The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Breeding

Blue Legged EE\'s

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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!   :D

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

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