Hello again, all. It's been awhile, and I'm here under a pseudonym. I just happened to check in to "read only" (I no longer post here) and couldn't resist signing up again when I saw a thread about genetics of "Peach." Please understand that my forte is in genetics first, which I then applied to peafowl. I've never actually owned them myself, but genetics is genetics, and the basics work for peafowl just as they do for other birds. I'm actually turning my interest in it toward rose hybridizing as my hobby while attending grad school, with my intended breeding stock coming this Spring. But I'll have a go at answering what I can.
For future reference, please feel free to email me at
[email protected] as I don't know if I'll pop back again here anytime soon.
~AquaEyes
Can there be a peach split to purple or cameo male, and a female? If so, What do we get breeding peach split purple male with a purple hen and with a cameo hen?
No. Peach is genetically Cameo-Purple, just as in cockatiels we have Cinnamon-Pearl. Both are the result of two separate mutated genes found on the same chromosome due to crossover in a male split to both (as was the father of the first Peach peahen). For a peafowl to be Peach, it must have a Purple gene and a Cameo gene, with no corresponding Normal version of either gene to dominate it. That means hens need only one copy (since they have only one Z chromosome) but cocks need two (since they have two Z chromosomes). If a bird IS Peach, then it has both Purple and Cameo. If it's a hen, it can't be split to a sex-linked mutation. If it's a cock, then to be a visual Peach it'd need to have both Purple and Cameo on each Z, thus being visual for both. One can't be visual and split for the same mutation at the same time.
That is exactly my question, my friend. Hopkins live stock selling " A pair of Peach split to Purple "- 2012 hatch on UPA classified. I am not questioning knowledgeable peafowl breeders but trying to learn and understand if there exists such a peafowl?. If so can we see some pictures ? What could be its genotype ? Thanks.
First, a basic terminology lesson in genetics which I've found to sometimes get sloppy here on BYC. "A" split to "B" means "A" is visual and "B" is not, but the gene for "B" is present. What you see SHOULD ALWAYS appear before the word "split" and what is carried but not visible SHOULD ALWAYS come after. It's possible that an ad reading "Peach split to Cameo" had the colors in reverse, and the birds are really "Cameo split to Peach." It's also possible that the pair is made up of a split male and a visual female, allowing for visual Peach and Cameo offspring to be produced.
I'm not sure if it is possible. Since the peach colour is apparently derived from a combination of purple and cameo, I would think it not possible. I too have seen the ad. I'm not sure of the breeder's intentions either. It could be he is selling birds with double purple and single cameo (males that is). We do understand that a hen cannot be split to any sex-linked colour, so the hen would have to be peach or purple.
As written, it's not possible, but you are correct in your guess of what it could be.
from my understanding from aquaeyes earlier thread concerning the creation of peach that peach birds are considered split to both purple and cameo because they carry both genes in order to combine and create peach.
Peach birds are not split to Purple and Cameo -- they are visual for both. The two combined gives the phenotype called Peach. If you took a Purple peacock and magically swapped in Cameo instead of the Normal (or non-Cameo) on both Z chromosomes, you'd get Peach. Since there is no normal version of either the Purple or Cameo gene present, the peacock is not split to either -- he is visual for both.
Due to cross over, Both cameo and purple genes are located on single z chromosome .Therefore , I think both of these genes are passed on together (non separable ). to an offspring . The males with one of this z chromosome and another purple gene on the other z chromosome, make the male " Purple split peach". On the other hand, if the second z chromosome carrys a Cameo gene, then that male will be " a Cameo split peach". of course, the male with two of these cross over z chromosomes makes him PEACH. . Now the big question is---- the possible presence of another purple cameo opal or any other gene on this peach. ?????? The peach female carrys only one cross over z chromosome, with both cameo and purple genes ( non -separable) on it and the other is a sex chromosome.. please correct me. Thanks.
Crossover happens during sperm and egg formation. How frequently two genes on the same chromosome number but on the opposite in the pair will swap is dependent on how far apart they are located on the chromosome. The crossover point is (mostly) random, so two genes at opposite ends of a chromosome will more frequently swap than two genes more closely together. Basically, it's because there's a larger area for the (mostly) randomly-selected crossover site to occur. They can just as often cross over again and separate, again this frequency is dependent upon the distance between the genes on the chromosome (their loci).
For the genes to separate again, however, you'd need to have a normal version of one or the other on the other Z chromosome. This means that separation of Purple and Cameo would occur only in a bird split to Peach -- just as the union of Purple and Cameo occurred during crossover in a peacock split to Purple and Cameo. The two genes can't separate in a visual Peach peacock
or peahen.
Determining whether a peacock is "Cameo split to Peach" or "Purple split to Peach" is simple if you follow the proper terminology. What do you see? A Purple peacock. Was its mother or father Peach? Yes? Then it's Purple split to Peach. What does that mean genetically? It means on one of its Z chromosomes it has the Purple gene, and on the other Z chromosome it has both Purple and Cameo. Because it has two Purples, that is visual. But because it has only one Cameo, that is not. Purple is visual, and since Purple + Cameo on the same Z = Peach, then the peacock is Purple split to Peach.
I think this is where some experimental breeding may be required to clear things up. It is possible to have a sex-linked colour split to a non-sex-linked colour (ie. purple split opal - I have two hens). As for the non-separable purple and cameo gene (which would give rise to peach), I am unsure whether it would be non-separable. It depends on what you are using for breeding. A split male (split peach) would not necessarily have both purple and cameo on one gene. It is quite regular for splitting of the chromosomes to be irregular, which may be the cause of this - especially if we are getting both peach and cameo from the same male. I would guess that a male that is split purple and split cameo could produce hens in purple, cameo and peach, with the peach hens being quite rare. I am planning on doing some breeding in the next few years to determine some of these unknowns. Pedda, I understand you have peach birds, correct. I am pretty sure I know the breeder you received them from - I too have gotten some from him in the past. His breeders that produced these peach birds are not peach in colour, but a Cameo split purple I believe. Maybe you could also do some breeding in the coming years to help clear this up? PM me if interested, so we can see what crosses would need to be done.
It wouldn't be split to both, but in fact actually both (visually portraying cameo and purple at the same time to give rise to the peach colour - a double copy of both).
Proper terminology!

Purple and Cameo are separate
genes on the same
chromosome. They can separate when the chromosomes cross over. A "split to Peach" male
should have both Purple and Cameo on the same chromosome for the terminology to be used properly. If he has Purple on one Z chromosome and Cameo on the other, he should be called "split to Purple and Cameo." While possible offspring will be the same, the chances of getting Peach offspring are greater with a "split to Peach" father because crossover isn't necessary for it to happen -- they're already together. Likewise, the "split to Purple and Cameo" father will have more Purple daughters and Cameo daughters than the "split to Peach" father, since his mutations are already on separate chromosomes and wouldn't require cross over to get them that way. And Arbor, you already got that part.
