Peafowl 201: Further Genetics- Colors, Patterns, and More

[Rosa moschata]

I understand but a little confused though I think I could fill in the blanks I'm sure. The issue I'm having is each parent gives only one chromosome. So the Cameo and Purple gene are on different chromosomes. My guess is how they cross over is during meiosis some genes cross over. Which means 1/4 of the sperm cells carry Peach. Not sure if this is accurate but this is one of the only things I can think of. Or what I used to believe is that because the genes are mutated they're already unstable and makes it easier for new mutations to happen. I think it was Brad Legg that said it, but the point being is, new mutations appear more often when using split peafowl.

You aren't quite correct. Each parent gives one chromosome of each pair. Crossover happens between different chromosomes of each pair, meaning one Z will crossover with the other Z. Cameo and Purple are on the Z chromosome. Males have two Zs. It's possible for a male to look IB but have Purple on one Z and Cameo on the other. Or to have Purple and Cameo on the same Z, and neither mutation on the other. In either case, he'll look IB. When he produces sperm cells, each sperm will get one of each pair of chromosomes. And what often happens during meiosis -- when cells with pairs of chromosomes (diploid) become cells with one of each chromosome (haploid) -- is that each pair will sort of "twist together", and frequently where they cross, they'll exchange parts. So if a male has one Z with Purple and the other with Cameo, it's possible that after crossover he'll have sperm with recombined Zs -- some will have both Purple and Cameo together, and others will have neither. When Clifton Nicholson first bred Purple and Cameo together, he used the sons, which would have had one Z with Purple and one Z with Cameo. When those sons had daughters, among them were Purples, Cameos, Peach, and IB. The Peach and IB could happen only as results of crossover. And that they appeared in more than just one clutch indicates that it isn't a very rare thing.

Well, "new mutations appear more often when using split peafowl" is not really accurate. What's more likely is that these "new mutations" are actually new combinations of existing mutations, which come together when using birds split for multiple mutations. Breeders see something new, and think a new mutation is the cause of it. That might be the case, but it isn't necessarily so.

 

[Birdrain92]

So I was on the right track just needed little more detail or adjust some small details

 

[Rosa moschata]

Yes.

There's a lot more accurate genetic information online about cagebird species than there is about peafowl. If you understand how each peafowl mutation is inherited -- i.e. autosomal recessive, sex-linked recessive, incompletely dominant, etc. -- you can find proxies in other species, such as cockatiels. Then see how mutations inherited in the same way for cockatiels are combined, and apply the same formula for peafowl. So, for example, Cinnamon and Pearl and Lutino are sex-linked cockatiel mutations. Their combinations would happen and be passed on in the same way as the sex-linked peafowl mutations Purple and Cameo, for example. And just as there is Cinnamon-Pearl in cockatiels, there is Purple-Cameo in peafowl -- except that peafowl breeders call the combination Peach.

 

[Birdrain92]

Yes.

There's a lot more accurate genetic information online about cagebird species than there is about peafowl. If you understand how each peafowl mutation is inherited -- i.e. autosomal recessive, sex-linked recessive, incompletely dominant, etc. -- you can find proxies in other species, such as cockatiels. Then see how mutations inherited in the same way for cockatiels are combined, and apply the same formula for peafowl. So, for example, Cinnamon and Pearl and Lutino are sex-linked cockatiel mutations. Their combinations would happen and be passed on in the same way as the sex-linked peafowl mutations Purple and Cameo, for example. And just as there is Cinnamon-Pearl in cockatiels, there is Purple-Cameo in peafowl -- except that peafowl breeders call the combination Peach.

I understand recessive, dominant, incomplete dominance, co-dominant. Thank you for the information.

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

My friend peach peacock is paired with purple hen, they hatched 3 males who look to be purple, is this possible? Also will they be split peach?

 

[Rosa moschata]

My friend peach peacock is paired with purple hen, they hatched 3 males who look to be purple, is this possible? Also will they be split peach?

The three males each have two Z chromosomes -- one from Mom, one from Dad. The one from Mom had Purple. The one from Dad had Purple and Cameo. Thus with two copies of Purple, they appear Purple. But having only one copy of Cameo, that color doesn't show. Peach is when Purple and Cameo both show. And since they're both sex-linked, that means they're on the same chromosome -- the Z. So you could call those sons "Purple split to Peach" since they show Purple but carry Peach. If they were paired to even IB hens, half of their daughters would be Purple and the other half Peach.

P.S.
Remember a few years back when I kept insisting this was how Peach was inherited and others here kept saying it wasn't possible to combine colors? If Peach was a separate mutation rather than a combination of Purple and Cameo, your friend's breeding results would not have been possible. If it was a separate mutation, those sons would have looked IB and been split to Mom's color (Purple) and Dad's color (Peach).

;-)

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

Thanks, I remember that thread and all the details, i tried to explain to him that peach came from cameo and purple and could throw purple chicks when paired with purple but he don't understand genetics at all.

When i pair these pairs later with peach hens what will be the results?

 

[Rosa moschata]

If you pair your friend's Purple split to Peach males with Peach females, you'll get 50% Purple and 50% Peach offspring of both sexes. Note that this is based on probability, meaning you have an equal chance of getting either color in either sex. Actual percentages of outcomes will vary due to chance, but so long as there are no other mutations in that mix, Purples and Peaches will be what you get. The Purple sons from that breeding will be split to Peach like their father(s).

 

[Birdrain92]

You have to be careful though when saying its a Purple Cameo cross. Yes I know it's incomplete dominance. The genes get together during meiosis. But saying Purple Cameo cross people will get the wrong idea. They may think I can just breed a Cameo to a Purple and I'll get a Peach when it doesn't work exactly like that. Then people may get angry.

 

[Rosa moschata]

Actually, you can make a Peach from scratch in just two generations. Start by crossing a Purple with a Cameo -- doesn't matter which parent is which mutation. The sons from this cross will be IB split to Purple and Cameo. If they are bred to females of any color, most daughters will be Purple or Cameo, but Peach and IB daughters should hatch eventually. To get a male from scratch would take another generation.