building a white flock from 'scratch'

[Suki]

Good to hear that there are more...but what are white sports?  Thanks Brownie

[Cesar Villegas]

Good to hear that there are more...but what are white sports?  Thanks Brownie

The term "sport" reference to an unexpected (surprise) color hatching that is different that of its parents/flock.

Example: a black flock producing some white chicks.
               a wheaten flock producing an all buff colored chicks etc..
               

[Suki]

thank you Cesar. That's how I got my few whites...it's a slow process.

Updated 3/3/16

This site discusses the white sports factor

https://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-breeding/poultry-genetics-black-and-white/

[Suki]

Here's a nice article on Dominant white

https://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-breeding/dominant-white-gene/


And another on Recessive white.

https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/gms-supplement-1-recessive-white/

[Mike Gilbert]

Those are helpful articles, though I did not read quite all of the second one.   So I'm not sure if it goes into the fact that birds can be both dominant AND recessive white, since they are altogether different alleles.  We have some examples of that in White Chanteclers.   Folks breeding white to white can't understand why they sometimes get color appearing.   Brother Wilfrid used both White Leghorns (dominant white), and White Rocks and White Wyandottes (recessive white) to make his creation.   So if a mating were made whereby both parents were hetero for recessive white, some chicks could appear with red/buff feathers.   Likewise, if chicks were produced with only one copy of recessive white and one copy of dominant white, it might allow leakage of some black or gray feathers as well.   Hopefully all our Ameraucanas are recessive white only, but if you get some surprises from white to white matings, this might be one explanation.   

[John W Blehm]

Mike, reading that triggered my brain to realize that after 3 hatches so far this season my LF blacks haven't produced any white chicks as they did the last few years.  Without test mating and only selection I may have eliminated recessive white in the flock.  As you recall it was introduced from the BIG black pullet I picked up in Kentucky a few years back.

[Suki]

So that's a good thing isn't it John?

[John W Blehm]

So that's a good thing isn't it John?

Yes.  It wasn't a clean recessive white, so it wasn't something to use to develop a new line of whites.

[Suki]

What's a "clean" recessive?

[John W Blehm]

What's a "clean" recessive?

By that I meant a recessive white that feathers pure white.  I was getting some that didn't have the typical recessive white chick down and had some grayish feathers as they matured.
http://www.the-coop.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=112878&page=1

[Gina Neta]

I bought two white sport pullets from John about a year and a half ago.  They are good layers, nice sized birds - they are farm favorites due to their curious nature.  If you look really hard you can find one or two small black spots on them - largely invisible unless I would try to show them (no plans on that).  I tried attaching a picture of one of them but the file is too big.  Maybe John will attach it for me.  One day I'll figure out how to do that.....

Can you post this picture of my White Sport from the Blehm ranch?  I think it needs to be re-sized and I can't figure out how to do that......
Yes that is a piece of scrambled egg in her mouth...

[Mike Gilbert]

Gina, if you want to breed those whites, the Thompson family from Woodville, Wisconsin has some real nice whites, and I'm sure they will be at our June show in Galesville.   They should appear on the membership list John sent. 

[Gina Neta]

Thanks Mike!  I do have a quad of whites I bought in Lebanon last fall ad I'm hoping to get some nice birds from.  But I may contact them anyway for a few as what I have are not perfect.  I think I could get a decent start with what I have though.

[Suki]

That's for the note on the scrambled egg, i was wondering about that.  She is pretty Gina.

Brownie.

[John W Blehm]

The muff/beard, tail and overall type really look good from where I sit and she got all those traits from her black parents.  If only she were a more pure white color I think she would do well in the showroom.