Genetics

Building a Better Columbian by Danny Feathers In this process of fixing the Colombian color, bone structure, and putting the correct feather on them to be more competitive with the whites, we’ve added whites into them. I’ve seen some really bad wings and color overall. Believe me, this is a …

It’s long been said that a chick has a 50/50 chance of being a cockerel or a pullet.  Most normal hatches are close to 50 percent one way or the other.  Murphy’s Law says that whatever sex you are trying for will be the lowest percentage though.  There’s not a …

We all have heard that the chicken is a close living relative of the tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur.  The giant monstrous beast that ran on its hind legs terrorizing smaller prey is a predecessor of the smaller chicken family member.  It only takes a few looks to see the resemblance. Researchers …

If you wondering why I go on about the chickens and turkeys being hybrid I will try and explain.   In todays world people worry about GMOs and their effect on what we eat and the farmers ability to save seed and reproduce their own crops.  Before GMOs we had hybrid seed which also …

Chocolate Color Genes Explained in Poultry I just recently came home from the second Crossroads of America Poultry show which had 10,276 birds shown.  While I was there I noticed that there were Chocolate OEGB and Polish and I was lucky enough to be getting some Chocolate Orpingtons. I was …

The Barred Gene Use in Chickens The barred coloration is something most people that keep chickens have seen. Barred rocks, creles, and several other birds carry the barring in their feathers. The barring gene is an absence of coloration in the feather. The barring gene causes white pigment in bars …