Silkie thread!

[SilverSilkie]

SilverSilkies, I learn something new with each and every one of your posts. You are a wealth of knowledge! Is there any way we could talk you into traveling over here to give us a workshop in color genetics? Tina

Sure why not Tina, when you arrange me B&B I stand for the rest. Even the opposite is possible when you come over here I arrange free stay and food (for 2 persons max).

 

[SilverSilkie]

Here are pictures of my porcelain chicks that are now 10 weeks. The top one I know is a male because of comb development. I suspect the other is a female. Very convenient for me!

Indeed Peepblessed these 2 have the lavender dilution (lav/lav),
On the first one you can see the black-pigment is diluted to pearl-gray and you can see also it is not an unicolor lavender bird. With becoming older you well see the crest feathers will become intensiver graypearl colored.
On the second one you can see the red-pigment is diluted to cream and also clear to see is not an unicolor lavender bird. Same here for the crest intensivity.
These are both very subtile colored birds. When you like subtile tinges this are the one you need ;-) Wait until after there complete molting they will become sublime !

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
That's where mine are from!!!

The eggs had to travel at least as far to me as they will to you. Hatch rate was remarkably good considering how far they travelled. (Lavenders and porcelains are project colours for Catdance so they may not hatch as well as the blue/splash, for example, but as you can see from this forum - we ARE getting them to hatch!!

)

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
So if I cross one of the above with my "duo-colour lavender" as you labelled it, will it work like a split? In theory, half will come out duo-colour and half full on lav? Are the above considered porcelain or are they, in fact, lavender?

 

[SilverSilkie]

double posting ! See the 2 follwing posts in which the pictures comes from Henk's chickencolorcalculator.

 

[SilverSilkie]

When there is spoken of lavender it's intended when it's visible in the phenotype this means the genotype must be lav/lav (= double doses) because the gene lavender is a recessive gene.
When spoken of Splash is intended Bl/Bl (= double doses) but here it's concerned a Dominant gene so this will also be visible in a single doses (Bl/bl+) and than is called Blue.
With a duocolor is intended you can see the 2 color-pigments black and red at the same time (this not need to be diluted to be called a duocolor).
When we call a "duo-color lavender" this means we can see the 2 color-pigments (black and red) in diluted form by the gene lavender (lav/lav) always in double doses because otherwise not visible the black became "pearlgray", the red became "cream", here is given the not correct name "Porcelain".
When we call a "duo-color Splash" this means we can see the 2 color-pigments (black and red) but here only the black-pigment is diluted by the gene Blue in double doses (Bl/Bl) the black became "dirty white" (=Splash) and the red-pigment stay untouched, also here is sometimes given the not correct name "Porcelain".
When we call a "duo-color Blue" this means we can see the 2 color-pigments (black and red) but here only the black-pigment is diluted by the gene Blue in single doses (Bl/bl+) the black became "Blue" and the red-pigment stay untouched. This than is called a Blue Partridge or a Blue wheaten depending which is the E-allel (named the ground-pattern).

So a Dominant gene will show always in the phenotype, in single doses and in double doses. A recessive gene will show only in the phenotype when it is in double doses, when it's in a single doses than we call this a "split" bird or a "carrier" bird for that concerned recessive gene.
Now when we have 2 split parent birds for the recessive gene lavender (Lav+/lav) these can produce chicks in both sexes with double doses lavender (lav/lav) but only for 25%. Also 25% of zero doses lavender (Lav+/Lav+) and 50% of single doses lavender (Lav+/lav) = split for lavender.

On the outside (= phenotype) you can NOT see a difference between a chicken with zero doses lavender "Lav+/Lav+" (the first hen and rooster on the picture) or a single doses lavender "Lav+/lav" (the second hen and rooster on the picture). The effect is only visuble in a double doses "lav/lav" (the third hen and rooster on the picture).

 

[SilverSilkie]

This is what you should become when you cross 2 parents birds with a single doses of the Dominant gene Blue (Bl/bl+)



As you can see the phenotypes of the chicks are different.

On Silkie feathers the phenotypes of the first hen and rooster of this picture can be confused with the phenotypes of the third hen and rooster of the previous picture !

 

[peepblessed]

This is going to sound stupid ....but do you have to groom them or are they just fluffy like that??

I never bathe or groom mine and they always look perfect (unless they've been eating watermelon,etc. ) but my silkies are exposed to mud.

 

[peepblessed]

Lol, they're just fluffy like that. No grooming required They get cold easy though, poor dears.

That is odd.... I live in the mountains and it gets down to 10 degrees and my silkies do fine. I do keep them out of the rain and snow though.

 

[mama2my4]

I never bathe or groom mine and they always look perfect (unless they've been eating watermelon,etc. ) but my silkies are exposed to mud.

Peep. how do you keep their feet clean??