The EE braggers thread!!!

[RoosterLew]

Ohh here is my "Genetics Breeding Simplified" theory.

Breeding chickens is like sorting skittles. Pour a bag if skittles in a bowl, using your mouth take out the skittles you don't want to eat and put them in another bowl, while leaving the ones you want to eat. The skittles that are left, are like the genes in the chicken your trying to get.
Pretty simple huh? Yeah well now pour those bowls out on a plates so you can see ALL the skittles...how many of the "keepers" made it into the "culls" bowl and how many of the "culls" did you miss with your mouth??

 

[kenzier093]

Just a random question, but what color chicks could these two hens throw if I breed both of them with this roo?

Hen number 1 with the roo pictured at the bottom

Hen number 2 with the roo below.

 

[COChix]

Buff is not understood very well . There are many genes involved to get buff . When you cross buff you seldom get a true buff . There will usually be a lot of buff involved but the tails are usually black . These are some examples .

Wow they are pretty..

Ok lol...lesson one: Chickens have a "Genotype", that is their actual genetic make up. Then they have a "Phenotype" ... Which is what they look like. Best example off the top of my head is Recessive White: not all white birds are " White" genetically. They may be any color , but if they possess two copies of the Recessive white Gene, they will look white. So if you have a black Rooster, And a black Hen that both have 1 copy of recessive white they can and will have Some white offspring. Though those offspring are Genetically Black (Genotype) they look White. (Phenotype) Now, before somebody tells me that is not completely correct.. I know it's not , but it illustrates a point well Lesson 2: Chickens have 2 sets of Genes. One set from Mom, and One Set from Dad. In a Certain Variety of A Certain Breed, both sets are very Similar, therefore the offspring look very Similar to Mom and Dad! Lesson 3: There are only 2 colors in chickens. Black or red!! Everything else is a modification, dilution, inhibition, restriction or other form of messing with Black or Red. A good Example here is Blue and Splash. The Blue Gene (Bl) dilutes Black. Having one copy of Bl dilutes Black to that grey color...which we call blue. Having 2 copies dilutes further to that mixed up dirty white, splotchy color we call Splash. Another example would be white. White is not actually a color, but more the Lack of Color. White basically turns the black and Red Off. So how does all of this apply to Buffs? Just imagine how many different things you have to do to make a black and Red bird be solid Buff?? It takes a lot of those genes to mess up the black and red just right to get this color. Many of the genes the really smart geneticalististis folks aren't even sure of yet! So now imagine, when you breed a buff to anything not buff and you get half of those genes? Some of them dilute black or red, or just black or just red. Some of them do different things with a single copy vs Two copies, some don't do anything with a single copy, and some of those could be hiding in the not buff bird and the buff bird then Show up in the offspring half the time and not show the other half....buffs are a genetic mess!! Lol Ok...now the sad part is, I have typed a book here and haven't really taught you anything!! I have left out so much that your now armed with just enough knowledge to get it all wrong!! This is why people spend their entire life trying to get one Variety of One breed figured out! With buffs, it has taken many dedicated Poultry men several lifetimes and we are still learning! This is also why even in a simple color like Black, you cannot just breed good black to good black to get better black. Btw- black isn't is as simple as it looks!! There are pages devoted to one color, on countless forums! I think every breed club has a forum with a " How to get better blacks" thread. For me to even try to start explaining here would be insane...so I guess I did! Lol If you really want to learn genetics, you can spend the countless hours I have reading, researching and studying - then you will be as lost as I Am Seriously, I have researched it A lot and I know very little. Which is why I defer do much to guys Like Jerry Segler, Ted Adkerson( Hope I got that right) , and many many others. These folks have dedicated a major part of their lives to this. Just a note on Jerry Segler. I defer to him a lot as I frequent many of the same threads as he. We seem to have similar tastes in birds and breeds and both really enjoy "Projects". Jerry doesn't even know, until now I guess lol, how much of a type of mentor he is to me. Basically, the guy just does stuff the way I'd do it!! I hope some day to be half the poultry man Jerry is!! I have followed his work and teaching for awhile now.

Oh gosh I guess I asked a rather complicated question, who knew! My BF was telling me about some breeding genetic chart? ...I guess we will have fun hatching babies down the road and seeing what pops out, so to speak.lol

Ohh here is my "Genetics Breeding Simplified" theory. Breeding chickens is like sorting skittles. Pour a bag if skittles in a bowl, using your mouth take out the skittles you don't want to eat and put them in another bowl, while leaving the ones you want to eat. The skittles that are left, are like the genes in the chicken your trying to get. Pretty simple huh? Yeah well now pour those bowls out on a plates so you can see ALL the skittles...how many of the "keepers" made it into the "culls" bowl and how many of the "culls" did you miss with your mouth??

Man I am craving some Skittles after that, I am a visual learner and that really did help me understand chicken genes. I am sad to report it is not helping me with my current urge to snack!

 

[RoosterLew]

There's a web site.
Poultry Genetics for non Professionals.
Or something like that...it has some great information.
I actually read through it every couple of months. There is a link you can click and make the whole thing into PDF form and print it out...I have 3 copies, lol.

 

[jerryse]

Hen number 2 with the roo below.

You gave me a tough one here . Short answer more of the same . I will breakdown what I see . Hen 1 appears to be the same color as hen 2 with the addition of white . So my guesses on what the white could be are dominant white or splash version of hen 2 . The rooster seems to be from the same source and a splash version . So any cockerels will be like the rooster or blue and red . If hen 1 and the rooster are splash versions then they will breed fairly true . Hen 2 will produce both colors of the hens you have . Cockerels splashes and blue with red/gold . Let us see pictures of them next year . Always like to see if I guess right or wrong . That's how we learn .

 

[RoosterLew]

So I am a complete newbie on genetics so bear with me. What did you mean by your statement on "messing with buffs, there is a lot of restricting and modifying on their genetics?" And thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge. Here are the boys, Rocco is the Alpha. Bruno Rocco

Buff is not understood very well . There are many genes involved to get buff . When you cross buff you seldom get a true buff . There will usually be a lot of buff involved but the tails are usually black . These are some examples .

Glad you said that!! I have noticed the black tails in many of buff mixes. Could that be the Co expressing and the ig being only a single dose ??

 

[jerryse]

Glad you said that!! I have noticed the black tails in many of buff mixes.
Could that be the Co expressing and the ig being only a single dose ??

Not sure what it is but the tails are hard to get back to buff after a cross . Makes it hard to add vigor from a outcross . By the time you get buff back you have not added much diversity .

 

[kenzier093]

You gave me a tough one here . Short answer more of the same . I will breakdown what I see . Hen 1 appears to be the same color as hen 2 with the addition of white . So my guesses on what the white could be are dominant white or splash version of hen 2 . The rooster seems to be from the same source and a splash version . So any cockerels will be like the rooster or blue and red . If hen 1 and the rooster are splash versions then they will breed fairly true . Hen 2 will produce both colors of the hens you have . Cockerels splashes and blue with red/gold . Let us see pictures of them next year . Always like to see if I guess right or wrong . That's how we learn .

Oh I will! I will be so happy if hen 2 give both colors! I think they have the prettiest colors I have yet for EE's. I'm hoping I get some cockerels with his color too when they hatch out. Fingers crossed!

 

[tmrutter3]

I have a question that I hope some of the more experienced EE Braggers can answer. Are brown chipmunk EE chicks usually pullets?
Thanks!
Michele

 

[draye]

No. They are both pullets and cockerels. You'll start seeing slight changes in the coloration in the cockerels a little later after hatch usually around three to four weeks.