Cochin color question... what will this cross produce?

[dday911]

I have a couple of black hens but no black roo. If I cross them with a white rooster, what will the chicks be?

What color would a white roo over a red hen produce?

I have a blue roo, a buff roo and a partridge roo and a mottled roo.
What would I cross with her to get some red chicks or can I?

What would I cross with the black hens to produce new colors?

Is there a chart to reference?

 

[jessica117]

From my experience, a white roo will give you mostly white babies. It all depends if there is some color hiding under that white. I don't completely understand white color genetics but what I picked up was that there are 2 kinds of white, one that has other color possibilities (because there are other colors hiding) and a white that will usually just produce white or mostly white offspring.

Another thing that I have found, whether it is just my mix of hens and roos, or if it actually is chicken color genetics i have yet to confirm, is that the roo has more dominance over offspring color than the hen. I have noticed this in bunnies as well.

I myself would try all the roos with your hens and see what you get. If you are wanting red, I would think with the partridge or the buff you would have better luck getting red to come through, especially the partridge.

Your blue should get you some black as well as some blue.

There are many people on here with more experience than I, hopefully someone will have more insight.

Jessica

 

[tadkerson]

Quote:
Chicken genetics is complicated. There is no simple way of determining the outcome of a cross unless you have like crossed with like. I have given you a generalization for the expected offspring. Not all black birds have the same genetic makeup and not all white birds contain the same genetic make up.


Black roo X white hen = black, or white, or some black and some white

white roo X red hen= red with white, or white, or black, or some white/red and some black

Cross the buff roo with the red hen=F1 light red

Take male from the F1 and back cross to the red hen= some red birds

Tim

 

[Goose and Fig]

I have a black roo and white hen- all the chicks are always solid black- but down the line...if one of those black chicks is bred to a white- could get some white I think. If you breed your black to a splash you can get all blue babies. I'm doing that with my big cochins as soon as they start laying. Not sure on the red- but I think somebody else answered that.

 

[dday911]

Thanks guys,
Keep the opinions coming....
Heres one for ya.... what if I throw a Mille Fleur patterned cochin rooster on that red hen......anyone...????

I would like to keep uncrossed birds....
but I order 4 white chicks and they were all roosters
I ordered 3 black chicks and they are all hens.
I got one red hen and no roo.
I have heard that the partridge covers everything. Can anyone shed light on that.
How was partridge created.... ??? what can it be crossed with?
Why is this so hard for me to get a grip on?
I hate punnet squared and all the little abbreviations.
Can a man just get a chicken color chart in English somewhere please!!!

I understand all the under lying genetics and realize it AINT so easy. A general guide would be neat though!
Thanks again guys!

 

[Krys109uk]

You could put the black hens with the blues would give blue & black offspring without making mixed up messes.

Can you remember the colour of the down of the white chicks?

Can you remember the colour of the down on the mille fleur & red?

 

[tadkerson]

Quote:
To understand chicken genetics it takes lots of time and effort in understanding the genes and what they do to the chickens plumage.
I spend about one hour a day studying and writing about published papers on chicken genetics. I also have a degree in Biology.

It is impossible to generalize a very complicated subject. If the subject is generalized it becomes useless.

The best thing to do is cross like with like or learn the genetics of a specific variety and stick with that variety.


Lets take for example the gold partridge pattern or penciling. The genes that make the pattern are the gold gene, the pattern gene and the brown gene and some undocumented modifiers.

The penciling pattern is found on birds that normally have the brown allele (gene) at the E locus. Why the brown allele?

The brown allele produces large amounts of stippling in the hen's feathers. The pattern gene takes the stippling and arranges the stippling into the penciling pattern on the bird. The back ground color is gold because of the gold gene.

Can you make a penciling (partridge) pattern on the wheaten allele color pattern- no Why?

The wheaten primary color pattern does not have enough stippling to produce a pencil pattern.

How about other E locus genes?

Extended black- No The extended black gene is the most dominant E locus gene and can produce an almost black chicken (this answers the question about partridge being dominant)

Birchen allele- No The birchen allele has too much black pigment so you do not get good penciling

Wild type allele- should be able to get penciling but for some reason birds tested for penciling are brown- wild type females will not show penciling on the breast because of the salmon color on the wild type breast- a good reason not to use wild type with partridge birds

You will have to learn the genetic language to understand what is happening when a person out crosses to another breed or even a different variety.

Punnett squares and all the symbols are needed to understand what is happening with the genes and how the genes are inherited.

I do not expect others to study genetics like I do but in order to understand anything about genetics one has to devote some time to
the subject. Even if a person made a chicken chart in English, a person would have to educate themselves to some degree in order to read the chart.

Tim

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
There is ALWAYS something hiding under white. White can be viewed as an OFF Switch, turning off other colours and patterns that are present in the bird.

I don't completely understand white color genetics but what I picked up was that there are 2 kinds of white, one that has other color possibilities (because there are other colors hiding) and a white that will usually just produce white or mostly white offspring.

Dominant white and recessive white. Dominant white will show with only one copy of the gene, although it does not inhibit all pigment with one copy. Recessive white will not show unless the bird inherits a copy from each parent. It prevents all feather pigment.

Another thing that I have found, whether it is just my mix of hens and roos, or if it actually is chicken color genetics i have yet to confirm, is that the roo has more dominance over offspring color than the hen. I have noticed this in bunnies as well.

Incorrect--colour comes equally from both parents, although with sex-linked genes males inherit from their mothers.​

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Very good explanation, Tim!

May I ask what breed we are discussing? Certain breeds tend to have specific e-alleles (base colour), making certain colours/patterns easier or less easy, which can seem like dominance, but really isn't. Silkies usually have the brown base, making it seem like partridge is more dominant, or easier to produce than black.

 

[tadkerson]

Cochins