Post
by WLLady » Fri Dec 01, 2017 9:34 am
okay...so one of my issues with the genetics.....if you have Columbian carrying solids-they can be 1 copy or 2. BUT if your solid colours (black or blues) are truly solid, and do not have lighter underfluff on the tummies they are likely split eb/ER, or have a pile of enhancers that will confound the genetics....IF they are split eb/ER you will need at least 64 birds of EACH breeding to get one columbian boy and one columbian girl, each in black and the same for blue columbian. but we'll ignore the potential eb/ER genotype....so your black columbian x blue solid = 64 birds to get 1 black Co boy and 1 black Co girl and 1 blue Co boy and 1 blue Co girl - theoretically. IF your solids are Co/Co, then you are laughing because your kids will be Co/Co. if they aren't, you will get Co/co and then the next generation will get birds that do not carry Co (co/co) and will get birds that are not columbian restricted 50% of the time if bred back to another Co/co. The problem there being you, observing the chickens, cannot tell a Co/co from Co/Co. they look the same because it only takes 1 copy of Co to restrict the columbian pattern. So you won't find that out until the 2nd generation. So, if you set up a solid blue hen with a black columbian boy....that's 64 birds needed hatched MINIMUM. and if you want to do the blue columbian over (or under) black solid that's another 64 birds. so 128 all told. you may get 2 of each that you want (blue and black Co) in boy and girl from each set. MAYBE.
honestly, given these are just probabilities what i would do is put all the blue and black solid girls that you know carry at least 1 copy of Co into a pen and throw in your nicest black columbian (hopefully Co/Co) boy and hatch EVERYTHING. if you can do multiple pens if you have more than 1 nice rooster.....hatch everything, make your best guess when they feather in on the columbian restriction, grow out as many as you can for at least the 2nd moult and go from there based first on your restriction wants (columbian) and colour. then worry about the comb later once you have the correct restriction and colour for at least 2 generations. with these combos you'll get tons of black compared to blue, likely a few splash in there, but hopefully something half decent to continue forward. just remember if you want a nice type MALE offspring, use your best typed HENS under a lesser typed boy. If you want the nicer type in the female offspring, use a nice type boy over lesser type hens. the traits pass hen-son and rooster-daughter....
so. best black columbian boy over lesser typed black and blue hens should give you a some black columbian boys and girls and a very few blue restricted columbian boys and girls with the girls having better form/type and boys lesser type/form. best black columbian hen under blue boy of lesser type should give you the same with better type/form in the boys than the girls.
as a guideline. because what mother nature decides to do is what you need to go with.....if it's the year of the cockerel again, then you might just get the boys this year, and the girls next.....lol
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Pet quality wheaten/blue wheaten ameraucanas, welsummers, barred rocks, light brown leghorns; Projects on the go: rhodebars, welbars