The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Breeding

Genes in hatch mates

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Sharon Yorks:
Can someone explain how genes work in hatch mates? Are they exactly alike or are there variations of what they may end up with from the same parents? Example, if a hen is a good layer, will her sister be also? If a male is aggressive, will his brother be, too? I know if you breed a black to a blue, you get either a black or a blue chick, so I'm assuming different genes come into play. Is there a certain number of genes that can get split up different ways? (Don't know if that even made sense.) I'm just trying to understand genetics a little better.

Mike Gilbert:
Sharon, many traits including egg laying are polygenic.   That means there are multiple genes involved.   Add to that environmental factors that come into play when it comes to laying, aggression, size, feather condition, and others.    Some color genetics are pretty simple, such as the predictability of outcomes when breeding blue to black or blue to blue.  Others, like the penciled and laced colors involve multiple genes working in concert.   Add to that some genes are dominant, others recessive, some inhibit the manifestation of others, homozyosity versus heterozygosity - well I think you get the picture.  Nobody ever said it was easy.   For those who would rather play it safe - well there are always the white and black colors to mess with. 

Birdcrazy:
Sharon, I'm not an expert on chicken genes, but I just look at my siblings. I am a little over 6' tall, my older brother is 5'8". He has blue eyes, mine are brown. Out of 3 brothers our dispositions are not the same. I still have most of my head hair, my one brother has only about half. Three kids wear corrective glasses one did not. I don't think I can blame this on the milkman as my dad had red hair and so did all 4 kids. WE do have some similarities, but probably just as many differences. I do think the more you line breed chickens the more you can selectively achieve desired results, but  probably not in just one generation. This is only my opinion-not gospel!

Birdcrazy:
Thanks Mike! You posted while I was typing. Your reply was much more scientific and to the point than mine. I humbly acknowledge yours as a better reply! Thanks for the info.

Sharon Yorks:
Yeah, I figured that was a loaded question and there would be many variables. I will have to Google what "homozyosity versus heterozygosity" means. I never expected it to be easy and am actually glad it isn't. I think the blue variety is quite a challenge and I'm having fun trying to breed some really nice ones. I feel I'm off to a good start. Just trying to understand genetics more.

Any helpful tips would be appreciated.

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