question on color genetics in ducks - hey you color experts!... ?

[Senna95]

The problem with the blue-gene is that it is incompletely dominant. If your duck has none it will be kahki, if it has ONE it will be lavender, and if it has 2 it will be lilac. It is just like crossing 2 blue ducks (ie 2 blue swedish, or 2 cumberland blue runners). So if you want to eliminate the browns, you'd have to breed a lilac (with 2 blue-genes) to a khaki ("brown").

To get the lilac you'd have to cross your drake with a khaki. Then cross 2 of the blue offspring together and you should get all 3 color phases (khaki, lavender, and lilac). Now cross only the khakis to the lilacs (they will look almost white) in order to get 100% lavender.

Sounds like a fun project!

 

[zzGypsy]

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cool. I'll start there.

re: dust jacket accolades: Lainey, you're in!

 

[zzGypsy]

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ok, this is starting to make a little sense to me...

when I search on the different color names re: ducks and blue, I get *all* sorts of photos and the color names and colors on the ducks seem pretty inconsistent.... so I'm not getting a clear picture of what each of these phases should look like. I know the khaki/brown, and I've had black swedish, as well as blue swedish in two color bands - one a medium gray and the other a light dove gray... neither are the color of this duck (dark steel gray). is there somewhere you can point me to that would be an accurate source for photos of the various color phases in the blue range?

I'll go read the color genetics thread before I ask about how extended black and the others play into this...

oh, and the genes for cayuga black egg shells...

OK, OK, one thing at a time.

 

[aineheartsyou]

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cool. I'll start there.

re: dust jacket accolades: Lainey, you're in!

Im in what? lol

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
cool. I'll start there.

re: dust jacket accolades: Lainey, you're in!

Im in what? lol

the glowing accolades on the dust jacket of my upcoming book on how I created steel gray khakis...
you know, it'll be something about how you set my feet on the path that led to knowledge, insipration and insight, and ultimate to their creation...

ok, the rest of y'all are in too...

 

[aineheartsyou]

Quote:
Im in what? lol

the glowing accolades on the dust jacket of my upcoming book on how I created steel gray khakis...
you know, it'll be something about how you set my feet on the path that led to knowledge, insipration and insight, and ultimate to their creation...

ok, the rest of y'all are in too...

lol ok

 

[Senna95]

I recommend you get a book called "Colour Breeding in Domestic Ducks" by (Mike and Chris???) Ashton. It's only available on Amazon UK, so you have to pay to have it shipped from England, but it's been my bible (along with storey's Guide, and some amazing people on this website).

The "Colour Breeding" book has great color photos that will help you understand how the different colors and genes work together and can affect eachother.

That said, I'm finding out more and more that not all is known about duck color genetics. The more you learn and experiment and cross-breed, the more frustrated you will become because it rarely turns out as planned, and you realize that there is something else going on.... possibly an unknow gene, or a hidden gene that is suddenly expressing itsself for some reason.

It's really fun though. It's like trying to figure out a puzzle...

 

[zzGypsy]

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cool, I'll order that book also.
it is kind of a puzzle I think. maybe thats why it appeals to me. along with all the rest it has to recomend it.

 

[Henk69]

Dominant bib is linked to extended black. So unlikely direct offspring of swedish.
Also I don't see the blue in him.

 

[FenDruadin]

Holderread also has a bunch of genetic information in the little breed bulletins he sells on his website (click on the link and scroll down). They're cheap & you can order one for each breed involved in your line. And you totally have to mention me on your dust jacket for that. "Heather Head is so incredibly amazing, I would never have been able to write this without her insanely valuable mentoring and generous offering of deep knowledge and understanding," will do fine, accompanied by convincing your publishers to publish my next book too. Okay?