White and splash australorp offspring

[Seafenton]

Hi from down-under I have two purebred australorp cockerels and do not think I can keep both. One is a white and the other is splash (pictured). They are from heritage lines. I have blue, black and splash hens and I am wondering which cockerel would be the best to keep based on the colouring of offspring they will produce. I know the proportion of blue, black, splash a splash rooster will produce but cannot find any information on what a white rooster will produce with those hens. Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[3KillerBs]

Wow! I've heard of White Australorps, but never seen one.

@nicalandia or @NatJ might know the genetics for this variety.

 

[NatJ]

I know the proportion of blue, black, splash a splash rooster will produce but cannot find any information on what a white rooster will produce with those hens.

For the white cockerel, do you know what color his parents were?

The white should be either Dominant White or recessive white, which behave quite differently in breeding-- and I cannot find anything that says which one White Australorps typically have If he had two white parents we still won't know, but if both of his parents were not-white, then he would have to be recessive white.

The expected breeding results each way:

If he has Dominant White, which changes black to white, then he may sire 100% white chicks with all of those hens. Or he may sire 50% white chicks, with the other 50% being black or blue (or splash, if he also has the blue gene hiding under his white color.) The difference (100% vs. 50%) depends on whether he's got one copy of Dominant White, or two copies of it. The "white" chicks might show bits of black, blue, or splash (Paint). This happens when a chicken has only one copy of the Dominant White gene.

If instead he has recessive white, which turns all colors white, then we know he is pure for that gene, because it can only be seen when a chicken has two copies of it. In that case, crossing him to your hens will probably not produce any white chicks at all, although all his chicks would carry the gene for recessive white. If any of your hens carry recessive white, they would produce 50% white chicks and 50% other colors when bred to a recessive white rooster. ("Colored" chicks could be black, blue, maybe splash, maybe something else, depending on what color is hiding under the white of the rooster-- recessive white hides everything, so we can't tell.)

Recessive white chickens would not be expected to have any leakage of black, red, etc. Chickens with Dominant White might show some leakage, but they might not. So if you see any color leakage, he is not recessive white. But a nice clean white does not tell which genes he does have.

And it is also possible for a chicken to have both Dominant White and recessive white, although I think it is more common for them to have just one or the other. If he has both kinds of white genes, you will get a mix of results.

 

[Seafenton]

For the white cockerel, do you know what color his parents were?

The white should be either Dominant White or recessive white, which behave quite differently in breeding-- and I cannot find anything that says which one White Australorps typically have If he had two white parents we still won't know, but if both of his parents were not-white, then he would have to be recessive white.

The expected breeding results each way:

If he has Dominant White, which changes black to white, then he may sire 100% white chicks with all of those hens. Or he may sire 50% white chicks, with the other 50% being black or blue (or splash, if he also has the blue gene hiding under his white color.) The difference (100% vs. 50%) depends on whether he's got one copy of Dominant White, or two copies of it. The "white" chicks might show bits of black, blue, or splash (Paint). This happens when a chicken has only one copy of the Dominant White gene.

If instead he has recessive white, which turns all colors white, then we know he is pure for that gene, because it can only be seen when a chicken has two copies of it. In that case, crossing him to your hens will probably not produce any white chicks at all, although all his chicks would carry the gene for recessive white. If any of your hens carry recessive white, they would produce 50% white chicks and 50% other colors when bred to a recessive white rooster. ("Colored" chicks could be black, blue, maybe splash, maybe something else, depending on what color is hiding under the white of the rooster-- recessive white hides everything, so we can't tell.)

Recessive white chickens would not be expected to have any leakage of black, red, etc. Chickens with Dominant White might show some leakage, but they might not. So if you see any color leakage, he is not recessive white. But a nice clean white does not tell which genes he does have.

And it is also possible for a chicken to have both Dominant White and recessive white, although I think it is more common for them to have just one or the other. If he has both kinds of white genes, you will get a mix of results.

Thank you for your detailed reply! I do not know what the white parents were sorry. I do know the breeder had separate pens for the white australorps so I think he came from that. From what I have learned, australorp are recessive white. So if I breed him I guess I will either get no white offspring unless my hens carry a white gene (which I doubt). Interesting. Perhaps I’ll get more variety in colours keeping the splash boy. Thanks again

 

[Seafenton]

Wow! I've heard of White Australorps, but never seen one.

@nicalandia or @NatJ might know the genetics for this variety.

He’s very handsome with his white plumage, black eyes and grey legs. He was crowing at 4 weeks of age

 

[NatJ]

Thank you for your detailed reply! I do not know what the white parents were sorry. I do know the breeder had separate pens for the white australorps so I think he came from that. From what I have learned, australorp are recessive white.

If they are recessive white, then at least you know which gene it would be

So if I breed him I guess I will either get no white offspring unless my hens carry a white gene (which I doubt).

Yes.

Interesting. Perhaps I’ll get more variety in colours keeping the splash boy. Thanks again

I think for the first generation, you will get two colors of chicks either way: blue and splash from a splash male, or black and blue from a recessive white male (unless he also carries blue or splash). But in later generations, the one set will give black/blue/splash, while the other will give black/blue/splash and sometimes white.

I think most people breeding black/blue/splash would prefer not to have white popping up here and there, but some people enjoy the extra variety. I don't know about your personal preferences. If you do mix recessive white into black/blue/splash, you might have a very hard time getting it back out again, because you cannot tell which ones carry it unless they have a white parent or produce a white chick. So a few generations later, removing all carriers could require a lot of test matings.

 

[Seafenton]

If they are recessive white, then at least you know which gene it would be


Yes.


I think for the first generation, you will get two colors of chicks either way: blue and splash from a splash male, or black and blue from a recessive white male (unless he also carries blue or splash). But in later generations, the one set will give black/blue/splash, while the other will give black/blue/splash and sometimes white.

I think most people breeding black/blue/splash would prefer not to have white popping up here and there, but some people enjoy the extra variety. I don't know about your personal preferences. If you do mix recessive white into black/blue/splash, you might have a very hard time getting it back out again, because you cannot tell which ones carry it unless they have a white parent or produce a white chick. So a few generations later, removing all carriers could require a lot of test matings.

Oh yes I see how that could get messy. Thanks so much for your experience. There’s no way I could foresee future generations without your advice.

 

[3KillerBs]

He’s very handsome with his white plumage, black eyes and grey legs. He was crowing at 4 weeks of age

Early maturity is one of the things I love about Australorps.