Weird Chick down feathering out white

[pips&peeps]

I think my ameraucanas are recessive white too and they carry the barring gene.

Most of my chicks are hatching out just like the ones in your pictures. Mine have very dark down with a dot on their heads.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

Mom is heterozygous (split ) for dominant white (I/i+)

Ok, dumb question: How can a bird be split for a dominant trait?​

 

[silkieluver_07]

Quote:

That's what I thought

 

[catwalk]

I know four Cochin chicks, very dark blue down, who grew up white.

These were the lighter of the four.

 

[tadkerson]

Quote:
Ok, dumb question: How can a bird be split for a dominant trait?

There are no dumb questions; there are people who choose to be ignorant and do not ask questions.

Most genes in an organism come in pairs, there are exceptions but the exceptions deal with sex chromosomes.

All other genes, in higher organisms, are found on chromosomes that are not sex chromosomes.

So a chicken has sex chromosomes and chromosomes that not sex chromosomes. Chromosomes normally come in pairs. Humans have 22 pairs of chromosomes and I set of sex chromosomes. Chickens have 35 pairs of chromosomes and a set of sex chromosomes.

In chickens, the dominant white gene is found on a specific chromosome. Since chromosomes come in pairs, then genes come in pairs. The dominant white gene is found at a specific location on the chromosome pair. The bird in question has a dominant white gene (I) on one chromosome and a gene for color (i+) on the other chromosome. The dominant white gene is dominant to the color gene therefore the bird is dominant white. The color gene is recessive and can not express itself over the dominant white gene. The bird is split or has a dominant white gene and a recessive color gene.

Tim