Silkied Ameraucana Project

[txcarl1258]

Has anyone had any of their Silkied ameraucana show green in their legs? I have a Silkied roo and split roo who are showing a lot of green. I'm seriously considering not using them in my breeding pens. Appreciate any advice from the experienced breeders.

 

[LBKS]

Haven't seen green legs personally, if it were just splits I would think possibly accidental crosses. It's possible to also just be bad genetics in there if someone bred them to Ameraucanas with less than stellar genetics (without intentionally making EEs). The only other cause I could think of is potentially bad leg color coming in from attempts to bring in new color genetics? In that case though I would think the person would warn about that as something to cull for.

I'm not expert, but I thought green legs are effectively dominant to slate/black - which is why they are one good indicator of EE's in stock of unknown quality. If I had the option, I'd pass on those guys.

 

[txcarl1258]

Ok thanks for your advice. There is a chance they are split for the chocolate gene as well since they came from a chocolate project pen. I was going to test breed them to see if they are split to chocolate. I may do that and if they are not I won't use them.

 

[EdenCamp]

Wouldn't use them - going to take a LOOOOOOOOONNNNG time to weed out those legs and who knows what else in the genetic mix. The BBS variety of Silkieds have never been anything but pure Ameraucana. The chocolate/mauve variety started by ChooksChicks brought in a choc orp - once just to capture the choc gene. Orps have white legs. So somebody somewhere has done something funky to that monkey.
Jeans non-silkied version of choc ditto on the orp cross.

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

Has anyone had any of their Silkied ameraucana show green in their legs? I have a Silkied roo and split roo who are showing a lot of green. I'm seriously considering not using them in my breeding pens. Appreciate any advice from the experienced breeders.

Ok so I'm just gonna call a spade a spade and say YES I believe somewhere in the genetics of some of the Silkied birds we have the yellow skin gene. Whether it was hidden in the original pair or someone early on crossed in something they shouldn't have no doubt it is there. I have seen pics of Silkied with green legs and I myself hatched two last year with green legs.

From my understanding (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) the yellow skin gene is at play and to blame. The yellow skin gene is recessive and requires 2 copies to express and when combined with slate it will show as green legs.

My original Silkied birds all have slate legs and all my Ameraucana stock those birds were bred with all have slate legs and yet 2 of my Silkied Lavender split Blacks hatched last year have green. I am working with Lavender and the Silkied so it is also possible that the gene is hiding in Lavender stock since that color was pulled from somewhere BUT I don't believe that is where it's coming from.

Moving forward I do not think this is that big of a deal and it is something we just need to watch for and breed out. I personally would not breed any Silkied bird that has green legs since you will definitely pass that gene on and we don't want that. That being said if your just having fun and want to breed a funky chicken that's awesome but don't knowingly add those genetics to the project if you can help it

I hatched ALOT of chicks last year and all have slate legs but two so I am confident I can breed this out of my stock

Trish

 

[EdenCamp]

Since the original pair were pure Ams - and CatKai got her birds directly from there. ........
And Ditto Chooks, and she only crossed in a Sacre choc Orp - which is white skinned....

There's a possibility CC had a mix up in the brooder - she did also have EEs, or pehaps a roving Casanova hopped the fence. It's happened before. She does have cochins too and they are yellow skinned.

I've not had green legs pop up myself and I've hatched a bunch.

Yes, yellow skin/legs is recessive. It's one of the worst things to eradicate. Both genes in the pair have to match up to see it so it can lurk for generations until it makes a match up. .

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

Since the original pair were pure Ams - and CatKai got her birds directly from there. ........
And Ditto Chooks, and she only crossed in a Sacre choc Orp - which is white skinned....

There's a possibility CC had a mix up in the brooder - she did also have EEs, or pehaps a roving Casanova hopped the fence. It's happened before. She does have cochins too and they are yellow skinned.

I've not had green legs pop up myself and I've hatched a bunch.

Yes, yellow skin/legs is recessive. It's one of the worst things to eradicate. Both genes in the pair have to match up to see it so it can lurk for generations until it makes a match up. .

Yes but trust me it's there

Alicefelldown posted pics of her birds that were first generation directly from Jubaby and one had green legs so it's hiding there.

I don't think it will be that hard to get rid of personally. I saved my 2 that hatched with green legs because I can use them to test breed others to see if they are carriers. Half of the chicks should hatch with green legs when breeding green legged x carrier. I can easily weed out any carriers that way. It sucks but it is what it is.

My first few generations hatched nice slate before it happened...I'm sure others will eventually experience the same

Trish

 

[EdenCamp]

Yes but trust me it's there

Alicefelldown posted pics of her birds that were first generation directly from Jubaby and one had green legs so it's hiding there.

I don't think it will be that hard to get rid of personally. I saved my 2 that hatched with green legs because I can use them to test breed others to see if they are carriers. Half of the chicks should hatch with green legs when breeding green legged x carrier. I can easily weed out any carriers that way. It sucks but it is what it is.

My first few generations hatched nice slate before it happened...I'm sure others will eventually experience the same

Trish

Well isn't that special! not! Have to wonder where that came from..........kind of a strike against the pure AM mutation position isn't it?

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

Well isn't that special! not! Have to wonder where that came from..........kind of a strike against the pure AM mutation position isn't it?

I don't think so. Who knows when or how it was introduced, it's just there and we need to breed it out. And Silkies don't have yellow skin so that argument is a mute point anyway.


Trish

 

[EdenCamp]

True - cochins(yellow skin) were used as a foundation for orps - and lav and choc orps were brought in for lav and choc Ams.