Splash gene - does it pass across breeds?

[905silkies]

Hi all,

I am new to chickens & fascinated by genetics related to feathering, egg color, etc. Science rules

My question is, if my splash silkie roo were to breed with a splash EE or Ameraucana, what would the chicks be like? Would they be splash too?

For reference, we have Mr. Buffy (Roo)

Ms. Marble

And Cashew (super diluted splash)

 

[SueT]

You can use the chicken color calculator
http://kippenjungle.nl/Overzicht.htm#kipcalculator
I tried it and it says yes, the offspring will be splash. Anyone will real life experience w this?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Yes. Theres no reason it wouldn't unless both happened to have a recessive white gene too that got passed down

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Yes, the genes that affect plumage color, skin color, combs, foot feathering, etc. will be the same and function the same way. Despite how different many breeds can look from one another, they are all still the same species, chickens, and so the loci (or locations along the chromosomes) for all of those genes is the same and thus those genes interact the same way across breeds as they would within the same breed.

Splash is the result of a bird inheriting two copies of the blue gene (Bl/Bl) and expressing the 'double dose' of that gene. There is no splash gene. Since both parents are Splash, they will both pass a blue gene down, which pair together to make splash again in their offspring (in other words, one Bl from the father and one Bl from the mother to make Bl/Bl again in their chicks).

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Splash is genetically the same in all chickens (two copies of the blue gene), so it will go between breeds. Unless one of your splashes is light blue or has other genes that could change the color of the offspring, you should get splash offspring from crossing two splash parents.

 

[905silkies]

You can use the chicken color calculator
http://kippenjungle.nl/Overzicht.htm#kipcalculator
I tried it and it says yes, the offspring will be splash. Anyone will real life experience w this?

This is a great resource! Thank you!