My Breeding Project and Help with the Genetics

[Finnie]

Edit to add another idea: you could ignore color for now, and stabilize the other traits you want. Then see what colors you have at that point. T

This is a good idea, as compared to selecting for chick down color. If you cull at birth for chick down color, you have no idea what you are throwing away as far as size of bird at maturity, time to reach maturity, egg production, health of birds, etc.

With this type of project, there is no way to avoid raising a lot of birds to maturity and then selecting the best ones for your purposes. You can, however, be keeping notes on which chick down colors grow to be which adult colors, and use that information when it comes time to weigh which birds you will continue to breed from.

Sounds like a fun project. Good luck!

 

[MeanCheek]

I let her have one eggView attachment 3189457

She just quite today!
Long story short, one egg is in the incubator hopefully about to hatch.

 

[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.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

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.

This sounds like they have one pea comb gene and one not-pea-comb gene. They often look like small, fat single combs that make s-shapes.

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

Inbreeding really isn't as big of a problem with chickens as it can be with mammals. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/inbreeding-not-as-bad-as-it-may-seem.74335/

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

How old are the Spitz hens? They should have wattles similarly sized to any other breed.

The pea comb gene restricts wattle growth as well, so by solidifying the pea comb in your project birds, you should end up with greatly reduced wattles as well.

The first and third hens in these pictures have a pea comb gene. The second hen has both pea and rose comb genes. Cute hens! I believe the color you're seeing in the middle two hens is incomplete quail, which means that they're missing a gene or two that would make them quail like their d'Anver parent. I don't think there's a way to make that coloration breed true so that that's all you get from your project birds, honestly.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Also, they would need a name...

You can't have "Clay Ranger" - I want that one for myself (see Sig)

 

[MeanCheek]

Here are two I didn't get a picture of yesterday

 

[MeanCheek]

So, how is this breeding project going?

No progress yet, way to many birds. I'll probably incubate next spring. The little hens are very good at sneaking off and hatching chicks though, so maybe over the summer.
I'll make sure to post pictures!

 

[Pinedale Silkies]

Read through all this, it was very interesting. Love learning more about genetics. How’s the project going?

 

[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.

 

[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