The "Ask Anything" to Nicalandia Thread

[MysteryChicken]

I saw it, but didn't have any useful thoughts.





If she is not barred, she does not have any other genes that are "linked" to the barring gene either. That's what linked means-- they are on the same chromosome, close together, and tend to get inherited together.

She might have modifiers that are NOT linked to barring, but that are commonly found in barred chickens. A chicken could inherit such modifiers without inheriting barring. I don't actually know if she has anything of the sort, just explaining what could happen and what should not happen.

What kind of modifiers?

 

[NatJ]

What kind of modifiers?

I have no idea-- maybe something that increases or decreases the amount of white shown?
I am using "modifiers" to mean any gene that changes the appearance of any other trait, but that we don't fully understand.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have no idea-- maybe something that increases or decreases the amount of white shown?
I am using "modifiers" to mean any gene that changes the appearance of any other trait, but that we don't fully understand.

Oh, okay.
It could be possiblity, but maybe also something completely separate.

Found this.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/black-chicken-turning-white.1339945/

 

[NatJ]

But if it's a mutation, it may not show up like that of barring, & end up looking like something different. Won't resemble barring by one bit.

Like Smokey in the dominant white gene, or Dun as examples.

Oh, you're talking about alleles, not linkage.

The locus is the place on the chromosome where the gene is.
Alleles are the different forms of the gene.

At the Dominant White locus, there are at least 3 alleles (Dominant White, dun, wild-type). The e-locus has at least 5 alleles (Extended Black, Birchen, Wheaten, Partridge, wild-type)). The Barring locus is already known to have several different alleles, that cause various amounts of white.

But no chicken can have more than 2 alleles at a given locus: one from the father, and one from the mother. A hen cannot have more than 1 allele for any sex-linked gene, because she only has one Z chromosome.

So for your hen, she would not inherit anything on the Z chromosome from her mother. Her father was barred, so one of his Z chromosomes had barring. She is not barred, so her Z chromosome does not have barring. That tells us what her father's second Z chromosome has: not-barring (or maybe some weird form of barring.)

Does this hen have any sisters from the same father? If there are any normal not-barred ones, then the father has a normal not-barred allele on his Z chromosome, and that's what this hen inherited too.

 

[NatJ]

Found this.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/black-chicken-turning-white.1339945/

I suspect that rooster just has mottling. A mottled chicken tends to get more white with time, although that is definitely an extreme example.

(I could be wrong, but that's my best guess at explaining that rooster.)

 

[MysteryChicken]

Oh, you're talking about alleles, not linkage.

The locus is the place on the chromosome where the gene is.
Alleles are the different forms of the gene.

At the Dominant White locus, there are at least 3 alleles (Dominant White, dun, wild-type). The e-locus has at least 5 alleles (Extended Black, Birchen, Wheaten, Partridge, wild-type)). The Barring locus is already known to have several different alleles, that cause various amounts of white.

But no chicken can have more than 2 alleles at a given locus: one from the father, and one from the mother. A hen cannot have more than 1 allele for any sex-linked gene, because she only has one Z chromosome.

So for your hen, she would not inherit anything on the Z chromosome from her mother. Her father was barred, so one of his Z chromosomes had barring. She is not barred, so her Z chromosome does not have barring. That tells us what her father's second Z chromosome has: not-barring (or maybe some weird form of barring.)

Does this hen have any sisters from the same father? If there are any normal not-barred ones, then the father has a normal not-barred allele on his Z chromosome, and that's what this hen inherited too.

No siblings. Well, she did have a Barred brother, but he got butchered.

 

[NatJ]

No siblings. Well, she did have a Barred brother, but he got butchered.

In that case, no shortcut to figuring out her genes. It's back to guessing, or breeding her, or breeding more from her father.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Found this.

Poop. I can't find the page anywhere. I think Barry Koffler of Feathersite.com had it on the Sumatra page originally but it seems to no longer be there. He had a Sumatra hen that, with each subsequent molt, grew more and more white until she was basically solid white with no black feathers as she aged.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I've also seen this posted a few times over the years, a chicken, usually black or mostly black, gradually growing whiter with each molt like they've suddenly run short of pigment or something. It's also pretty common in Cayuga ducks. Not sure the genetics behind it if it is genetic, but it's not an unheard of phenomenon or anything. I would suspect since it's so common in Cayugas that there would be more answers there if you were wanting to research it more.

 

[MysteryChicken]

In that case, no shortcut to figuring out her genes. It's back to guessing, or breeding her, or breeding more from her father.

Was planning on breeding her parents, plus her next year to kinda experiment.

Here's her brother in the butcher group. He's the only Barred bird in the pen. Sorry it's very shaded.

The only picture I have left of him.