Lacing in Pekins and Cochin Bantams
(naming standards and percentages are from the Genetics Calculator (http://kippenjungle.nl/kruising.html))
So, our poultry cousins in Europe and in the USA are breeding Silver and Gold laced Pekins. These prototype colours are magnificent. Due to the various genes in play here these are not easy colours to breed, let alone create from scratch.
So, if we wanted to start these colours here could we? Yup.
Yet again, if we lived in the USA or Europe, we could order eggs or birds as a base to start off with, saving years of work, but here, we will have to make our breeding base. If you dont have them available then we have to make them ourselves.
A single lace was up until fairly recently though to be from a lacing gene (Lg). In the 90's it was correctly identified to be an interplay between a few other genes, namely Patterning gene(Pg), Melanising gene(Ml) and Columbian (Co). So the single lace previous though of as the simple (Lg/Lg) is now correctly known as (Pg/Pg,Ml/Ml and Co/Co).
There are probably some other modifies responsible but these have not been identified yet.
The pure Pg/Ml/Co combination on an eb and gold(s+) background gives a gold-laced bird.
The pure Pg/Ml/Co combination on an eb and silver(S) background gives a silver-laced bird, differing by only one gene.
The difficulty in getting these pairs of genes in pure form(two doses) is going to be the hardest thing to do in this project.
So, we have Partridge who carry Pg, but very few who have the pure dose (Pg/Pg)
Columbian is available, but extremely hard to find, and even then is impure in most cases (Co/co+)
Melaniser is a very tricky one. I have yet to find a reliable way of identifing it in birds in South Africa.
We could simply take a breed we know has this gene (Barnvelder PgPg/MlMl or laced Wyandotte Pg/Pg,Ml/Ml,Co/Co) and get it from there, but ideally, we should try and find a pekin that carries that elusive Ml. The prime candidates would be Columbian hens, if you can find a columbian pullet or hen that has very dark hackles and saddle. It MAY contain Melaniser.
The following quote was in a conversation i had with BYC member Ki4Got about creating laced Pekins, she has been invaluable help for all of my beginner and nooby questions as i learn. This came from a pm.
So, our poultry cousins in Europe and in the USA are breeding Silver and Gold laced Pekins. These prototype colours are magnificent. Due to the various genes in play here these are not easy colours to breed, let alone create from scratch.
So, if we wanted to start these colours here could we? Yup.
Yet again, if we lived in the USA or Europe, we could order eggs or birds as a base to start off with, saving years of work, but here, we will have to make our breeding base. If you dont have them available then we have to make them ourselves.
A single lace was up until fairly recently though to be from a lacing gene (Lg). In the 90's it was correctly identified to be an interplay between a few other genes, namely Patterning gene(Pg), Melanising gene(Ml) and Columbian (Co). So the single lace previous though of as the simple (Lg/Lg) is now correctly known as (Pg/Pg,Ml/Ml and Co/Co).
There are probably some other modifies responsible but these have not been identified yet.
The pure Pg/Ml/Co combination on an eb and gold(s+) background gives a gold-laced bird.
The pure Pg/Ml/Co combination on an eb and silver(S) background gives a silver-laced bird, differing by only one gene.
The difficulty in getting these pairs of genes in pure form(two doses) is going to be the hardest thing to do in this project.
So, we have Partridge who carry Pg, but very few who have the pure dose (Pg/Pg)
Columbian is available, but extremely hard to find, and even then is impure in most cases (Co/co+)
Melaniser is a very tricky one. I have yet to find a reliable way of identifing it in birds in South Africa.
We could simply take a breed we know has this gene (Barnvelder PgPg/MlMl or laced Wyandotte Pg/Pg,Ml/Ml,Co/Co) and get it from there, but ideally, we should try and find a pekin that carries that elusive Ml. The prime candidates would be Columbian hens, if you can find a columbian pullet or hen that has very dark hackles and saddle. It MAY contain Melaniser.
The following quote was in a conversation i had with BYC member Ki4Got about creating laced Pekins, she has been invaluable help for all of my beginner and nooby questions as i learn. This came from a pm.
"if you have columbian and partridge available, you can use them, and pick Columbians with the heaviest darkest markings possible, as they may have the melanizing gene too...
sometimes you'll see slight tips to the breast feathers on birds with this. that way you would still be within cochin type and not have to worry about out-crossing."
This very good point highlights something that has been worrying me. How do i identify Melanotic in birds here in South Africa? i am not sure, and trying to recreate the Pg Ml link is going to be very difficult.
The easiest way to get the patterning without finding a Pekin with Ml is to outcross to another breed, and the only one i would consider is the Silver Laced Wyandotte bantam (SLW).
This bird already has the perfect genes (Pg/Pg,Ml/Ml and Co/Co) on an E^b background. It is also quite similar in type to a Pekin, and just needs to have a fuller cushion and feathering on the legs.
Feathered legs are dominant, and so should be relatively easier to get back to, and cushion can be selected for. The dominant rose comb from the Wyandotte will take some time to breed out but can be done fairly easily.
So, lets use a single combed SLW hen in this example, with a Partridge Pekin male (Pg/Pg, ml+/ml+ and co+/co+)
The f1 gives us birds that are pure for Pg from the partridge. But incomplete on Ml and Co.
Pg/Pg Ml/ml+ and Co/co+
Breed those f1's back together and you will get your starting point birds.
There will be a small chance of getting pure Sl or pure GL from the f1 cross
Female
Silver Laced pure 1.5625% or 1/64(Pg/Pg, Ml,Ml and Co/Co)
Gold Laced pure 1.5625% or 1/64 (Pg/Pg, Ml,Ml and Co/Co)
Incomplete females
Gold laced impure 3.125% or 2/64
Silver laced impure 3.125% or 2/64
Male
Heterozygous pure laced (Yellow) 1.5625% (Pg/Pg, Ml,Ml and Co/Co) but S/s+, so male would produce gold and silver laced.
Gold Laced pure 1.5625% or 1/64 (Pg/Pg, Ml,Ml and Co/Co)
Incomplete Males.
Heterozygous impure 12.5% or 8/64
Gold Laced impure 12.5% or 8/64.
A note on the use of the word "impure", ths denotes that one of the primary components for the lacing is missing, this could be a single copy of either Pg, Ml or Co. These birds are still very usable, and can be bred together, giving you some offspring that are pure and will have a decent single lace. There are, a lot of different birds that can come from this f1 cross though. Gold and silver Partridge, gold and buff Columbian, gold and silver doublelaced, as well as incomplete lacing on any one of our 3 lacing genes, or any combination of them.
If you want to produce both gold and silver laced, then the heterozygous (S/s+) males from the f2(f1xf1 cross) or "yellow" males, will produce both gold and silver offspring, as they will carry the silver gene (S) as well as gold (s+).
A lot will need to hatched, and a lot will need to be culled. The potential offshoots of this project are birds that are rare or in non existance in South Africa though. Silver pencilled, partridge, columbian, buff columbian, and the possibilty of laced, in both gold and silver.
It will take many years to get the birds pure for lacing and get rid of the Wyandotte characteristics, but once the genes are all there, then an outcross every few generations to either Partridge, Pencilled or Columbian will preserver the pattern genetics, while constantly improving the Pekin type of the birds.
There you have it, not particulary simple, but eminently doable.
The easiest way to get the patterning without finding a Pekin with Ml is to outcross to another breed, and the only one i would consider is the Silver Laced Wyandotte bantam (SLW).
This bird already has the perfect genes (Pg/Pg,Ml/Ml and Co/Co) on an E^b background. It is also quite similar in type to a Pekin, and just needs to have a fuller cushion and feathering on the legs.
Feathered legs are dominant, and so should be relatively easier to get back to, and cushion can be selected for. The dominant rose comb from the Wyandotte will take some time to breed out but can be done fairly easily.
So, lets use a single combed SLW hen in this example, with a Partridge Pekin male (Pg/Pg, ml+/ml+ and co+/co+)
The f1 gives us birds that are pure for Pg from the partridge. But incomplete on Ml and Co.
Pg/Pg Ml/ml+ and Co/co+
Breed those f1's back together and you will get your starting point birds.
There will be a small chance of getting pure Sl or pure GL from the f1 cross
Female
Silver Laced pure 1.5625% or 1/64(Pg/Pg, Ml,Ml and Co/Co)
Gold Laced pure 1.5625% or 1/64 (Pg/Pg, Ml,Ml and Co/Co)
Incomplete females
Gold laced impure 3.125% or 2/64
Silver laced impure 3.125% or 2/64
Male
Heterozygous pure laced (Yellow) 1.5625% (Pg/Pg, Ml,Ml and Co/Co) but S/s+, so male would produce gold and silver laced.
Gold Laced pure 1.5625% or 1/64 (Pg/Pg, Ml,Ml and Co/Co)
Incomplete Males.
Heterozygous impure 12.5% or 8/64
Gold Laced impure 12.5% or 8/64.
A note on the use of the word "impure", ths denotes that one of the primary components for the lacing is missing, this could be a single copy of either Pg, Ml or Co. These birds are still very usable, and can be bred together, giving you some offspring that are pure and will have a decent single lace. There are, a lot of different birds that can come from this f1 cross though. Gold and silver Partridge, gold and buff Columbian, gold and silver doublelaced, as well as incomplete lacing on any one of our 3 lacing genes, or any combination of them.
If you want to produce both gold and silver laced, then the heterozygous (S/s+) males from the f2(f1xf1 cross) or "yellow" males, will produce both gold and silver offspring, as they will carry the silver gene (S) as well as gold (s+).
A lot will need to hatched, and a lot will need to be culled. The potential offshoots of this project are birds that are rare or in non existance in South Africa though. Silver pencilled, partridge, columbian, buff columbian, and the possibilty of laced, in both gold and silver.
It will take many years to get the birds pure for lacing and get rid of the Wyandotte characteristics, but once the genes are all there, then an outcross every few generations to either Partridge, Pencilled or Columbian will preserver the pattern genetics, while constantly improving the Pekin type of the birds.
There you have it, not particulary simple, but eminently doable.