Blue Legged EE\'s

[Tailfeathers]

Ok, here\'s a quick question for John, Mike, and the other genetic guru\'s.

I have three EE\'s with really nice blue legs.  One is a Wheaten x Welsummer, one is a Wheaten x New Hampshire and the other is a BW x New Hampshire.  

Can anyone tell me why they don\'t have green legs?  In fact, now that I think of it, I don\'t recall ever seeing any green legs on the EE\'s I\'ve made.  

I\'m guessing the would be a really good thing?

God Bless,

[Mike Gilbert]

Royce, that\'s an easy one.   The gene for yellow skin epidermis is recessive.   These EE\'s you made have the potential to produce willow legs when mated among themselves.

[Tailfeathers]

Ha!  Easy for you maybe!   :p

Ok, so leg color doesn\'t work like say - feather color or egg color.  I take it there aren\'t any \"modifiers\" then that like combine yellow and blue to make green?

I\'m happy now.  I was always told if I didn\'t learn something new each day, I might as well be dead.  Glad to know that I can look forward to another day!  

Seriously, thanks Mike!

God Bless,

[John]

Mike\'s article \"SHANK COLOR IN THE AMERAUCANA BREED\" is on pages 28 and 29 in the 1998 ABC Handbook.
The tricky part is you have two layers of shank/leg skin that work together to provide the overall shank color...the Dermis and Epidermis.  If both are dark the shanks will appear black.  If the dermis is dark and the epidermis is yellow the shanks will appear willow and so it goes.  
On top of the different color combinations you have some that are affected by sex and other genes.  There may even be situations where the epidermis is thicker than normal, so a bird that would be genetically pure for dark slate shanks looks like he/she has just a hint of blue showing thru.  
Check out this link for some background...
http://www.edelras.nl/chickengenetics/mutations2.html#gen_mut_leg

[grisaboy]

There are modifiers that affect leg color.  We see this in some varieties such as barred and mottled where the the expression of dark dermis color is suppressed making it difficult (maybe impossible) to get the desired slate colored legs in these varieties.

Curtis

[jerryse]

Here is a pic of a barred with slate legs. There are some spots but they are slate.I have another one that is younger.Both are cockerels as this breeding produced barred cockerels only.I have a cuckoo hen from last year with slate legs.Hope to breed them and see if it reproduces.I have been reading about the id m mutation and wondering if this is what has allowed slate to show.

[Mike Gilbert]

Jerry, when you have enough of these to butcher one, or if one dies, sever the leg at the hock joint and peel back the outer layer of skin.   Take some photos and post them here.  If the inside layer is dark, then I will believe it.   Until then, I will have to believe the dark pigment you are seeing is in the epidermis.  If the dermis is indeed dark, then I will have to admit you have made a breakthrough.   But you will have to prove it, and this photo does not do that.   Once again, slate shanks are comprised of a dark dermis and a clear epidermis.

[jerryse]

You are right it could be the epidermis and the spots from the dermis.