White Pekins (Cochin bantams)
So what makes white chickens white?
The answer is a lot more surprising then people think. All colours in chickens are made by modifying just two base colours.
So, there is no "white" gene, and there are quite a number of ways of "making" a white chicken.
White Silkies, for example are genetically gold based.
The two main ways of getting to white are by two different genes, one recessive and one dominant.
Lets talk about Recessive White (c) first.
Because c is recessive, it wont always have an effect in breedings, to show properly a bird needs two copies of it. written like this c/c.
Recessive white when it is pure(two copies of c) is said to be better at hiding colour then dominant white below, and there is a very good reason for this. Recessive white can hide both base colours black AND red more effectively then dominant white.
How do i tell if my birds have recessive white?
Breed them to another colour, i.e black, if all the offspring are non white, then your white bird is a recessive white.
Dominant White (I)
Dominant white is a more interesting gene if you are interested in getting a lot of variety in colour.
Dominant white will hide black, but not red(unless it is pure), making it less effective then recessive white at producing a white bird. Dominant white is often described as leaky, as it allows some pigment to come through into the white colour. The correct term for this is incompletely dominant.
The fact that dominant white does not hold back red pigment when it is not pure does allow for some very interesting colours, as you can breed almost any red pattern on top of it, giving you some lovely colours.
How do i tell if my birds have dominant white?
Breed them to another colour like partridge, if the birds come out white with a lot of colour showing in the white, then they are dominant white(I)
The answer is a lot more surprising then people think. All colours in chickens are made by modifying just two base colours.
So, there is no "white" gene, and there are quite a number of ways of "making" a white chicken.
White Silkies, for example are genetically gold based.
The two main ways of getting to white are by two different genes, one recessive and one dominant.
Lets talk about Recessive White (c) first.
Because c is recessive, it wont always have an effect in breedings, to show properly a bird needs two copies of it. written like this c/c.
Recessive white when it is pure(two copies of c) is said to be better at hiding colour then dominant white below, and there is a very good reason for this. Recessive white can hide both base colours black AND red more effectively then dominant white.
How do i tell if my birds have recessive white?
Breed them to another colour, i.e black, if all the offspring are non white, then your white bird is a recessive white.
Dominant White (I)
Dominant white is a more interesting gene if you are interested in getting a lot of variety in colour.
Dominant white will hide black, but not red(unless it is pure), making it less effective then recessive white at producing a white bird. Dominant white is often described as leaky, as it allows some pigment to come through into the white colour. The correct term for this is incompletely dominant.
The fact that dominant white does not hold back red pigment when it is not pure does allow for some very interesting colours, as you can breed almost any red pattern on top of it, giving you some lovely colours.
How do i tell if my birds have dominant white?
Breed them to another colour like partridge, if the birds come out white with a lot of colour showing in the white, then they are dominant white(I)