If you really want to learn color genetics, check out Brian Reeder's book on it, it goes more in depth than these forums could hope to. Nobody can help you if you don't share what you're working with and what your goal is, nobody cares what weird mix you're doing, look around.I have previously hatched chicks that are grown and a couple of the boys have a carnation comb, a walnut comb, and a rose comb. I do have a hen and rooster with a rose comb, but neither of them were the parent of the chicks I hatched previously, lol. It is amazing to me that it is possible for some of my straight combed boys to have a walnut combed parent in their gene pool or a rose comb. Two of my boys ended up with carnation combs and I only have one hen with a carnation comb and she lays olive eggs. No olive eggs in that hatch though!! Crazy!
Thank you very much for your detailed responses. I really appreciate it! I have your last one on my phone, but I can't find it here on my computer, so I am responding a bit to that message as well.
Good to know about cross breeding colors. I am really into blue right now and then I will also be focusing on my Lavender Orpingtons, once I get my girs to stop flying out of their dedicated space, lol.
I did think that a purebreed was a purebreed, but I can see now that many breeds are various crosses and that is totally fine, I am just trying to understand cross breeding colors. Like the Isabelle, for example, that is not a standard color, yet it has become so popular that it is recognized on the breeding calculator. I find that color fascinating and bet many people are trying to get it across the different breeds.
I will check out the other threads and see what I can learn. This forum has so much wealth of information, it's insane!!!!!))
One thing that seems to be confusing you reading this thread, is you need to realize that what someone calls a color or variety, is the phenotype, it doesn't tell us the genotype. In some cases the variety name and genotype are different, and aren't the same across breeds. Like in your last post and Isabella. Genetically that is simply wild type with lav added. However if you look around you'll see people selling isabella brahmas that are clearly golden partridge with pattern gene with lav genetically. Even when dealing with solid color birds you don't ALWAYS know what is underneath. The Brown Cochin, now functionally extinct, but I'm aware of an effort to remake it using the original recipe, was created from crossing White to Black Cochins. Most White Leghorns carry the barred gene under their dominant white. There are about 8 different ways genetically to reach buff color etc etc.
