I am new to the genetics side of breeding and enjoying working out, or at least trying to, the outcome of certain pairs.

 

However what I do not get is why a sky blue male and a red eyed albino hen had 11 chicks over 2 clutches and I ended up with no sky blues. I had 6 cobalts, 2 albinos and 3 rec pieds (white and cobalt). The rec pieds I understand come because the parents must both be split for that.......is that right?

 

My question is, as it puzzles me, as to why no sky blues where in the clutches?

I am not nearly as experienced as some others on here, but the rec pied would be because one of them was split.

 

A bit weird I have to say, but some pics of them if you can would be good...

The albino is possibly a violet. Albinism removes the pigmentation. An albino could be cobalt, sky, pied, spangle etc. A lutino could be dark green, olive etc.

 

I am no expert however, particularly with colour but that explanation would make sense to me. There may be a genetics expert who gan give a stronger opinion

That makes a lot more sense to this question.

Your albino could be anything underneath, meaning, like fordmob said, it could be violet and that made the chicks cobalt.

 

Will have to remember that theory!

I am not nearly as experienced as some others on here, but the rec pied would be because one of them was split.

 

A bit weird I have to say, but some pics of them if you can would be good...

 

They would need to both be split which is very possible as it is a recessive gene. I have popped greywings out of nowhere a few times. It can be a bit of a bonus or not depending on what you are after.

As has been stated, to get a recessive pied, both birds need to be split recessive pied. Look at your cock bird and see if he has a patch on the back of his head. this is a sign of being split recessive.

 

Also as stated your albino hen could carry two dark factor genes, therefore her offspring would get one dark factor, so they would be cobalt. It would be impossible to get sky blue's from a hen with 2 dark factor genes

Yeah as fordmob said the albinoism or lutinosim only shadow their actually colour, genetically they could be anything.

The albino could even be a cobalt or violet recessive pied underneath. Patch on the back of the head CAN indicate split for recessive but many recessive splits dont have that spot either.

 

but the rec pied would be because one of them was split.

 

Not one of them but both.

 

Edited August 13, 201113 yr by **KAZ**

Becasue your Albino hen is a Mauve and when paired to Sky Blue it will only produce 100% Cobalts.

This result proves 3 things:

 

1/ Both birds are split for recessive pied. To get visual recessive pieds the gene must come from both parents

 

2/ The male is split for ino. There will be no visual inos unless the cock bird has the gene (the inos could be either sex)

 

3/ The albino has 2 dark factors (mauve). Sky blue has no dark factor, cobalt has 1 dark factor, mauve has 2 dark factors. If a bird with no dark factor is mated to a bird with 2 dark factors all the chicks will have 1 dark factor

Edited August 13, 201113 yr by Neville

okay. Thanks for the replies. I think I am getting somewhat of an idea of might be going on in this case now.

 

Just to either confuse things or cement things I have since bred this albino hen with a visual violet cock and so far the chicks look to me as one is cobalt and the other two are light violet (possibly mauve-they look a little lighter than the cock. Does this change anyones' ideas???