Silver Genetics

[JDB99]

I have 5, 4 week old silver quail. They are wild type pattern. So if I'm understanding correctly they would be SI/si for the silver gene? I've read somewhere they need to be male SI/SI bred to female SI/si to get proper silvers. Is this correct or can I breed my heterozygous quail together and get a mix and a few SI/SI? Is there problems with viability with the silver gene?

 

[CoturnixComplex]

I'm sorry no one ever answered you! You should breed your silvers directly with wild-types, if possible. If they carry one copy of the gene they come out silver/blue, but two causes paler coloration, high embryonic loss, slow growth/etc. So if you breed them to non-silvers you'll get just as many healthy fancy colored birds and fewer lost/deformed ones.

Disclaimer: this is assuming your birds are definitely silvers, and not recessive silvers, single copy lethal whites, or lavenders.