Goose Genetic/Breeding question?

[PhantomSlayer]

Pictures of our trio. Our Gander is the Toulouse(Grey/Black) Our first year breeding was just him and the the Buff American (Tan/White) but this year we have the Embden who is a year younger.

Last year all 6 goslings hatched had the coloration of a toulouse gosling. However a few when older got a few under the neck, chest white patches apparently like the buff has. I don't know much about genetics and stuff. So my question will all Toulouse looking goslings grow up to look like a toulouse with the exception of those small differences they inherit from their mothers? Or is it possible for a Toulouse looking gosling to completely grow up to look like one of the mothers breeds instead? I just want to know cause I'm hoping to tell who the mother is if they don't look like a Toulouse but if they look like a toulouse like year 1 goslings did the I have no idea if I'll be able to tell lol. I saved a picture so I can see all 3 breeds goslings vs adults to use for reference when their dry.

 

[Goosebaby]

This is the best guide to color and pattern genetics in geese

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/our-guide-to-colour-and-pattern-genetics-in-geese.561779/

In geese it’s the female (ZW) that determines sex, male chromosomes are (ZZ)
Buff and spotting are both recessive sex linked genes. Females only need one copy of buff or spotting to show it visually whereas males need two copies to show it visually. So for females if she has buff or spotting gene she will show it, whereas a male has to have two copies of the gene to show it visually. If he doesn’t show it visually it means he didn’t inherit the genes at all or he inherited only one copy and is a recessive carrier.

White in geese isn’t really a color, it’s more like a shroud that hides their actual color, so adding in a white goose makes things very interesting because we don’t know what color she truly is without genetic testing.

Of it helps I have a similar mix of genes in my flock, Toulouse, Buffs, and Roman.

I had Lavender who was a French toulouse with the spotting gene that manifested in white wing tips, one of her sons “Thor” showed it visually so I suspect his dad “Leo /French Toulouse” also had the gene recessively. The rest of their goslings were typical grey.

Parsnip, one of their other sons who’s typical grey but evidently has a recessive copy of the spotting gene had goslings with Apricot (Buff) and Delphi (Classic Roman).

Parsnip X Apricot had two goslings:
Roxbury who is a grey gander with watery brown eyes that I call “river green.”
Dandelion who is a Buff Goose who had blue eyes until she was a two year old when they also turned river green, though slightly lighter than Roxbury’s. Her eyes get paler in the winter.

I attribute the spotting gene to their bluish eye color but I can’t be sure.

Parsnip X Delphi resulted in one gosling:
Tuesday a charcoal grey goose with the spotting gene that manifests in white wingtips like her grandma and white tipped toes (visible only as a gosling) and a white crescent across her breast.


I have seen the spotting pattern change subtly from year to year on Tuesday but generally if geese have it they show it as goslings but it can be hard to spot.

Also spotting manifest differently among geese and patterns can be hereditary from that I’ve seen. Some families will tend to have white wingtips, other families will be fully or partially pied, other families will be saddlebacks, some will have white only around the face, etc.
In a flock with different spotting patterns your goslings will end up with more chances of variation.


This was Tuesday and Dandelion as goslings. You can see Tuesday has more yellow on the wing, an indication she will end up with white wingtips.



Tuesday’s spotted toes



Roxby’s wings as a comparison



Now what goslings you end up with may not be the same, it’s a roll of the dice.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

@Goosebaby Interesting! I'll read the link tonight after feeding. I found a picture one of of the people who got a gosling from us sent me. It had the same white marking underneath as our Buff American girl does. I thought it was cute.

 

[Goosebaby]

@Goosebaby Interesting! I'll read the link tonight after feeding. I found a picture one of of the people who got a gosling from us sent me. It had the same white marking underneath as our Buff American girl does. I thought it was cute.

View attachment 4071052

He/she has the spotting gene! So adorable!