Question on color genes.

[KalJen Farm]

Hello All! I have some questions for some of you breeding/genetic gurus. I own Red Dorkings that are obviously inbred. I just purchase some Silver Dorkings to cross with my reds. The two silver hens have red already on their back. I was talking to another breeder and he said that If i bred a silver to my red i get red hens and golden duckwing males? Any advice on the genetic between silver and red when i cross these two birds?

[John]

I don't know much about the breed, but the silver (S) and gold (s+) genetics are the same with any breed.  From looking at the Dorking club's site I see their "silver gray" appears the same as a "silver" Ameraucana.  Their "red" looks like what would normally be called a "black breasted red" (BB Red), which is wild type at the S locus....just my observations/guesses, so please feel free to correct me where I'm wrong.  Both are built on Wild type (e+) at the E locus.
The two varieties are basically the same with the only difference, that I see, being sex-linked silver (S) changes red/gold to white/silver.
Since the females only have one gene for sex-linked traits...
Breeding a red male over silver females produces pure red pullets and
breeding a silver male over red females produces pure silver pullets.
The cockerels from the matings will be "split" for silver and gold, carrying one copy of each gene.

I'm working on bantam Vorwerks and Lakenvelders.  They are almost identical except one is gold and the other is silver, so I'll be making similar crosses with them.


 

[Mike Gilbert]

I just purchase some Silver Dorkings to cross with my reds. The two silver hens have red already on their back.

The red on your silver hens backs means they have probably already been crossed with reds or something else.   That red is not caused by the sex-link silver/gold genes that John was writing about.  It is caused by one of a group of genes called autosomal red - it is not sex linked.   But these silver hens should work well for what I assume you are trying to do - which is to improve your reds.   Use a red male over those silvers and you will get all red females.   The males will be splits.   They will throw half silvers and half red females, and all will be pure red or pure silver.    When a split male is mated with a red female, that cross will throw about half pure red males.   The other half will be more splits. 

[KalJen Farm]

thank you both so much for all this info! this has helped tremendously