The "Ask Anything" to Nicalandia Thread

[SwampPrincessChick]

Quick question:

I have a Rhode Island Red Bantam pullet named Ruby and she makes the sweetest, cutest noises ever (not to mention her appearance is the cutest ever in general). It sounds like the mix of a regular chicken noise but it is drawn out and almost sounds like she's crying. I really wish I could always have a Rhode Island Red Bantam with that voice, so I thought about something: hypothetically (since I don't have the room or time for breeding), could I get a Rhode Island Red Bantam cockerel and breed him with Ruby, and some of the chicks would come out with a similar voice as Ruby? I'm not sure if there is a lot of information on voice genetics, but I know some breeds are bred for their long crowing, laughing crowing, and deep voices.

 

[NagemTX]

I would think it's possible. Also that would be a good experiment.

 

[NatJ]

Hybrid vigor is something that I've heard the term before, but I never really thought about what that means. I think I'll do some reading about that tonight when I get back to work. I work 7p-7a on a slow pediatric unit, so I have lot's of time for reading forums and such.

I believe "heterosis" is another term for the same thing.

 

[kurby22]

I’m curious if you can explain to me the basics of the Crele pattern? I read that it’s almost impossible to get slate legs with the Crele pattern for Ameraucanas and I was wondering why and how it’s created? I have this lovely EE that’s half Ameraucana and half d’Anver and his leakage reminds me some of the Crele pattern so it just got me pondering!

Thanks @NatJ or @nicalandia

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I’m curious if you can explain to me the basics of the Crele pattern? I read that it’s almost impossible to get slate legs with the Crele pattern for Ameraucanas and I was wondering why and how it’s created? I have this lovely EE that’s half Ameraucana and half d’Anver and his leakage reminds me some of the Crele pattern so it just got me pondering!

Thanks @NatJ or @nicalandia

I love crele chickens! It is probably my favorite color variety. Unfortunately though, I am not a genetics person and breeds and breed history sticks in my brain much more.

 

[kurby22]

I love crele chickens! It is probably my favorite color variety. Unfortunately though, I am not a genetics person and breeds and breed history sticks in my brain much more.

I know! The colors and barring are just so pretty!

 

[NatJ]

I’m curious if you can explain to me the basics of the Crele pattern? I read that it’s almost impossible to get slate legs with the Crele pattern for Ameraucanas and I was wondering why and how it’s created? I have this lovely EE that’s half Ameraucana and half d’Anver and his leakage reminds me some of the Crele pattern so it just got me pondering!

Thanks @NatJ or @nicalandia

Crele is typically barring (white lines caused by the barring gene) on a wild-type background (e+/e+, also called duckwing)

There appear to be two problems with leg color:
--the barring gene makes the legs lighter (this is pretty much insoluable, but I think is the lesser problem.)

--the barring gene is linked with the gene for dark/light skin. This appears to be the bigger problem. If someone introduces barring by crossing to a barred bird with light legs, they have the light skin gene linked to the barring, so those genes are inherited together. If someone were to cross Ameraucanas to a bird with barring who also has dark skin, they would have the right linkage (barring and dark skin.) "Barred" in this case means any chicken with the barring gene, so they might be called barred, or cuckoo, or crele, or maybe something else yet. But that requires finding a chicken with both barring and dark skin, which the most common breeds do not have.

Yes, your EE does look a bit like some crele birds, but I haven't paid enough attention to that color to easily spot where yours matches or differs.

 

[kurby22]

Crele is typically barring (white lines caused by the barring gene) on a wild-type background (e+/e+, also called duckwing)

There appear to be two problems with leg color:
--the barring gene makes the legs lighter (this is pretty much insoluable, but I think is the lesser problem.)

--the barring gene is linked with the gene for dark/light skin. This appears to be the bigger problem. If someone introduces barring by crossing to a barred bird with light legs, they have the light skin gene linked to the barring, so those genes are inherited together. If someone were to cross Ameraucanas to a bird with barring who also has dark skin, they would have the right linkage (barring and dark skin.) "Barred" in this case means any chicken with the barring gene, so they might be called barred, or cuckoo, or crele, or maybe something else yet. But that requires finding a chicken with both barring and dark skin, which the most common breeds do not have.

Yes, your EE does look a bit like some crele birds, but I haven't paid enough attention to that color to easily spot where yours matches or differs.

Okay, so that means the boy I took a picture of is barred and his legs are a light blue gray…so if I found a wild type hen to make with I might be able to start the process without the yellow leg concerns? Unless the pullet has yellow legs? Thanks for the help, I always appreciate it

 

[NatJ]

Okay, so that means the boy I took a picture of is barred and his legs are a light blue gray…so if I found a wild type hen to make with I might be able to start the process without the yellow leg concerns? Unless the pullet has yellow legs? Thanks for the help, I always appreciate it

I'm not quite sure about that.

There are two basic leg color genes.
One is for white vs. yellow.
The other is for light vs. dark, and is the one linked to the gene.

The leg color genes make 4 options:
light/white = white
light/yellow = yellow
dark/white = slate (this is what Ameraucanas are supposed to have)
dark/yellow = willow

I think the bird in the picture probably has light legs, not dark. If that is true, he would not be any better than the other ones that have light legs. But I could be wrong about this, given that I'm just going by one photo, and I suspect my computer screen may sometimes show colors wrong. I do know I once saw interesting grayish legs on a cockerel that had genetically "light" legs (I knew what he had genetically because he was part of a breeding project where it was possible to be sure of the leg color genes.)

 

[kurby22]

I'm not quite sure about that.

There are two basic leg color genes.
One is for white vs. yellow.
The other is for light vs. dark, and is the one linked to the gene.

The leg color genes make 4 options:
light/white = white
light/yellow = yellow
dark/white = slate (this is what Ameraucanas are supposed to have)
dark/yellow = willow

I think the bird in the picture probably has light legs, not dark. If that is true, he would not be any better than the other ones that have light legs. But I could be wrong about this, given that I'm just going by one photo, and I suspect my computer screen may sometimes show colors wrong. I do know I once saw interesting grayish legs on a cockerel that had genetically "light" legs (I knew what he had genetically because he was part of a breeding project where it was possible to be sure of the leg color genes.)

I should have known it wouldn’t be that simple haha.

This is his leg coloring up closer - they’re definitely NOT slate…but not pinkish/mottled like I get in my other EEs