Polish breeding

[Bella vista]

Can anyone tell me what color chicks I may expect by breeding my blue polish roo to a buff laced polish hen?
Thanks!!

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

@NatJ @nicalandia

 

[NatJ]

Can anyone tell me what color chicks I may expect by breeding my blue polish roo to a buff laced polish hen?
Thanks!!

Chicks should be mostly white.

The Blue Polish will give genes to make black chicks or blue chicks.
The Buff Laced Polish will give a gene that turns black into white.
So the chicks will be mostly white.

They may show some gold or red leakage as they grow up, or they may not. They are likely to have a few black or blue flecks in their white feathers, because the gene turning black to white is a bit leaky when a chicken inherits it from only one parent.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Chicks should be mostly white.

The Blue Polish will give genes to make black chicks or blue chicks.
The Buff Laced Polish will give a gene that turns black into white.
So the chicks will be mostly white.

They may show some gold or red leakage as they grow up, or they may not. They are likely to have a few black or blue flecks in their white feathers, because the gene turning black to white is a bit leaky when a chicken inherits it from only one parent.

Genetics is so complicated but interesting! If you don't mind me asking, how does black turn into white? And why does buff-laced control that?

 

[Bella vista]

Chicks should be mostly white.

The Blue Polish will give genes to make black chicks or blue chicks.
The Buff Laced Polish will give a gene that turns black into white.
So the chicks will be mostly white.

They may show some gold or red leakage as they grow up, or they may not. They are likely to have a few black or blue flecks in their white feathers, because the gene turning black to white is a bit leaky when a chicken inherits it from only one parent.

Thanks so much for the info!

 

[NatJ]

Genetics is so complicated but interesting! If you don't mind me asking, how does black turn into white? And why does buff-laced control that?

There is a gene called Dominant White. It changes something about the way the chicken's body would make black pigment, so no black is made. With no black pigment, the areas that otherwise would be black are actually white.

The Gold Laced and Silver Laced Polish varieties have gold or silver in the middle of the feathers, and black lacing around the edges of the feathers.

The Buff Laced variety has buff in the middle of the feathers, and the lacing around the edge is white (caused by the Dominant White gene, turning the black edge to white.)

Because the Dominant White gene works on any black parts of a chicken, it can make black lacing into white (on Buff Laced Polish) or an entire black chicken into a white one (like White Leghorns, and what I expect for OP's chicks), or it can make black spangles into white spangles (Chamois Spitzhaubens), and so on for any other pattern that could be in black on a chicken.

So when someone crosses a Buff Laced chicken with anything else, the chicks inherit Dominant White. In this case, the other parent is giving genes to make the chick black all over, so the Dominant White will make all that black turn into white. If the chick inherits the blue gene, that would dilute black to the gray shade we call "blue," but it still turns white if Dominant White is present.


A chicken with one copy of the Dominant White gene can have some bits of black showing, because the gene is a bit leaky (examples: California White chickens, Paint chickens, chicks from a cross of Buff Laced Polish with Gold Laced Polish, and so forth). A chicken with two copies of the Dominant White gene will generally not have black bits showing (purebred Buff Laced chickens, White Leghorn chickens, etc.)

 

[Bella vista]

Chicks should be mostly white.

The Blue Polish will give genes to make black chicks or blue chicks.
The Buff Laced Polish will give a gene that turns black into white.
So the chicks will be mostly white.

They may show some gold or red leakage as they grow up, or they may not. They are likely to have a few black or blue flecks in their white feathers, because the gene turning black to white is a bit leaky when a chicken inherits it from only one parent.

Thanks so much for the info!

After scrolling through the polish threads I’ve just discovered the color chocolate! I’ve never seen this color. Do you know how that could be made??

 

[NatJ]

After scrolling through the polish threads I’ve just discovered the color chocolate! I’ve never seen this color. Do you know how that could be made??

Chocolate requires a gene that dilutes black to a brown shade. Other than that, they have the same color genes as blacks.

There are two genes that can do it. One is actually called chocolate, the other is called khaki or dun. I think khaki is the one more commonly found in Polish at the present time.

Assuming your current Polish are pure for the genes of their own color varieties, none of them will have the right dilution gene to make chocolate, so you will never get chocolates from them. But if you buy one chocolate Polish you can breed more by crossing to blacks, blues, or some other colors. (You will get other colors too, not just chocolates.)

 

[Bella vista]

Chocolate requires a gene that dilutes black to a brown shade. Other than that, they have the same color genes as blacks.

There are two genes that can do it. One is actually called chocolate, the other is called khaki or dun. I think khaki is the one more commonly found in Polish at the present time.

Assuming your current Polish are pure for the genes of their own color varieties, none of them will have the right dilution gene to make chocolate, so you will never get chocolates from them. But if you buy one chocolate Polish you can breed more by crossing to blacks, blues, or some other colors. (You will get other colors too, not just chocolates.)

I’ve learned more from you

 

[Bella vista]

I’ve learned more from you

Then I’ve learned in the last week trying to understand gene charts! Thanks so much!!