serama gene color

[c_soto1990]

They say seramas dont breed true to their color and could be any color possible, but why are all my chicks black and white. If there is another color its not much.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Serama have not traditionally been bred for colour, therefore they often have unmatched alleles for many genes. A chicken has two copies of every gene, however, for each gene there are at least two variations (and in a number of cases more than two), or alleles. When both genes have the same allele, it is called homozygous, and the bird will always pass that allele to its offspring. However when the alleles are not the same, it is heterozygous, and the bird has equal likelihood of passing either of the variations to its offspring.

When you know which alleles will be passed, you can accurately predict and breed for various traits. When you don't know, you can only guess and hope.

 

[racuda]

How many do you have?

If you just have 4 or 5, it wouldn't be unusual to have few colors, but if you have 20+ then I would expect some diversity.

 

[c_soto1990]

10 I recieved them from this man, and ones I bought from him a couple of months ago were black and white also. ALLLL of them are black and white with very little color at all.

 

[CindyS]

you mean black and white chicks? Black and white chicks seldom remain just black and white, usually red or yellow will appear, especially in cockerels, you can have 10 black and white chicks and end up with 10 different colors. if you mean black and white adults as in btw japs, it may mean they are not serama.

 

[c_soto1990]

Quote:
no they are serama look in my byc page and thats what I mean

 

[JewellFarm]

I read somewhere, can't remember where, that someone had figured out how to breed them true. Wish I could remember where that was.....

 

[c_soto1990]

they are seramas for sure there is a pic of a growen pair on my page

 

[racuda]

It is a nice pair. I think the hen is very pretty. Are the chicks from this pair?

 

[c_soto1990]

Quote:
the hen died from the heat, and the chicks are from the same parents