- May 17, 2013
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So, as I know it, if you cross a female silkie and a male... anything else, you get a light- or dusky-fleshed chick. But if you cross a male silkie and a female anything else, you get a black-fleshed chick. (I've produced a bunch of black-fleshed EEs this way, so I know it works!)
Now, I purchased this Ameraucana x Silkie cross young roo. Turns out he was from a FEMALE silkie, and his flesh was very light colored, which was a great disappointment (my project includes keeping the black flesh gene).
I also know that dark-ish-but-not-black fleshed silkie crosses are possible. I'd like to know how the gene works. Obviously it's sex-linked. But could someone explain how that works? It's obviously not a on-or-off gene; is the color variation of dark-ish vs black the expression of homozygous (double-carrier) vs heterozygous (single carrier)? Or can a pale-fleshed hen or roo carry a copy of the gene? Does only the rooster carry the black gene? Or... can only the rooster carry two copies? Or what?
What would happen if I paired above mentioned (silkie-mothered, pale fleshed) roo with a black-fleshed hen? Would all the chicks be pale fleshed, or could the roo be carrying the black gene in there somewhere, and paired with the black-fleshed hen, make black-fleshed chicks? (I.E. can the hen's color 'boost' the darkness at all, or does the hens color not matter at all?)
Now, I purchased this Ameraucana x Silkie cross young roo. Turns out he was from a FEMALE silkie, and his flesh was very light colored, which was a great disappointment (my project includes keeping the black flesh gene).
I also know that dark-ish-but-not-black fleshed silkie crosses are possible. I'd like to know how the gene works. Obviously it's sex-linked. But could someone explain how that works? It's obviously not a on-or-off gene; is the color variation of dark-ish vs black the expression of homozygous (double-carrier) vs heterozygous (single carrier)? Or can a pale-fleshed hen or roo carry a copy of the gene? Does only the rooster carry the black gene? Or... can only the rooster carry two copies? Or what?
What would happen if I paired above mentioned (silkie-mothered, pale fleshed) roo with a black-fleshed hen? Would all the chicks be pale fleshed, or could the roo be carrying the black gene in there somewhere, and paired with the black-fleshed hen, make black-fleshed chicks? (I.E. can the hen's color 'boost' the darkness at all, or does the hens color not matter at all?)
