We are happy to announce that the recessive slate has now returned to the U.S.
Thanks to Daryl Deutscher from Australia working with us through all the red tape, we were able to successfully import some fertilized eggs from him. We hatched out a few poults, got those raised up, and were able to get them reproducing so we can now get these re-established in the U.S. once again.
The recessive slate is a true breeding variety, meaning they reproduce their color/pattern 100%.
Genotype (bb slsl), homozygous genotype of bronze base with the recessive slate mutation.
In 1936, V.S. Asmundson received two slate-colored hens from El Solyo Ranch in Vernalis, California, which had been hatched out of their bronze breeding stock and had barring clearly indicated on the wings.
This was the start of a new slate factor in turkeys which was determined to be a simple autosomal recessive to bronze. The results produced in experimental breedings by Asmundson left no doubt that the gene for slate was in this case recessive to non-slate. (These slate-colored birds were mated to bronze, Bourbon Red, black-winged bronze, and Narragansett. All the first-generation progeny were non-slate regardless of which way the cross was made.)
It seemed best to use sl for this slate gene. These types of slates carrying the bronze color base gene have barred flight feathers and penciled tail feathers.