You are not alone Russ. I, too, learned a valuable lesson about outcrossing this year.
Namely, it doesn't always result in anything good... the bad and the ugly are just as likely, if not more so, to pop up and ruin best laid plans. Sometimes all you can do is skim the top, strain out the dregs, and restir the pot. That or start fresh...but that's not always a viable option either. Good quality standard bred stock is not easy to find!
And sorry I'm no help with gypsy face. I don't think I've ever actually seen it in the flesh. Going to see what my genetic book has to say on the subject...
Gypsy face = dark facial skin. the genes responsible for dark pigment in the skin without fybromelanosis (Fm, dark skin like in silkies) are the first basic e-alleles that contain the most black pigment, being E, extended black and ER, to a lesser degree. The effect of the amount of black in E and ER is most clearly visible in leg colour, especially the epidermis (which is black if there are no black pigment inhibitors present.) The skin becomes darker due to sunlight. Early studies by Punnett showed gypsy face is dominant and related to birds that carry id+. Id is an inhibitor of dermal black pigment, id+ allows dermal pigment, making legs lead grey when skin colour is white. dermal means the second skin layer which is under the epidermis, the top layer. It's never been searched for which modifier gives the dark face on E black and ER birchen breeds. In Crawford's book (Poultry Breeding and Genetics) its suggested that's it's an unknown and there could be also another (new) e-allele, so a different E extended black and a different ER birchen....taken from Genetics of the Chicken Extremes by Sigrid Van Dort and Friends.
^ That only goes back as far as 2008 though. Maybe something new has been discovered since?
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