Genetic studies in poultry. V. On a case of pied plumage

Summary

The “pied” character, a mixture of coloured, particoloured and pure white feathers (such as occurs in the Exchequer Leghorn), behaves as a simple recessive to self-coloured plumage. Pied chicks show a great deal more white in the down than normal blacks.

An excess of white in the down may however be quite independent of the pied character, occurring in chicks which develop into normal blacks. Such “white” downs are recessive to normal black downs though the grade of pigmentation is probably complicated by a modifying factor, or factors.

The bearing of these facts is discussed in connection with certain difficulties sometimes met with in making use of the sex-linked cross barred ♀ × black ♂.

The experiments recorded in this paper have been carried out by means of the funds provided by the Development Commissioners for breeding research work with small animals.