The "Ask Anything" to Nicalandia Thread

[NatJ]

Ok thanks, he is light skinned

If he has light skin, then I don't know what is going on to cause blue earlobes. It doesn't match up with what I know or what I have seen.

Hopefully someone else will have a better idea of what is causing it.

But you asked about d'Uccles, and I thought they were supposed to have dark skin?

 

[Egg Snatcher]

I did say D’Uccles, I took a pic of his skin
It looks light to me

White black tailed jap

Silkie

 

[NatJ]

I did say D’Uccles, I took a pic of his skin
It looks light to meView attachment 3746215
White black tailed japView attachment 3746216
Silkie
View attachment 3746217

A chicken with slate (blue) shanks has the dark skin gene (which does not seem to apply equally to all parts of the chicken. I was careless when I said "dark skin," I should have clarified which parts of the skin were most likely to show it.)

Since I see your d'Uccle is black with mottling, the genes causing black feathers can also cause darker shanks (which makes it harder to tell if the bird would otherwise have slate shanks vs. white shanks), and may have an effect on the earlobe as well (although I'm not entirely sure about that.)

 

[Egg Snatcher]

A chicken with slate (blue) shanks has the dark skin gene (which does not seem to apply equally to all parts of the chicken. I was careless when I said "dark skin," I should have clarified which parts of the skin were most likely to show it.)

Since I see your d'Uccle is black with mottling, the genes causing black feathers can also cause darker shanks (which makes it harder to tell if the bird would otherwise have slate shanks vs. white shanks), and may have an effect on the earlobe as well (although I'm not entirely sure about that.)

Oh ok, that makes more sense. Thank you

 

[Egg Snatcher]

I’ve got one more question about my OEGB pairing I gonna do.

When I breed my lavender and fawn, will all the chicks have blue legs (or what ever color they have)? And will I have any problems with recessive gene leg colors?
Thank you! I appreciate your help with all my questions!

 

[NatJ]

I’ve got one more question about my OEGB pairing I gonna do.

When I breed my lavender and fawn, will all the chicks have blue legs (or what ever color they have)? And will I have any problems with recessive gene leg colors?
Thank you! I appreciate your help with all my questions!

If both parents have blue legs, all chicks should have dark legs (blue or green.)
At least 3/4 of chicks should have actual blue (not green.)
If you get any chicks with green legs, you will know that both parents carry a recessive gene for yellow skin.

The genes involved:

Light skin is dominant over dark skin, gene is sex-linked (located on the Z sex chromosome. Because dark skin is the recessive, breeding two dark-skinned chickens will give only dark-skinned offspring. "Dark skin" makes the shanks (lower legs) be either blue, or green, or black. Other genes determine which of those three it is. The soles of the feet will often be white (with blue shanks) or yellow (with green shanks).

White skin is dominant over yellow skin. This gene is not sex-linked. For light-skinned chickens, the shanks will actually be white or yellow. For dark-skinned chickens, the shank color changes but the soles of the feet will often show white or yellow anyway: blue with white soles or green with yellow soles.

There are other genes that can make the skin actually black (like in Silkies and Ayam Cemani), and those can affect the soles of the feet and many other parts of the body as well. But they are not relevant to your situation.

If each of your chickens has blue legs, that means they each have dark skin (recessive, should breed true when paired with other dark-skinned chickens). They each have "white" skin (not yellow), but because white is the dominant trait you cannot tell whether either of them is carrying the recessive gene for yellow skin. If they are each carrying the gene for yellow skin, then about 1/4 of their chicks will have yellow skin (green shanks, because they will also have dark skin.)

Alternate words for some shank colors:
slate = blue
willow = green

 

[Egg Snatcher]

If both parents have blue legs, all chicks should have dark legs (blue or green.)
At least 3/4 of chicks should have actual blue (not green.)
If you get any chicks with green legs, you will know that both parents carry a recessive gene for yellow skin.

The genes involved:

Light skin is dominant over dark skin, gene is sex-linked (located on the Z sex chromosome. Because dark skin is the recessive, breeding two dark-skinned chickens will give only dark-skinned offspring. "Dark skin" makes the shanks (lower legs) be either blue, or green, or black. Other genes determine which of those three it is. The soles of the feet will often be white (with blue shanks) or yellow (with green shanks).

White skin is dominant over yellow skin. This gene is not sex-linked. For light-skinned chickens, the shanks will actually be white or yellow. For dark-skinned chickens, the shank color changes but the soles of the feet will often show white or yellow anyway: blue with white soles or green with yellow soles.

There are other genes that can make the skin actually black (like in Silkies and Ayam Cemani), and those can affect the soles of the feet and many other parts of the body as well. But they are not relevant to your situation.

If each of your chickens has blue legs, that means they each have dark skin (recessive, should breed true when paired with other dark-skinned chickens). They each have "white" skin (not yellow), but because white is the dominant trait you cannot tell whether either of them is carrying the recessive gene for yellow skin. If they are each carrying the gene for yellow skin, then about 1/4 of their chicks will have yellow skin (green shanks, because they will also have dark skin.)

Alternate words for some shank colors:
slate = blue
willow = green

Ok so since my fawn roo is white leged i should get light colored legs (if be dint carry any other genes) with recessive blue legs (which i would want)
If you need I’ll get pics of his legs for you and my lavender.

 

[NatJ]

Ok so since my fawn roo is white leged i should get light colored legs (if be dint carry any other genes) with recessive blue legs (which i would want)

For his sons, that is correct (assuming the mother of the chicks has dark legs.)

Because the gene for dark/light legs is on the Z sex chromosome, his daughters will not carry the gene for dark legs. They will just have one gene for light legs, and one W chromosome from their mother to make them female.

If your rooster has light legs but carries the gene for dark legs, then half his chicks (male and female) will show light legs, and the other half will show dark legs. Sons have one dark-legs gene from their mother and either a dark or a light from the father. Daughters have one W chromosome from the mother and either a dark or a light from the father.

Ok so since my fawn roo is white leged...If you need I’ll get pics of his legs for you and my lavender.

I'm better at talking about how the genes "should" work than I am at identifying them in actual chickens, but sometimes I can tell. And some other people are much better than I am at telling what genes a chicken has when looking at a photo of it.

Some of the genes that affect feather color can also affect leg color, I think mostly the ones that make large amounts of black (can add black to the leg skin too) and the ones that make chickens much lighter (so blue or splash chickens have lighter legs than black ones do.) I'm not really sure what effect fawn or lavender have on leg color, so I've just been going with what you say of the leg color (blue, white.)

 

[Egg Snatcher]

For his sons, that is correct (assuming the mother of the chicks has dark legs.)

Because the gene for dark/light legs is on the Z sex chromosome, his daughters will not carry the gene for dark legs. They will just have one gene for light legs, and one W chromosome from their mother to make them female.

If your rooster has light legs but carries the gene for dark legs, then half his chicks (male and female) will show light legs, and the other half will show dark legs. Sons have one dark-legs gene from their mother and either a dark or a light from the father. Daughters have one W chromosome from the mother and either a dark or a light from the father.


I'm better at talking about how the genes "should" work than I am at identifying them in actual chickens, but sometimes I can tell. And some other people are much better than I am at telling what genes a chicken has when looking at a photo of it.

Some of the genes that affect feather color can also affect leg color, I think mostly the ones that make large amounts of black (can add black to the leg skin too) and the ones that make chickens much lighter (so blue or splash chickens have lighter legs than black ones do.) I'm not really sure what effect fawn or lavender have on leg color, so I've just been going with what you say of the leg color (blue, white.)

ok! Thanks!

 

[SourRoses]

This guy is a cute accident...
Do you guys think he is only Paint, or is he Mottled or split to Mottled as well?

Mother is a Paint Easter Egger (White Leghorn X Mottled Ameraucana)
Father was Black Ameraucana X Mottled English Orpington.

So both parents were split to Mottled. He looks Paint to me but he also looks a bit mottled when looking at some of the individual black feathers with spots on them? When he was a chick he had a black headspot. Very confusing!

Here he is with a full mottled juvenile behind him.