Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[kathyinmo]

VillageChicken.
Thank you soooo very much for that information! This is great news, and I would like to share it. Is it okay with you if I post this on the Delaware Club site?

Thanks again!

 

[joletabey]

Yes, thank you, Village chicken- and I echo Kathy in asking if we can post this on the Delaware site?

 

[VillageChicken]

Yes. Of course the genetics are all theory, as far as known genes. This is what I have gathered about shank coloring.
It should be correct, unless someone out there has experienced otherwise, this is what the "textbook" says.

Don't post it until Pink reads through it and double checks me. I'll PM her.

Village

 

[VillageChicken]

I just re-read the original question about juveniles with green feet.
In theory, these should be your roosters hiding the green. They should not be hens that start out green and then turn yellow.
Does any one have hens that started green and went yellow?

 

[HorizonSon]

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I was worried that they might be suffering via diet or cold in some way. You have filled my inner spirit with peace; I am in your debt. Thank you!

 

[HorizonSon]

-Now we return you to our regular broadcasting-




Pic taken today of my 3.5+ week olds:

 

[HorizonSon]

Enjoying a few minutes of 35deg weather:

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
I didn't keep mine long enough to find out.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Exactly what I am wanting to know.

BTW; all 24 chickies made it through the night A-O-K

Green legs are caused by a combination of the Yellow leg gene (which is recessive) and dermal melanin which is a bluish pigment under the skin.
Dermal melanin is usually controlled by a gene called ID. If your parent birds have yellow legs, then they possess the ID gene which Inhibits Dermal melanin.
When I talk about the green gene in Delawares, it's actually the ID gene combined with yellow skin gene. There is no single "green gene".

Problem: the recessive form "id" allows the formation of melanin under the skin, and thus green legs. The good news is that this is a sex linked characteristic, and this will help you determine who is causing your green legs.

Hens cannot "hide" the recessive green leg gene. They are either pure for yellow, or pure for green. Hens possess only one dermal melanin gene.

Roosters however, can carry the "green" gene while their legs are yellow because they possess TWO dermal melanin genes. The dominant form of the gene is to allow for yellow legs, so their second gene that causes green legs is "overruled" by the one that causes yellow.

So if both of your parent birds are yellow shanked, and you have green legged chicks, they should all be hens, and your rooster is the culprit. You don't want to use these hens or the parent rooster for breeding SOP Delawares.

About half the roosters from this breeding will carry the green leg gene like their father. You probably won't be able to tell which are carriers. Only the yellow shanked hens from this breeding can be certain not to pass this gene on to the next generation.

You can keep a green shanked hen to test breed any roosters for carrying the green gene. A pure Yellow shanked rooster should not throw ANY green legged chicks if mated to a green shanked hen. If he does, he's a carrier of the "green" gene.

I'm still hatching eggs from the first group of hens and rooster and have not seen any green legged chicks. I did not have this information then but wonder why these hens and rooster are not throwing green legged chicks. Then again I did not hatch these and there are only six out of thirteen eggs. I will however collect eggs from these four hens and see what happens.

Thanks rancher

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Exactly what I am wanting to know.

BTW; all 24 chickies made it through the night A-O-K

Green legs are caused by a combination of the Yellow leg gene (which is recessive) and dermal melanin which is a bluish pigment under the skin.
Dermal melanin is usually controlled by a gene called ID. If your parent birds have yellow legs, then they possess the ID gene which Inhibits Dermal melanin.
When I talk about the green gene in Delawares, it's actually the ID gene combined with yellow skin gene. There is no single "green gene".

Problem: the recessive form "id" allows the formation of melanin under the skin, and thus green legs. The good news is that this is a sex linked characteristic, and this will help you determine who is causing your green legs.

Hens cannot "hide" the recessive green leg gene. They are either pure for yellow, or pure for green. Hens possess only one dermal melanin gene.

Roosters however, can carry the "green" gene while their legs are yellow because they possess TWO dermal melanin genes. The dominant form of the gene is to allow for yellow legs, so their second gene that causes green legs is "overruled" by the one that causes yellow.

So if both of your parent birds are yellow shanked, and you have green legged chicks, they should all be hens, and your rooster is the culprit. You don't want to use these hens or the parent rooster for breeding SOP Delawares.

About half the roosters from this breeding will carry the green leg gene like their father. You probably won't be able to tell which are carriers. Only the yellow shanked hens from this breeding can be certain not to pass this gene on to the next generation.

You can keep a green shanked hen to test breed any roosters for carrying the green gene. A pure Yellow shanked rooster should not throw ANY green legged chicks if mated to a green shanked hen. If he does, he's a carrier of the "green" gene.

Village~ Thanks. I understand everything that you stated and that is the way I see it as well, but, I thought I read it somewhere that females can be split ID/id+? Am I confused? It is very easy to do.