What would you get ...

[robinaggie]

What would you get if you crossed a Silver-laced Wyandotte with a Gold-laced Wyandotte? Would the offspring be one or the other, or a blend, or something else altogether?

 

[Kev]

Basically they are the same, except one is gold and the other silver. Silver is a gene that removes gold pigments from a bird, leaving only black and white coloring.

Silver is also sex linked. GLW rooster over SLW will give you SLW cockerels and GLW hens. SLW rooster over GLW hens give all silver offspring.

However there's a "but".. while silver removes gold, it often does not work well on the gold in the hackles and saddles.. extra genes to remove the gold in those areas is required for a "clean silver" bird. So the result of crossing the two often gives a SLW rooster with off color areas.

So they'll be laced, and come in SLW or GLW versions but how "clean" the white or gold centers will turn out is entirely another matter. It can be a challenge to get the color clean again- possible but will require raising and culling birds.

 

[Guitartists]

Man Kev... when are they gonna give us a Genetics Section??????

Mods????? Anyone???? Can we get one?????

 

[mmajw]

 

[speckledhen]

Excellent question! My DH just asked me that today, in fact. The reason is that we are pretty sure the GLW sexed pullet is really a cockerel and I have three SLW girls, two chicks and one that is almost 3 yrs old. I like the sexlinked part of that equation. Thanks, Kev.

 

[robinaggie]

Thanks for the answer. I had a feeling it wouldn't be a simple one. I don't yet know the sex of my chicks, but I have 3 GLWs and one SLW that the new owner will keep together. As long as nothing is lethal, I suppose funny-looking roos is OK.