Ear Color Hypothesis

[MysteryChicken]

Since this a topic I've been trying to ask, before.

Is this what caused Ghost's pasty white skin? She also has blue earlobes, but they aren't visible in the picture.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Wow, thank you!
The article was very interesting reading. The study says "your session has timed out"... I would really love to read it!

Sorry, here's the link! I tried to put the pdf but I guess it didn't work https://academic.oup.com/genetics/article/13/6/470/6063367

 

[NatJ]

Sorry, here's the link! I tried to put the pdf but I guess it didn't work https://academic.oup.com/genetics/article/13/6/470/6063367

That's definitely helpful to me!
And I think this bit addresses the main points in the original post:

"For some breeds of poultry, more commonly those classified as Mediterraneans, the color of the earlobe differs from that of the rest of the skin of the face. In such cases it is of a pearl white color and although the histology of the tissue has not been studied the color appears to be due to a deposition of white material just beneath the epidermal layer."

My hypothesis then is this: Mediterranean genetics add an extra layer of skin on their ears, that red eared birds don't have, which makes the colors possible (red being simply vascularization? therefore "uncolored."?)

I think the answer works out to:

--There are genes that control earlobe color. There are quite a number of such genes, and the ones for white earlobes are common in the Mediterranean breeds (which says nothing about where the genes originated, only about where we commonly find them now.)

--there is something extra on the white earlobes, but it is not as simple as an extra layer of skin. It's more like something deposited in the skin or under certain layers of the skin. That "something" would be the purines mentioned in other sources. That does cause the earlobe skin to be thicker or have a different texture than is found in the breeds with red earlobes.

 

[SourRoses]

I don’t see how the lobe size would effect coloring. Big or small, you would just need to select for blue to prevent it from disappearing.

Ear size has no effect on Earlobe color. Pea Comb Silkies have Rather small Earlobes and rather nice blue colored ears

This is why I was asking:

So I was wondering about the relationship between the ear size and color on the face.

If after first getting the color on the face by selecting for the biggest lobes that are also blue for a few generations, will I then be able to select for only medium earlobes without the color coming back off the face?

When I was hunting WFBS eggs, I noticed breeders with less exaggerated ears on males also had females with a break between the ears and facial skin... I don't want that to happen.

I like the continuous "full" faced hens from the breeder I picked:

 

[SourRoses]

I think the answer works out to:

--There are genes that control earlobe color. There are quite a number of such genes, and the ones for white earlobes are common in the Mediterranean breeds (which says nothing about where the genes originated, only about where we commonly find them now.)

--there is something extra on the white earlobes, but it is not as simple as an extra layer of skin. It's more like something deposited in the skin or under certain layers of the skin. That "something" would be the purines mentioned in other sources. That does cause the earlobe skin to be thicker or have a different texture than is found in the breeds with red earlobes.

Thank you Nat for making that so easy to understand!

 

[nicalandia]

Some production type White Leghorn hens show a faint white face, also some Silkie hens show a dark blue face

So far no breed or breeding effort has been taken to produce The Bluest Face possible on a Breed. I believe such phenotype if produce with the correct feather color would be very beautiful indeed

 

[Amer]

Some production type White Leghorn hens show a faint white face, also some Silkie hens show a dark blue face
View attachment 3467552

View attachment 3467554



So far no breed or breeding effort has been taken to produce The Bluest Face possible on a Breed. I believe such phenotype if produce with the correct feather color would be very beautiful indeed

That Silkie reminds me of a cassowary or some other exotic bird.

 

[nicalandia]

That Silkie reminds me of a cassowary or some other exotic bird.

Thats pretty much the Idea.

 

[nicalandia]

It was Hard to Find since I don't speak Indonesian. Here is the result of a Backcross to Green Junglefowl from the White Face Ayam Bekisar.

White Face Spanish

White Face Ayam Bekisar(F1 1/2 Green Junglefowl and 1/2 WFBS)

Ayam Bekilus(3/4 Green Junglefowl, 1/4 WFBS)

Here is the Video

 

[Lilfufubrahma]

https://www.google.com/url?q=https:...QQFnoECDkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1hsKqy_bXRX1NzIDpM8Tx7

This study fully supports your hypothesis about thickness of skin and rejects the purine hypothesis.