Wyandotte Chicken Color Genetics
Why Wyandottes?
I raise standard Wyandotte chickens. While not particularly rare, Wyandottes are a heritage breed - The Wyandotte was the first new chicken breed developed in the new world (in the 1870s). It was bred specifically as a multi-purpose breed (for meat, egg and feather production) and to be cold-hardy in upstate New York. The breed is very docile. As a small-scale 'homestead' raiser of chickens in Michigan with kids wanting to show birds in 4H, standard Wyandottes serve my needs perfectly.
Wyandottes also come in a banty size (considered a separate breed). Bantam Wyandottes are accepted in exactly the same colors (with the addition of buff Columbian) as their standard counterparts. So the genetics here should work equally well for bantam Wyandottes as for my standards.
All domestic chickens are the same species, so they all have the same underlying genetic controls for color/pattern. However, some genes are more/or less important in different breeds, depending on which colors are common/accepted in that breed. Since I only raise Wyandottes, the information her may be incomplete to help you with the genetics in other breeds.
Wyandottes also come in a banty size (considered a separate breed). Bantam Wyandottes are accepted in exactly the same colors (with the addition of buff Columbian) as their standard counterparts. So the genetics here should work equally well for bantam Wyandottes as for my standards.
All domestic chickens are the same species, so they all have the same underlying genetic controls for color/pattern. However, some genes are more/or less important in different breeds, depending on which colors are common/accepted in that breed. Since I only raise Wyandottes, the information her may be incomplete to help you with the genetics in other breeds.
Color pigments
Just as with all the other animals in this site, chicken color is the result of just two pigments -- eumelanin and phaeomelanin. Chicken breeders refer to phaeomelanin as providing the 'ground color' of the bird -- usually in a buff/tan color but with rufus modifiers allowing shades from pale yellow to dark mahoghany red. Separate genes can also turn off phaeomelanin, resulting in a white ground color. Eumelanin is referred to as the marking color. Other genes and modifiers can affect the shading of eumelanin -- which can range from pales blues to brown to black to irridescent greens.
Sex linkage
In birds, color is very frequently sex-linked. Roosters of the same variety can be dramatically different in color and pattern than the hens. In some cases, this is simply due to the interaction of testosterone and other hormones with color production. In other cases, the color genes themselves are on the sex chromosomes. You may have learned that in humans females have two X chromosomes (XX) and males have only one (XY). Birds are different. In birds, MALES have two Z chromosomes (ZZ) and females have only one (ZW). I'll point out the sex-linked genes when we come to them below.
Silver Lace Wyandotte
The first accepted color in standard Wyandottes was the silver lace. This remains the most common color pattern in the breed today. My current flock is mostly silver lace. I was able to locate on-line in a scientific paper the color genotype for the original silver lace Wyandotte. Although other genotypes can produce a silver lace pattern, this is likely the most common genotype of show quality silver lace Wyandottes today. Don't panic -- it's long, but we will step through the important effects of each gene in creating the other colors.
ebeb CoCo db+db+ PgPg MlMl Cha+Cha+ mh+mh+ di+di+ lg+lg+ cb+cb+ i+i+ bl+bl+ Lav+Lav+ C+C+ Mo+Mo+ b+b+ SS Choc+Choc+
Of this entire series, only S, b+ and Choc+ are sex-linked.
ebeb CoCo db+db+ PgPg MlMl Cha+Cha+ mh+mh+ di+di+ lg+lg+ cb+cb+ i+i+ bl+bl+ Lav+Lav+ C+C+ Mo+Mo+ b+b+ SS Choc+Choc+
Of this entire series, only S, b+ and Choc+ are sex-linked.
Gold Lace Wyandotte
The second variety of standard Wyandottes to be accepted (and the second most common both in the nation and in my flock) is the Gold Lace.
The S gene has two alternative alleles S and s+ which control the shift between a white ground color and a gold ground color. This gene is sex-linked. S (silver) is dominant over s+ gold.
Roosters have two copies of the gene...
SS = silver
Ss+ = silver (carrying the gene for gold)
s+s+ = gold
Hens have only one copy of the gene
S- = silver
s+ = gold
With hens, what you see is what you get - they cannot hide the alternative gene.
Rufus factors (separate gene series) controls the intensity of the phaeomelanin pigment. My gold lace roosters (one shown above) are a little bit darker red than the ideal gold color.
The S gene has two alternative alleles S and s+ which control the shift between a white ground color and a gold ground color. This gene is sex-linked. S (silver) is dominant over s+ gold.
Roosters have two copies of the gene...
SS = silver
Ss+ = silver (carrying the gene for gold)
s+s+ = gold
Hens have only one copy of the gene
S- = silver
s+ = gold
With hens, what you see is what you get - they cannot hide the alternative gene.
Rufus factors (separate gene series) controls the intensity of the phaeomelanin pigment. My gold lace roosters (one shown above) are a little bit darker red than the ideal gold color.
Crossing gold and silver lace Wyandottes
Because gold and silver lace Wyandottes differ by a single gene, they can at least in theory easily be crossbred in a mixed flock.
Gold rooster (s+s+) x silver hen (S-) gives Ss+ (silver roosters) and s+- (gold hens)
Silver rooster (SS) x gold hen (s+-) gives Ss+ (silver roosters) and S- (silver hens)
Silver rooster carrying gold (Ss+) x gold hen (s+-) gives Ss+ (silver roosters). s+s+ (gold roosters), S- (silver hens) and s+- (gold hens).
Wanting to 'balance' the colors in my silver-dominated flock a little better (at the time, I had three gold roosters and one gold hen -- and one silver rooster and 8 silver hens), I waited until my only silver rooster was safely away at fair, collected eggs all week and put them in the incubator. I got ... 8 silver cockerels and 3 silver hens. I learned the hard way that hens can store sperm. If you want to ensure a particular rooster is the father, the hens have to be separated (with only the desired rooster) for a full month before collecting eggs. Not easy to accomplish with a free-range flock. I'm currently dreaming and designing a coop with a run to keep my breeding flock.
Gold rooster (s+s+) x silver hen (S-) gives Ss+ (silver roosters) and s+- (gold hens)
Silver rooster (SS) x gold hen (s+-) gives Ss+ (silver roosters) and S- (silver hens)
Silver rooster carrying gold (Ss+) x gold hen (s+-) gives Ss+ (silver roosters). s+s+ (gold roosters), S- (silver hens) and s+- (gold hens).
Wanting to 'balance' the colors in my silver-dominated flock a little better (at the time, I had three gold roosters and one gold hen -- and one silver rooster and 8 silver hens), I waited until my only silver rooster was safely away at fair, collected eggs all week and put them in the incubator. I got ... 8 silver cockerels and 3 silver hens. I learned the hard way that hens can store sperm. If you want to ensure a particular rooster is the father, the hens have to be separated (with only the desired rooster) for a full month before collecting eggs. Not easy to accomplish with a free-range flock. I'm currently dreaming and designing a coop with a run to keep my breeding flock.
Blue Laced Red (BLR) Wyandotte
Blue-laced red is not an accepted Wyandotte color ...yet. They do have a COD (certificate of development) and can be shown in exhibitions. In my area, they are showing up in increasing frequency as both a backyard and exhibition breed. I don't currently have any, but would really like to get some!
The standard for BLRs calls for a darker phaeomelanin color than the gold standard. This is controlled by rufus factor - a co-dominant gene series rather than a single gene. BLR Wyandottes may also have the Mh allele rather than mh+. To intensify color, sometimes breeders cross in a redder breed, but then line breed selecting for the darker red shades. I think my 'too dark' golds are most of the way there!
More importantly, the Blue gene is needed to shift the eumelanin markings from black to blue. Blue is a co-dominant gene which is not sex-linked.
BlBl = splash-laced (lacing a very pale shade of blue, sometimes resulting in some feathers being blue and some white - not showable)
Blbl = Blue-laced (correct blue lacing on a red groundcolor)
blbl = Black-laced (black lacing on a red ground color -- basically a gold lace, though the ground color is more red than the preferred)
As a co-dominant gene, blue-lacing does not breed true. That means if you breed two blues (Blbl) you get 1/4 black, 1/2 blue and 1/4 splash. This is the preferred breeding of those working to develop the color -- resulting blacks and splashes are culled.
If you are trying to raise chicks to sell and want to ensure that all the chicks will be blues, then breed black-laced (blbl) to splash-laced (BlBl). All chicks from this cross will be blue-laced (Blbl).
Breeding blue-laced (Blbl) to splash-laced (BlBl) gives half blue-laced and half splash-laced.
Breeding blue-laced (Blbl) to black-laced (blbl) gives half blue-laced and half black-laced.
The standard for BLRs calls for a darker phaeomelanin color than the gold standard. This is controlled by rufus factor - a co-dominant gene series rather than a single gene. BLR Wyandottes may also have the Mh allele rather than mh+. To intensify color, sometimes breeders cross in a redder breed, but then line breed selecting for the darker red shades. I think my 'too dark' golds are most of the way there!
More importantly, the Blue gene is needed to shift the eumelanin markings from black to blue. Blue is a co-dominant gene which is not sex-linked.
BlBl = splash-laced (lacing a very pale shade of blue, sometimes resulting in some feathers being blue and some white - not showable)
Blbl = Blue-laced (correct blue lacing on a red groundcolor)
blbl = Black-laced (black lacing on a red ground color -- basically a gold lace, though the ground color is more red than the preferred)
As a co-dominant gene, blue-lacing does not breed true. That means if you breed two blues (Blbl) you get 1/4 black, 1/2 blue and 1/4 splash. This is the preferred breeding of those working to develop the color -- resulting blacks and splashes are culled.
If you are trying to raise chicks to sell and want to ensure that all the chicks will be blues, then breed black-laced (blbl) to splash-laced (BlBl). All chicks from this cross will be blue-laced (Blbl).
Breeding blue-laced (Blbl) to splash-laced (BlBl) gives half blue-laced and half splash-laced.
Breeding blue-laced (Blbl) to black-laced (blbl) gives half blue-laced and half black-laced.
Adding BLR to a mixed Lace Wyandotte flock
So if I add blue-laced reds to my mixed flock of silver and gold lace, what will I get?
We are dealing with two genes simultaneously at this point -- the sex-link S-gene that controls the gold/red versus silver base color and the co-dominant Bl-gene that controls whether the marking color is black, blue or splash. A freely mixing flock with roosters and hens of both colors can give the following patterns...
SSblbl and Ss+blbl = silver lace rooster
S-blbl = silver lace hen
s+s+blbl = gold lace rooster (likely darker red than the preferred gold)
s+-blbl = gold lace hen (likely darker red than the preferred gold)
SSBlbl and Ss+Blbl = blue-laced white rooster (not showable)
S-Blbl = blue-laced white hen (not showable)
s+s+Blbl = BLR rooster (likely lighter than the preferred deep red)
s+-Blbl = BLR hen (likely lighter than the preferred deep red)
SSBlBl and Ss+BlBl = splash-laced white rooster (not showable)
S-BlBl = splash-laced white hen (not showable)
s+s+BlBl = splash-laced red/gold rooster (not showable)
s+-BlBl = splash-laced red/gold hen (not showable)
If the goal is really to produce show birds, this mixed breeding is going to create a lot of unshowable colors that have to be culled. But if you just want a pretty backyard flock, this can get you there! Be sure to give some thought to which color rooster is used (assuming you are only running one or a couple roosters with your flock) - use of an SS silver rooster, for example, will mean that you will never get any s+- red/gold hens. If you want all the colors, use two roosters -- one with the most recessive genotype (s+s+blbl = gold lace), and a second (any silver) to get hens of the other sex-linked color .
We are dealing with two genes simultaneously at this point -- the sex-link S-gene that controls the gold/red versus silver base color and the co-dominant Bl-gene that controls whether the marking color is black, blue or splash. A freely mixing flock with roosters and hens of both colors can give the following patterns...
SSblbl and Ss+blbl = silver lace rooster
S-blbl = silver lace hen
s+s+blbl = gold lace rooster (likely darker red than the preferred gold)
s+-blbl = gold lace hen (likely darker red than the preferred gold)
SSBlbl and Ss+Blbl = blue-laced white rooster (not showable)
S-Blbl = blue-laced white hen (not showable)
s+s+Blbl = BLR rooster (likely lighter than the preferred deep red)
s+-Blbl = BLR hen (likely lighter than the preferred deep red)
SSBlBl and Ss+BlBl = splash-laced white rooster (not showable)
S-BlBl = splash-laced white hen (not showable)
s+s+BlBl = splash-laced red/gold rooster (not showable)
s+-BlBl = splash-laced red/gold hen (not showable)
If the goal is really to produce show birds, this mixed breeding is going to create a lot of unshowable colors that have to be culled. But if you just want a pretty backyard flock, this can get you there! Be sure to give some thought to which color rooster is used (assuming you are only running one or a couple roosters with your flock) - use of an SS silver rooster, for example, will mean that you will never get any s+- red/gold hens. If you want all the colors, use two roosters -- one with the most recessive genotype (s+s+blbl = gold lace), and a second (any silver) to get hens of the other sex-linked color .
Columbian Wyandotte
When I ordered my first lace Wyandottes, the supplier 'threw in' a couple of extra Wyandotte chicks. Those extras turned out to be Columbian Wyandotte hens. They turned out to be the favorites of my younger daughter, so I now have Columbians in my flock.
The pure-bred Columbian differs from the pure-bred silver lace at the Ml-gene.
Silver lace = MlMl
Columbian = ml+ml+
This gene is NOT sex linked
Standard Columbian Wyandottes are currently accepted only in a white groundcolor. Bantam Wyandotte Columbians are accepted in both white and buff (a pale phaeomelanin with very low rufus - s+s+ roosters and s+- hens)
Note: the bird pictured is my 'darker' Columbian hen. The back really should be completely white in a columbian. She actually isn't as dark as the picture looks -- the rooster just got mud on her back.
The pure-bred Columbian differs from the pure-bred silver lace at the Ml-gene.
Silver lace = MlMl
Columbian = ml+ml+
This gene is NOT sex linked
Standard Columbian Wyandottes are currently accepted only in a white groundcolor. Bantam Wyandotte Columbians are accepted in both white and buff (a pale phaeomelanin with very low rufus - s+s+ roosters and s+- hens)
Note: the bird pictured is my 'darker' Columbian hen. The back really should be completely white in a columbian. She actually isn't as dark as the picture looks -- the rooster just got mud on her back.
Crossing Columbians into the Lace flock
Not recommended, but since my daughter loves them, I've accepted that this is going to happen in my flock.
Silver lace and Columbian crosses...
Silver lace = MlMl
Columbian = ml+ml+
First generation should give Mlml+. Based on an on-line genetics calculator, this should give birds that mostly look like silver lace, but have 'incomplete lacing'. I have a few of those in the hatch from last year, I assume they had a Columbian mom. If these were bred to each other or back to the parents (which hopefully my new system will let me avoid) their offspring would be 1/4 MlMl (silver lace), 1/2 Mlml+ (incomplete lacing), and 1/4 ml+ml+ Columbian.
Gold lace and Columbian crosses...
This gets a bit more complicated, as we have to simultaneously account for the sex-linked s+ gene.
Gold Lace Rooster = s+s+MlMl
Columbian hen = S-ml+ml+
1st generation
Ss+Mlml = silver lace rooster with incomplete lacing
s+-Mlml = gold lace hen with incomplete lacing
Columbian rooster = SSml+ml+
Gold lace hen = s+-MlMl
1st generation
Ss+Mlml+ = silver lace rooster with incomplete lacing
S-Mlml+ = silver lace hen with incomplete lacing
Later generations ...
Ss+MlMl and SSMlMl = silver lace rooster
s+s+MlMl = gold lace rooster
Ss+Mlml+ and SSMlml+ = silver lace rooster with incomplete lacing
s+s+Mlml+ = gold lace rooster with incomplete lacing
Ss+ml+ml+ and SSml+ml+ = silver Columbian rooster
s+s+ml+ml+ = gold Columbian rooster
S-MlMl = silver lace hen
s+-MlMl = gold lace hen
S-Mlml+ = silver lace hen with incomplete lacing
s+-Mlml+ = gold lace hen with incomplete lacing
S-ml+ml+ = Columbian
s+-ml+ml+ = gold (buff) Columbian
Silver lace and Columbian crosses...
Silver lace = MlMl
Columbian = ml+ml+
First generation should give Mlml+. Based on an on-line genetics calculator, this should give birds that mostly look like silver lace, but have 'incomplete lacing'. I have a few of those in the hatch from last year, I assume they had a Columbian mom. If these were bred to each other or back to the parents (which hopefully my new system will let me avoid) their offspring would be 1/4 MlMl (silver lace), 1/2 Mlml+ (incomplete lacing), and 1/4 ml+ml+ Columbian.
Gold lace and Columbian crosses...
This gets a bit more complicated, as we have to simultaneously account for the sex-linked s+ gene.
Gold Lace Rooster = s+s+MlMl
Columbian hen = S-ml+ml+
1st generation
Ss+Mlml = silver lace rooster with incomplete lacing
s+-Mlml = gold lace hen with incomplete lacing
Columbian rooster = SSml+ml+
Gold lace hen = s+-MlMl
1st generation
Ss+Mlml+ = silver lace rooster with incomplete lacing
S-Mlml+ = silver lace hen with incomplete lacing
Later generations ...
Ss+MlMl and SSMlMl = silver lace rooster
s+s+MlMl = gold lace rooster
Ss+Mlml+ and SSMlml+ = silver lace rooster with incomplete lacing
s+s+Mlml+ = gold lace rooster with incomplete lacing
Ss+ml+ml+ and SSml+ml+ = silver Columbian rooster
s+s+ml+ml+ = gold Columbian rooster
S-MlMl = silver lace hen
s+-MlMl = gold lace hen
S-Mlml+ = silver lace hen with incomplete lacing
s+-Mlml+ = gold lace hen with incomplete lacing
S-ml+ml+ = Columbian
s+-ml+ml+ = gold (buff) Columbian
The curious case of Rose, Thorn and Hana
Early in my first spring with the flock, I had to rescue the eggs from a duck nest (mother duck was killed by something, never figured out what). I thought when I gathered the eggs that some of them looked like chicken eggs - and it turns out I wasn't wrong. Three baby chicks hatched out of that nest over the course of a week and a half -- my kids named them Rose, Thorn and Hana. I do not know for sure that all three of these chicks came from the same parents. The only roosters I owned at the time were 1 silver lace rooster and 3 gold lace roosters. The only hens I owned at the time were 1 gold lace hen, 1 'smutty' Columbian, 1 lightly marked Columbian, 1 'just right' Columbian, and 8 silver lace hens (all but one with nice markings). No nearby neighbors raise chickens.
Rose had a gold look to her right from the start. She grew up to be a beautiful gold Columbian hen. Now, this should not have been possible from my flock. Her father has to have been a gold lace rooster as hens always get their S-gene from the rooster. For her to be ml+ml+, EACH of her parents must have given her an ml+ gene. Which means one of my gold roosters (I had three at the time) must be Mlml+. But Mlml+ should have incomplete lacing and all my roosters looked about the same with pretty good lacing. So Rose's origin is a mystery and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have odd things happen when I choose a gold rooster to use in my breeding coop next spring! Rose will be in the breeding pool as her color (really good gold, not as dark as my gold lace hen or roosters) and type are excellent.
Thorn had a very odd look right from the start. As a chick he was black and white, not the black/yellow of my previous silver lace chicks. He grew up to be a silver lace cockerel with very, very heavy lacing. He in fact looked more like a 'reverse lace' with a bit of white on the edge of the feathers and a thin white line down the center of each. This color is more similar to a silver sussex than to a lace Wyandotte! After a great deal of searching, the only possibility that I can find is that he is a birchen! I struggled with getting this color in my flock for quite some time, because Er (needed for birchen) is dominant over the eb gene normally found in Wyandottes. ...Until I stumbled across a reference stating 'birchen base needs Db to show pattern'. Playing a bit with the chicken calculator, I can get a perfectly normal looking silver lace roster with a genotype substituting Er_ for ebeb IF I simultaneously substitute Db_ for db+db+! Oddly, this combination does NOT seem to have the same effect in hens -- the same substitution in a hen results in double lacing.
Unfortunately, we lost Thorn at about 12 weeks old -- sudden weight loss culminating in death in a few days. No obvious signs of parasites, but we treated Rose and Hana (who he was still living with and who had extremely pale combs) and the entire flock and both coops 'just in case' and didn't lose anyone else. While Thorn is no longer in my flock, he may have parents or siblings here -- in which case I need to watch for more combinations!
Unfortunately, we lost Thorn at about 12 weeks old -- sudden weight loss culminating in death in a few days. No obvious signs of parasites, but we treated Rose and Hana (who he was still living with and who had extremely pale combs) and the entire flock and both coops 'just in case' and didn't lose anyone else. While Thorn is no longer in my flock, he may have parents or siblings here -- in which case I need to watch for more combinations!
Hana was a very pale, almost completely yellow chick. He grew up to be a pale rooster that looks 'almost' like a columbian except for a litttle bit of lacing -- much less lacing than 'incomplete laced' in the brood we got later that summer.
Playing a bit more with the calculator, I can get a 'half-spangled' pattern similar to Hana by using a gene combination of ebeb with Db_.
Playing a bit more with the calculator, I can get a 'half-spangled' pattern similar to Hana by using a gene combination of ebeb with Db_.
Silver penciled Wyandottes
While looking quite similar at first glance, silver penciled Wyandottes differ from silver lace at 2 genes.
Silver lace = CoCoMlMl
Silver Penciled = co+co+ml+ml+
Crossing the two gives hybrid CocoMlml+ which according to the genetics calculator will be silver lace with incomplete lacing.
Subsequent generations can get quite interesting, however. Combinations include both those above as well as
co+co+MlMl = double laced
CoComl+ml+ = columbian
Silver lace = CoCoMlMl
Silver Penciled = co+co+ml+ml+
Crossing the two gives hybrid CocoMlml+ which according to the genetics calculator will be silver lace with incomplete lacing.
Subsequent generations can get quite interesting, however. Combinations include both those above as well as
co+co+MlMl = double laced
CoComl+ml+ = columbian
Partridge Wyandottes
Somewhat confusing to figure out, partridge Wyandottes have nothing to do with the partridge allele (an E-gene allele). They are just the gold (s+) version of the silver penciled.
This ends the colors in my current/planned flock. The rest is theory.
White Wyandottes
White in Wyandotte is described as being developed from sports within the breed and is presumed to be cc (recessive white). While not a true genetic albino (no pink eyes), the cc genotype eliminates all eumelanin and phaeomelanin from the feathers and so can mask any other genes. Chickens in general also have a 'dominant white' gene (I). White Wyandottes of uncertain origin (or from recent crossbreeding) may be have the I genotype instead.
Crossing a recessive white (cc) into the lace flock genepool will result in the occassional white whenever two c alleles realign to form cc. But once introduced, it will be nearly impossible to remove this gene from the pool.
Crossing a dominant white (I_) into the Wyandotte flock genepool will result in many white birds. But since the gene doesn't hide, it's relatively easy to cull the gene back out of the flock.
Crossing a recessive white (cc) into the lace flock genepool will result in the occassional white whenever two c alleles realign to form cc. But once introduced, it will be nearly impossible to remove this gene from the pool.
Crossing a dominant white (I_) into the Wyandotte flock genepool will result in many white birds. But since the gene doesn't hide, it's relatively easy to cull the gene back out of the flock.
Black Wyandottes
Black Wyandottes are the result of the E allele replacing the eb of the lace and columbian patterns. E is both dominant and epistatic (except to I and cc) --that means it will mask the other colors and patterns except pure white. Black Wyandottes can be genetically either silver (S) or gold (s+). They can be Co or co+. They can be Ml or ml+, though MlMl generally have the richest black color without any stray white.
Black Wyandottes also can hide the Pg genotypes as E_blblPg_ is essentially a black laced black.
Crossing a dominant white (E_) into the Wyandotte flock genepool will result in many black birds. But since the gene doesn't hide, it's relatively easy to cull the gene back out of the flock.
Black Wyandottes cannot hide blue (Bl)
which brings us to
Black Wyandottes also can hide the Pg genotypes as E_blblPg_ is essentially a black laced black.
Crossing a dominant white (E_) into the Wyandotte flock genepool will result in many black birds. But since the gene doesn't hide, it's relatively easy to cull the gene back out of the flock.
Black Wyandottes cannot hide blue (Bl)
which brings us to
Blue Wyandottes
Add one Bl gene (Blbl) to a black Wyandotte and you get a blue Wyandotte. Add two (BlBl) and you get a splash Wyandotte. Blues don't breed true -- blue x blue will throw some blacks and some splashes in addition to the desired blue.
BUT while black E_blbl hides the Pg lacing, the same is NOT true for blues.
Blue must be E_Blblpg+pg+
The genotype E_BlblPg_ gives a black laced blue.
Interestingly, the E allele does seem to override the ml+ml+ genotype as E_BlblPg_ml+ml+ does NOT give a blue Columbian (it gives a black laced blue)
Hmmm.... might be worth tossing a blue in my mix someday to have a black-laced blue!
BUT while black E_blbl hides the Pg lacing, the same is NOT true for blues.
Blue must be E_Blblpg+pg+
The genotype E_BlblPg_ gives a black laced blue.
Interestingly, the E allele does seem to override the ml+ml+ genotype as E_BlblPg_ml+ml+ does NOT give a blue Columbian (it gives a black laced blue)
Hmmm.... might be worth tossing a blue in my mix someday to have a black-laced blue!
Buff Wyandottes
While there may be other gene combinations that give buff wyandottes, the preferred genotype includes LOTS of changes from the base silver lace genotype.
At least one dominant Ewh allele. (Ewh is dominant over the eb of the silver lace, but recessive to E of the black and blue)
At least one dominant Co allele.
At least one dominant Db allele (not used in any of the other varieties)
At least one dominant Mh allele (not used in any of the other varieties)
At least one dominant Di allele (not used in any of the other varieties)
Recessive ml+ml+ (as in the Columbians)
Recessive pg+pg+ (not used in any of the other varieties)
Adding these genes to the mixed wyandotte flock is going to result in several additional unshowable color patterns...
New (unshowable) patterns:
Db = half spangled
pg+pg+ = quail
Db & ml+ml+ = transverse pencilled
New (unshowable) phaeomelanin colors:
Mh = changes white to cream or gold to red
Di = no effect on white, changes gold to lemon
At least one dominant Ewh allele. (Ewh is dominant over the eb of the silver lace, but recessive to E of the black and blue)
At least one dominant Co allele.
At least one dominant Db allele (not used in any of the other varieties)
At least one dominant Mh allele (not used in any of the other varieties)
At least one dominant Di allele (not used in any of the other varieties)
Recessive ml+ml+ (as in the Columbians)
Recessive pg+pg+ (not used in any of the other varieties)
Adding these genes to the mixed wyandotte flock is going to result in several additional unshowable color patterns...
New (unshowable) patterns:
Db = half spangled
pg+pg+ = quail
Db & ml+ml+ = transverse pencilled
New (unshowable) phaeomelanin colors:
Mh = changes white to cream or gold to red
Di = no effect on white, changes gold to lemon
What about those other genes?
The silver lace genecode I opened with included the following genes that I haven't talked about yet.
Cha+Cha+ lg+lg+ Lav+Lav+ Mo+Mo+ b+b+ Choc+Choc+
None of the alternative alleles for these genes are used in any of the accepted Wyandotte colors. But entirely possible that you could pick up those genes by crossbreeding (as well as alternative alleles on some of the other genes). Of most interest...
The recessive chacha is a 'melanizer'. Added to the columbian genotype, it restores partial lacing to the body. It can also result in heavier (extended) lacing in the lace varieties.
The recessive igig lightens phaeomelanin, shifting gold to lemon.
The recessive lavlav lightens both eumelanin and phaeomelanin. The eumelanin lightens to lavender blue (paler than the regular blue) and gold lightens to lemon.
The recessive momo is mottled. This adds white dots to each feather. Not all that showy on an animal that is already white/silver -- but makes the 'millefleur' pattern when added to black and gold.
The sex-linked dominant B gives barring. No clue how that interacts with the lace or penciled patterns, but on a solid bird (either eumelanin based like black or phaeomelanin based like buff) it creates a barred pattern of light and dark bands (e.g., black and white on a black, lemon and buff on a buff).
The sex-linked recessive chocchoc shifts eumelanin from black to chocolate.
Cha+Cha+ lg+lg+ Lav+Lav+ Mo+Mo+ b+b+ Choc+Choc+
None of the alternative alleles for these genes are used in any of the accepted Wyandotte colors. But entirely possible that you could pick up those genes by crossbreeding (as well as alternative alleles on some of the other genes). Of most interest...
The recessive chacha is a 'melanizer'. Added to the columbian genotype, it restores partial lacing to the body. It can also result in heavier (extended) lacing in the lace varieties.
The recessive igig lightens phaeomelanin, shifting gold to lemon.
The recessive lavlav lightens both eumelanin and phaeomelanin. The eumelanin lightens to lavender blue (paler than the regular blue) and gold lightens to lemon.
The recessive momo is mottled. This adds white dots to each feather. Not all that showy on an animal that is already white/silver -- but makes the 'millefleur' pattern when added to black and gold.
The sex-linked dominant B gives barring. No clue how that interacts with the lace or penciled patterns, but on a solid bird (either eumelanin based like black or phaeomelanin based like buff) it creates a barred pattern of light and dark bands (e.g., black and white on a black, lemon and buff on a buff).
The sex-linked recessive chocchoc shifts eumelanin from black to chocolate.
Year 2
Well, we started the spring with finding one of my two gold-lace roosters dead in the snow - best guess is the dominant silver rooster wouldn't let him in the coop for the night. A few weeks later I found BOTH of my older males dead (the dominant silver and my other red) side-by side. Looked like they had been fighting (whether with each other or with one of the younger males I can't say). Without the older dominant to keep the pecking order, I started to get some pretty major fighting among the younger roosters -- with the result that all but two headed to the butcher. The kids picked to keep Hana (despite him not being showable) and one nice silver lace rooster (for my son who still wanted to show). Hana (of course) ended up being the dominant. 'Silver' (the show boy) stole three young hens (all silver lace) and set up housekeeping in the rafters of the goat barn. Without the gold rooster, with my girls not particularly interested in showing chickens anymore, and with the current flock still producing way more eggs than we could consume, I decided to not breed this year. ... until the kids from the 4H club decided that trying to dye chicks in the shell would be a great club project. I provided a dozen eggs from each spot: 12 eggs from Hana's flock in the coop -- hens include Rose, 1 gold-lace, 2 columbians and 5 silver lace & 12 from the goat barn flock (all nice silver lace). Being kids in charge of the project, it didn't quite work out as planned (dying the eggs from each flock a different color) - the eggs got mixed up during candling and dyed 4 different colors - blue, green, purple and pink. 22 eggs (candled before injecting and the two that hadn't developed were discarded) were injected with dye on day 14. 17 chicks (and 1 duckling) hatched.
About dyeing ...
For those who may not realize -- dye is very temporary. Only the down is dyed and the feathers will grow in the normal colors. This dye project is helping us track individual chicks and determine whether the chick pattern relates to the adult patterns. It also makes the feathering more obvious and helps us learn about feather development. The little guy in this photo is only 5 days old and already showing his white wing feathers coming in.
My hatch rate was very slightly lower than last year -- but I will blame that more on low humidity (I didn't realize I had duck eggs in the mix, which require higher humidity) and the longer time out of the incubator (because kids were doing the candling) rather than the dyeing. I didn't lose any chicks in the first week after hatching, far better than I have ever done.
For those looking to repeat -- the neon purple dye was barely visible. And for reasons I don't understand, the inside of the duck eggshell was bright pink, but the duckling wasn't dyed at all!
My hatch rate was very slightly lower than last year -- but I will blame that more on low humidity (I didn't realize I had duck eggs in the mix, which require higher humidity) and the longer time out of the incubator (because kids were doing the candling) rather than the dyeing. I didn't lose any chicks in the first week after hatching, far better than I have ever done.
For those looking to repeat -- the neon purple dye was barely visible. And for reasons I don't understand, the inside of the duck eggshell was bright pink, but the duckling wasn't dyed at all!
My daughter named this pink one Rosalind (which means it will probably turn out to be a rooster). I haven't seen markings like this on my chicks before - small greyish patch on top of the head and 4 perfect lines on the back. Can't wait to see how these two turns out!
This pair are among the lightest color as they are feathering out. Both just very lightly mottled with a grey-black 'spotting'.
This pair are among the lightest color as they are feathering out. Both just very lightly mottled with a grey-black 'spotting'.
This set of chicks have an overall grayish topside (which didn't take the dye) and a lighter (dyed) face and underside. They are closer to what I think of as typical columbian pattern chicks. Will be interesting to see how these feather out -- can we really tell adult Columbian pattern from the chick pattern? Will these turn out to be Columbian? Half-laced? or normal laced?
This group is a bit mixed, with the feathers quite light. The two yellow-dyed chicks happen to be getting the lightest feathers of all -- Columbian?
The two yellow-dyed chicks of this group are near-perfect Columbians. One of the others is as well. The other three are somewhere between a columbian and 'partial lace -- with darker backs and lighter wings.
This group is a bit mixed, with the feathers quite light. The two yellow-dyed chicks happen to be getting the lightest feathers of all -- Columbian?
The two yellow-dyed chicks of this group are near-perfect Columbians. One of the others is as well. The other three are somewhere between a columbian and 'partial lace -- with darker backs and lighter wings.
Most of the chicks have the darker wide striping of my original lace chicks. Will they turn out to have proper lacing? Will the amount of markings correlate to the degree of lacing?
I had placed 6 chicks in this group - 5 of them are looking to feather quite dark ... birchen?
I had placed 6 chicks in this group - 5 of them are looking to feather quite dark ... birchen?
And here's the whole group (2-3 weeks old)...no gold, but an interesting mix of patterns.
Almost fully feathered now...
2 really light 'columbians'
3 nice columbians
2 nice silver lace (from the dark set)
1 dark 'incomplete lace'
1 birchen
1 really dark
7 incomplete lace/halfspangled? -- fairly dark birds with very white wings.
and 1 Swedish blue duck!
3 nice columbians
2 nice silver lace (from the dark set)
1 dark 'incomplete lace'
1 birchen
1 really dark
7 incomplete lace/halfspangled? -- fairly dark birds with very white wings.
and 1 Swedish blue duck!
Tossing Er and Db into the Wyandotte gene pool...
Five of the chicks are feathering out quite dark and the remainder very light (all white, no gold) -- which has me revisiting Thorn and Hana's stories from last year. Assuming Hana (or the other rooster for that matter) might be hiding the Db and Er genes that surfaced last year, a few new possible combinations arise...
ebeb db+db+ MlMl = lace
ebeb db+db+ Mlml+ = incomplete lace
ebeb db+db+ ml+ml+ = columbian
ebeb Db_ MlMl = halfspangled
ebeb Db_ Mlml+ = incomplete double lace or halfspangled
ebeb DbDb ml+ml+ = transverse pencilled
ebeb Dbdb+ ml+ml+ = incomplete transverse pencilled
Er_ db+db+ MlMl = mostly black
Er_ db+db+ Mlml+ = mostly black
Er_ db+db+ ml+ml+ = birchen (Thorn?)
Er_ DbDb MlMl = lace
Er_ Dbdb+ MlMl = lace rooster, double lace hen
Er_ Db_ Mlml+ = incomplete double lace or halfspangled (Hana?)
Er_ DbDb ml+ml+ = transverse pencilled
Er_ Dbdb+ ml+ml+ = incomplete transverse pencilled
ebeb db+db+ MlMl = lace
ebeb db+db+ Mlml+ = incomplete lace
ebeb db+db+ ml+ml+ = columbian
ebeb Db_ MlMl = halfspangled
ebeb Db_ Mlml+ = incomplete double lace or halfspangled
ebeb DbDb ml+ml+ = transverse pencilled
ebeb Dbdb+ ml+ml+ = incomplete transverse pencilled
Er_ db+db+ MlMl = mostly black
Er_ db+db+ Mlml+ = mostly black
Er_ db+db+ ml+ml+ = birchen (Thorn?)
Er_ DbDb MlMl = lace
Er_ Dbdb+ MlMl = lace rooster, double lace hen
Er_ Db_ Mlml+ = incomplete double lace or halfspangled (Hana?)
Er_ DbDb ml+ml+ = transverse pencilled
Er_ Dbdb+ ml+ml+ = incomplete transverse pencilled
This year's chicks parentage?
We have 5 dark (birchen?) chicks in this year's offspring. Their parents must EACH contribute an ml+ gene. 'Silver' has complete lacing and therefore MUST be MlMl. Which means Hana must be the sire to the birchen chicks (making Hana an 'incomplete' half-spangled). Most likely he is also the source of the Er gene also needed for the birchen. This makes Hana genotype Er_Db_Mlml+. The mother to the birchen chicks must also have provided an ml+ allele -- she would be a columbian or an incomplete laced hen.