that I would like to start a breed with. Sadly though, I can't understand genetics to save my life.
Parents and grandparents include; d'Anvers, Bantam Cochins, Bantam EEs, maybe a LF Leghorn, and possibly a Silkie. They are a larger bantam size with beautiful feathers, and some lay blue/green eggs. Most of them have lightly feathered shanks, what I think is a Pea Comb, and muffs.

Things I want to keep:
The colored eggs
The Pea Comb
The gorgeous feathers
The size
Their broodiness
And their cold hardiness

Things I don't want:
The muffs
And their feathered feet

Things I'd like to add (Suggestions welcome):
Maybe a tassel/very small crest, but that's in no way a priority

Roosters that could be used: Pyncheon, Spitzhauben, OEGB, and a Bantam Wyandotte.


How do we get rid of the muffs and feathered feet? Those are dominate, correct? Which roo is best to use?

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Following

Are you wanting them to be a bantam sized or medium sized?

I pretty sure you’d want to use the OEGB to get rid of feathered feet.
You’d only want to keep chicks with out muffs and feathered feet, that’ll breed it out. But I’m not an expert on genetics either.

 

[MeanCheek]

Following

Are you wanting them to be a bantam sized or medium sized?

I pretty sure you’d want to use the OEGB to get rid of feathered feet.
You’d only want to keep chicks with out muffs and feathered feet, that’ll breed it out. But I’m not an expert on genetics either.

Probably no smaller than a big bantam and no bigger than a medium sized breed. A very specific weight.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I share your pain - my culling project is HERE. I don't understand genetics either, so I'm doing it the "old fashioned" (pre-Mendel) way. Also, my birds free range, so as a practical matter, there is no controlled breeding, only egg selection and controlling future breedings by culling unwanteds.

I can help on the feathered feet, a little. The gene is incompletely dominant. If only one copy is present, the feet will be feathered, yes - but less feathered than a double gened bird. Its obvious at birth, and can become less obvious with time. I used Brahma in my project, who have the double gene - I wanted the pattern (its a struggle), and was hoping for the size (that didn't happen), but to get rid of the feathered feet, which aren't suited for my climate or my clay soils.

Its slow going, but I'm working on other targets as well. A more focused approach and I'd have them largely eliminated in two years.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Leg feathering is actually caused by several genes that produce feathering on different parts of the leg, most dominant but some recessive. Crossing feathered legs to clean legs over generations can result in a whole spectrum of different leg feathering amounts, and those recessive genes can pop back up later unexpectedly. Cochins are unfortunately one of the breeds that should have most of the known leg feathering genes, giving them their gloriously fluffy legs, but that means it'll be a bit of an uphill battle to get rid of them with Cochins in the background of your birds. The best you can do is to just keep selecting for sparse or no leg feathering in your offspring and hope that recessive genes don't pop back up later.

As for muffs, they're caused by a dominant gene that's pretty easy to get rid of if you want it gone. Your birds, being crosses, should only carry one copy of the gene, so half of their offspring with a clean-faced bird will be clean-faced as well. Breed only clean-faced birds and the muffs will not reappear.

Regarding which rooster to use, I would count out the Spitz and the Wyandotte as they'll both bring in comb genes that you don't want and don't really have any other advantageous traits to counteract that hassle. Between the Pyncheon and the OEGB, you'll have to choose based on whether you decide you do want a crest, and based on size as well. I have no experience with Pyncheons so I can't comment on anything from them beyond their visible attributes, but I'd lean toward using the Pyncheon rooster based on what your goals are.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Leg feathering is actually caused by several genes that produce feathering on different parts of the leg, most dominant but some recessive. Crossing feathered legs to clean legs over generations can result in a whole spectrum of different leg feathering amounts, and those recessive genes can pop back up later unexpectedly. Cochins are unfortunately one of the breeds that should have most of the known leg feathering genes, giving them their gloriously fluffy legs, but that means it'll be a bit of an uphill battle to get rid of them with Cochins in the background of your birds. The best you can do is to just keep selecting for sparse or no leg feathering in your offspring and hope that recessive genes don't pop back up later.

As for muffs, they're caused by a dominant gene that's pretty easy to get rid of if you want it gone. Your birds, being crosses, should only carry one copy of the gene, so half of their offspring with a clean-faced bird will be clean-faced as well. Breed only clean-faced birds and the muffs will not reappear.

Regarding which rooster to use, I would count out the Spitz and the Wyandotte as they'll both bring in comb genes that you don't want and don't really have any other advantageous traits to counteract that hassle. Between the Pyncheon and the OEGB, you'll have to choose based on whether you decide you do want a crest, and based on size as well. I have no experience with Pyncheons so I can't comment on anything from them beyond their visible attributes, but I'd lean toward using the Pyncheon rooster based on what your goals are.

and here I learn a bit more. Thank you @pipdzipdnreadytogo !

 

[Jaeden Mckinley]

I have several second and third generation mutt hens that I would like to start a breed with. Sadly though, I can't understand genetics to save my life.
Parents and grandparents include; d'Anvers, Bantam Cochins, Bantam EEs, maybe a LF Leghorn, and possibly a Silkie. They are a larger bantam size with beautiful feathers, and some lay blue/green eggs. Most of them have lightly feathered shanks, what I think is a Pea Comb, and muffs.

Things I want to keep:
The colored eggs
The Pea Comb
The gorgeous feathers
The size
Their broodiness
And their cold hardiness

Things I don't want:
The muffs
And their feathered feet

Things I'd like to add (Suggestions welcome):
Maybe a tassel/very small crest, but that's in no way a priority

Roosters that could be used: Pyncheon, Spitzhauben, OEGB, and a Bantam Wyandotte.


How do we get rid of the muffs and feathered feet? Those are dominate, correct? Which roo is best to use?

Following! Can't wait to see the result

 

[MeanCheek]

Leg feathering is actually caused by several genes that produce feathering on different parts of the leg, most dominant but some recessive. Crossing feathered legs to clean legs over generations can result in a whole spectrum of different leg feathering amounts, and those recessive genes can pop back up later unexpectedly. Cochins are unfortunately one of the breeds that should have most of the known leg feathering genes, giving them their gloriously fluffy legs, but that means it'll be a bit of an uphill battle to get rid of them with Cochins in the background of your birds. The best you can do is to just keep selecting for sparse or no leg feathering in your offspring and hope that recessive genes don't pop back up later.

As for muffs, they're caused by a dominant gene that's pretty easy to get rid of if you want it gone. Your birds, being crosses, should only carry one copy of the gene, so half of their offspring with a clean-faced bird will be clean-faced as well. Breed only clean-faced birds and the muffs will not reappear.

Regarding which rooster to use, I would count out the Spitz and the Wyandotte as they'll both bring in comb genes that you don't want and don't really have any other advantageous traits to counteract that hassle. Between the Pyncheon and the OEGB, you'll have to choose based on whether you decide you do want a crest, and based on size as well. I have no experience with Pyncheons so I can't comment on anything from them beyond their visible attributes, but I'd lean toward using the Pyncheon rooster based on what your goals are.

Thank you!!!

 

[MeanCheek]

I was just out looking at combs, and they're not pea combs. They are like a really small single comb with no points scrunched up into a kind of long "S".
I don't necessarily need a pea comb; I just need a really small frost-bite-proof comb.

They're very interesting little birds. Besides the few I first described, I also have a "muffed rose comb Cochin" (which is a d'Anvers X Cochin X Cochin), and a "single comb d'Anvers" (a Cochin X d'Anvers X d'Anvers).

Also, I had forgotten I gave a d'Anvers X Cochin X d'Anvers X Cochin rooster to a friend. I could get him back. An odd thing about him, his head looks a lot like that of a bantam Cornish.

I don't know where all the color came from. The original Cochin hen (yes, only one) was a Splash and the original d'Anvers roo was Quail.

They may be slightly inbred. They are all cousins, brothers, sisters, first cousins once removed, aunts, and uncles. They family tree is quite intricate.

I will post pictures soon!

 

[MeanCheek]

I don't want the muffs, but I also don't want wattles. The Spitzhauben hens have small/no wattles. Should I use Spitz?