Self Blue (lav gene) shows up unexpectedly?

[Pathfinders]

I can see I'm going to have to dig out my Hunt and actually read it (rather than have it on the shelf glowering at me), but in the meantime, can you please explain what the term "melanising" means and what it does?

Thanks Krys.

 

[Krys109uk]

can you please explain what the term "melanising" means and what it does?

They're just genes which darken a chicken, by adding black pigment.

There are a few modern genetics books which have been written with the hobby breeder in mind.
You might find this interesting.
http://www.chickencolours.com/

And Henk's chicken calculator is very helpful.
http://kippenjungle.nl/kruising.html

Best wishes
Krys​

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Melanizing is adding pigment. I've always heard it used in referrence to black pigment, but I suppose it could also be used for red. Henk?

In terms of e^b and E^R, melanizing can add black pigment to the non-black areas--turning e^b brown to black, turning E^R hackles and saddle that would normally be cream (in the case of your BCLB) black instead.

So, if the feathers that would be cream are melanized into black, which is diluted to blue, ig will have no affect, even though present.

Kind of like adding bleach to the wash of brand new clean whites--you don't see the affect of the bleach, even though it was there. But if instead of new whites, the washload is full of darks, you'll see the fading it caused.

 

[Pathfinders]

So I guess the question is, if this bird, when bred to some of her equally blue siblings (when they grow up) or offspring, breeds true to Andalusian Blue, then we have a new variety, yes? Right now there's no Blue Dutch, just Self Blue (Lav.) There are Blacks in the Standard, but I've never heard of anyone with A. Blue. Hmmm.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Uh oh--a project

(yes)

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

This is interesting. I have heard of blue 'dutch' before but they clearly showed signs of OEGB. It would seem that if you crossed a black to BLB or BCLB you would get blues with red leaking and could go from there. When I first read this I thought that it was odd that she showed no pattern.

 

[Pathfinders]

Jeff and I would really rather not cross her to a Black Dutch, as I believe most of the Blacks in the US have OEG blood, and we'd really like to avoid that at all costs.

 

[Henk69]

Quote:
black is eumelanin, red is pheomelanin, the other kind. Melanisers should therefor not affect red.
Still I am wondering if one would affect the other (melanisers and autosomal red) at least optically.

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
Indeed!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
black is eumelanin, red is pheomelanin, the other kind. Melanisers should therefor not affect red.
Still I am wondering if one would affect the other (melanisers and autosomal red) at least optically.

I guess my question was more in the lines of whether or not the term would be correct to use for any genes that add pheomelanin. I think both eumelanin and pheomelanin are melanins?

I do wish there was more research and indentification of teh melanizing genes as well as autosomal red.