Silkie thread!

[bantiehen]

Shayna
don't feel so bad about not knowing color genetics. I still don't understand. I think its a learning process for some of us if not all of us. That's why we come here to ask without hoping that we get judged. Not everyone does though. There's a lot of patient people on here and I'm glad that they are here. If someone can't be patient with us then they shouldn't be answering our questions anyway.. Thank goodness that there are nice people on here who do want to help us and understand that not all of us know what to do when it comes to our chickens.

Or what color would we get if we cross this color... Pretty bad that when we do ask that there are a lot of people who have a short patient fuse

and that sucks cause we're not trying to annoy people we just want to know and where else can you come to, to ask a chicken question but a great site like this. Id be lost if I didn't have this site sometimes. I'm glad there's helpful people. I agree having black silkie b baby chicks are a great idea. <3 black silkies I think they are beautiful...

 

[sager:)silkies]

Quote:
The basic color-genetics is not really so difficult to understand.
There only 2 color-pigments, black and red and the absence of both = white.
There are only 5 ground-colors.
All five are based on gold or on Silver. Since this is sex-linked there are 5 (ground-colors) X 3 based on possibilities for male => s+/s+ (=gold based) or S/S (=Silver based) or S/s+ (=Golden based). for females this is more simple they can be only 5 (ground-color) X 2 based on possibilities => s+/- (gold based) or S/- (Silver based).
There are only 18 genes to count with (our alphabeth count 26) and there are only a few rules to know as Dominant genes (always with a with Capital => E) and recessive genes (always written with a normal letter => eb).
Keep in mind sexual reproduction as need for every gene 1 allel from papa and 1 allel from mama to come together in a new gene. All genes together give a new subject. Color-genes are only a little part of the totality.
After comes in some more "fine-tuning" knowledge but for the basics this was you have to know.

All started with G.J.Mendel (1822-1884)

I'm adding this to my chicken notes. Thanks!

i already did to

 

[SilverSilkie]

Quote:
The basic color-genetics is not really so difficult to understand.
There only 2 color-pigments, black and red and the absence of both = white.
There are only 5 ground-colors.
All five are based on gold or on Silver. Since this is sex-linked there are 5 (ground-colors) X 3 based on possibilities for male => s+/s+ (=gold based) or S/S (=Silver based) or S/s+ (=Golden based). for females this is more simple they can be only 5 (ground-color) X 2 based on possibilities => s+/- (gold based) or S/- (Silver based).
There are only 18 genes to count with (our alphabeth count 26) and there are only a few rules to know as Dominant genes (always with a with Capital => E) and recessive genes (always written with a normal letter => eb).
Keep in mind sexual reproduction as need for every gene 1 allel from papa and 1 allel from mama to come together in a new gene. All genes together give a new subject. Color-genes are only a little part of the totality.
After comes in some more "fine-tuning" knowledge but for the basics this was you have to know.

All started with G.J.Mendel (1822-1884)

I'm adding this to my chicken notes. Thanks!

I made for educative purpose a basic color genetic guide for my Italian friends (it's in Italian but with 1000's of explaing photos). I have also a page specific on EU Silkie colorations next to a page about my projects in Silver Silkies. Take a look at http://www.zijdehoenders.be/
(zijdehoenders is flemish for Silkies)

 

[Shayna]

I'm thankful there is so much knowledge on here and so many willing to share it! That's why I'm around here so much!

I know color genetics are only the tip of the iceberg, there are toes, combs, eye pigment, tight wings, and many other things that we look for genetic-wise PLUS all the things that we can't see that come into play with genetics. It leaves my head spinning! I'm still working on getting a grasp on it.

I hope sagersilkies took no offense to my response on advising against cross breeding the black silkies and white silkies. It's my opinion and I give it respectfully and honestly as I want others to do for me. That doesn't mean anyone has to do what I would do, just offering up my point of view.

I think contemplating the what-ifs is fun, but if we're talking about seriously breeding them, I think there is a better way to get black silkie chicks. Especially when more chicks may be produced from this breeding than one wants to keep. It sounds like sagersilkies has a nice black trio of silkies that would be an opportunity to get more black chicks from.

Just my opinion on my wee big of knowledge.

 

[sager:)silkies]

i could wait ur right but i also wanted to do it to have some fun lol and no not at all offended i should breed black to black but i like to play around with colours to

 

[Evelle]

Quote:
The ground-color of black contain normally a double doses of the gene E (means Extended Black) so => E/E
Black contain not the black-pigment diluting gene Blue so => bl+/bl+
Blue is this Black diluted in 1 doses by the gene Bl (means Blue) so => Bl/bl+
Splash is this Black diluted in 2 doses by the gen Bl so => Bl/Bl

To become from a Black (male or female) diluted offspring you need to cross it with a Blue or with a Splash to bring in that black-pigment diluting gene. No other way.

okay i kinda got that.. still learning

so i need to bring in splash and blue to delute the black gene in my birds.? to get those kind of offspring?
if i bring a splash would i get blue offspring?

 

[SilverSilkie]

Quote:
Very nice said Shayna, with much respect and honnesty for everyone. As with everything unknown is unloved. We all become better when we share. Also I did some time to see clear in the basic color genetics but now I got it I like to share it with other passionated, exspecially when they are passionated in the same breed as I am, SILKIES.

 

[sager:)silkies]

Quote:
Very nice said Shayna, with much respect and honnesty for everyone. As with everything unknown is unloved. We all become better when we share. Also I did some time to see clear in the basic color genetics but now I got it I like to share it with other passionated, exspecially when they are passionated in the same breed as I am, SILKIES.

yep gota love silkies

 

[SilverSilkie]

Quote:
The ground-color of black contain normally a double doses of the gene E (means Extended Black) so => E/E
Black contain not the black-pigment diluting gene Blue so => bl+/bl+
Blue is this Black diluted in 1 doses by the gene Bl (means Blue) so => Bl/bl+
Splash is this Black diluted in 2 doses by the gen Bl so => Bl/Bl

To become from a Black (male or female) diluted offspring you need to cross it with a Blue or with a Splash to bring in that black-pigment diluting gene. No other way.

okay i kinda got that.. still learning

so i need to bring in splash and blue to delute the black gene in my birds.? to get those kind of offspring?
if i bring a splash would i get blue offspring?

Simple said :
E/E bl+/bl+ = Black
E/E Bl/bl+ = Blue
E/E Bl/Bl = Splash

As you can see Black, Blue and Splash have here the same ground-color => E/E

E/E = Extended Black
bl+/bl+ = NO dilution of black-pigment = Black
Bl/bl+ = 1 doses diluting black-pigment = Blue
Bl/Bl = 2 doses diluting black-pigment = Splash

So when you cross a Black (E/E bl+/bl+) X a Splash (E/E Bl/Bl) you become 100% Blue (E/E Bl/bl+)

 

[Shayna]

Big thanks to you SilverSilkie for taking the time to put all of this info out here to help us understand the genetics! I do appreciate it and am going to be sure to keep it to refer back to.