It’s been years since I’ve posted to any genetics forum, but as I’ve overcome many obstacles (predation, flash floods, etc) and have the variety in better shape than ever I’m going to take the time to debunk a few rumors that have even reached me here.
My friend Joseph warned me 2 years back that someone on classroom at the coop was talking about how I had started the mottle variety with a Sussex rooster and the discussion went on to say what an unwise choice that was. Just last week someone came to the farm to buy hatching eggs and said she had heard from another local breeder that I was outcrossing my mottles to a Sussex rooster. Just like the game, it looks like the rumor has grown and just like the game, its based in some truth.
20 YEARS ago, I had a Sussex rooster for about 3 MONTHS and, as this is the only mottle I’ve ever had, I’ve always assumed that this really is the origin of our mottle! He must have been the parent of a black hen.
10 years ago I started noticing peculiar amount of white in the blue & black chicks down; research I did online popped up discussions of this being an indication of high melanotics. But 9 years ago (I had to recount that several times as I can’t believe it’s been that long) I had my first mottled pullet. Obviously, the blue rooster I was using for breeding carried one recessive gene and so did hens in the flock. It took lots of research, asking questions from breeders all over the world on classroom at the coop, to identify what was going on learn to see phenotypes in the down so I could separate the desirable genetics (heterozygote mottles into their own flock and out of the B/Bl). We would have been many generations ahead but predation came close to destroying the project several times. Luckily we’ve had several other people, most notably Joseph Woodiel, step up and start flocks of their own to protect and expand the variety; it is now quite secure and growing steadily.
Since the variety was started within the breed, it has always had good egg color and can be great type although beard can a problem (I’ve finally learned to see that muff is separate from beard … don’t know why they indicate it is the same gene, linked maybe. Have you noticed how hybrids can have great muffs? It must be dominant but beard isn’t). I’m most proud to say that last year I had a breakthough in shank color with a fully slate-shanked rooster. This gives me hope that we may be able to get a red-bay eye, as opposed to the orange we have now, through a crossover event …or simple selection.
Which brings me to why I think some of the rumors exist: I recommend that anyone who is interested in investing in the mottle project outcross to an excellent standard black Ameraucana, not only to improve type & hope for that crossover, but also to decrease the chance of inbreeding depression, which should be of concern to any “purebred” animal breeder.
Rest assured the mottle variety is doing great and can stand on its own. There is plenty of consistent stock & hatching eggs available for both the average person or serious breeder.
