The "Ask Anything" to Nicalandia Thread

[NatJ]

So my Spitzhauben has white skin and blue ear lobes? How does that happen?

Spitzhaubens usually have slate shanks with white soles. Is that what yours has?


There are at least four genes that can be involved in earlobe color for chickens:

white earlobes vs. red earlobes (although "white" earlobes can actually be yellow, green, blue, or other colors.)

white skin vs. yellow skin (little effect on earlobe color, but chickens with yellow skin can sometimes show yellow in earlobes that would otherwise be white.)

light skin vs. dark skin (especially visible on the shanks of the legs. White and yellow are "light," while slate and willow and black are "dark." Any of the "dark" options can have an effect on the earlobe color. I've seen willow shanks with greenish earlobes, slate shanks can go with blueish earlobes, and of course Silkies are known for having black skin and blue earlobes. Slate shanks can have white soles, and willow shanks can have yellow soles.)

fibromelanistic vs. normal (fibromelanistic is the black in Silkies and Ayam Cemanis. When paired with the genes for white earlobes, this causes blue lobes like in Silkies. The gene that causes light skin will block fibromelanosis.)

Spitzhaubens are "supposed" to have the genes for white earlobes (not red), for white skin (not yellow), for dark skin (slate shanks not white ones), and no fibromelanosis. To increase blue earlobes, crossing in a breed with fibromelanosis and "white" earlobes would be the best choice: maybe a Silkie, or maybe one of the black-skinned hatchery hybrids that are descended from Silkies.

 

[NagemTX]

She has slate legs, white soles, and white skin. No fibro.

Could I breed her to white lobe with the same color legs and feet and just keep back the ones that show blue lobes? I'm sure that's going to take much longer and alot more hatching.

 

[phasianidae]

Sir, help me look at this young rooster. Recently, I learned that a rare recessive white will leak out buff and red colors. I didn't see those small black spots on it. Could it be the red shoulder effect caused by recessive white.View attachment 3345010

The recessive white from Silkies can allow a lot of red to leak through. I don’t have any pictures of my best males, some have had very strong red pyle color. Here are some that I could find:

 

[NatJ]

She has slate legs, white soles, and white skin. No fibro.

Could I breed her to white lobe with the same color legs and feet and just keep back the ones that show blue lobes? I'm sure that's going to take much longer and alot more hatching.

Yes, that would probably work too.

Since she has some amount of blue, it's obviously possible to get that much with the genes she has.

 

[NatJ]

Here's a challenge, what are the comb genetics of this bird?

View attachment 3435134
View attachment 3435135
View attachment 3435136

So what comb genes does it really have? And what breed or mix is it? I'm definitely curious.

 

[phasianidae]

So what comb genes does it really have? And what breed or mix is it? I'm definitely curious.

You guessed it right. I was just holding out to see if there would be more guesses. He’s about a six generation mix of everything under the sun. I’m breeding him to his full sister now to get the same phenotype without the crest and beard.

 

[SourRoses]

She has slate legs, white soles, and white skin. No fibro.

Could I breed her to white lobe with the same color legs and feet and just keep back the ones that show blue lobes? I'm sure that's going to take much longer and alot more hatching.

I'm interested in your project! I'm working on Blue ear projects too!

Thanks @NatJ for the detailed explanation, you really provide a lot of great help to us

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

I don't like asking to many questions here, but can anyone confirm my thinking here?
Earlier in this thread I learnt my Buff sussex Hen is id+/- and my rooster is Id/id+ . I have 7 chicks from them, 3 of which show light shanks. I am going to keep any pullets from those three but also want another breeding cockerel. Will the light shank Cockerels all be Id/id+ ?
And a follow up, if I want to test breed my other rooster to see if he is also Id/id+ is breeding him to an id+/- or an Id/- better?

 

[NatJ]

Earlier in this thread I learnt my Buff sussex Hen is id+/- and my rooster is Id/id+ . I have 7 chicks from them, 3 of which show light shanks. I am going to keep any pullets from those three but also want another breeding cockerel. Will the light shank Cockerels all be Id/id+ ?

Yes, if the mother is id+/- then any son with light shanks must be Id/id+
Of course any son with dark shanks would be id+/id+

And a follow up, if I want to test breed my other rooster to see if he is also Id/id+ is breeding him to an id+/- or an Id/- better?

The id+/- hen will be more useful for testing.

It won't matter for the daughters. Any with dark shanks will prove that the father has id+

But if the mother has Id/- then all her sons must show light shanks. If the mother has id+/- then her sons can show dark or light shanks depending on which gene they inherit from their father. So the sons give you useful information in one case but not the other.

That means you can get the same amount of information by hatching half as many chicks, if you use the id+/- hen instead of the Id/- hen.

 

[Perris]

Does anyone know if side sprigs are dominant or recessive?

can anyone answer this? I have a cockerel whose granddad (who may have sired him, else his sprig-less son) had mere stubs, but he's practically got a coronation comb, the sprigs are so large. It would be nice to know the chances of him passing it on.