Posted by:
JP
at Mon Jul 9 14:49:35 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by JP ]
The previous posters make the common mistake we see here every day. Its a simple misapplication of genetic probabilities.
Breeding a het to a het does not give you a 1 out of 4 visuals, or even 25% visuals and 75% possible hets, as the other posted suggested.
What genetics does tell us is this: In a simple recessive trait, a breeding involving a het to a het will give each INDIVIDUAL OFFSPRING a 25% chance of inheriting the hozygous (visual) condition.
Here's the difference in the two points of view. Lets say you subscribe to the 1 outa 4 thought process. In that case, lets say you have an 4 egg clutch. The first 3 pip and all appear normal. You might think then you have a high probability of the 4th egg being the visual, when in actuality you still have the same 25% chance. Its just like flipping a coin. If you flip heads the first 9 times, you still have a 50-50 shot of flipping heads on the 10th.
You could have an 8 egg clutch with all visuals or all possible hets, and any combination thereof. Even assuming very large sample sizes will not necessarily get you your 25-75 ration.
Just remember the percentages you read are PER EGG, not to be extended to ____ out of ____ for the clutch....
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To clarify what the others have said.... - JP, Mon Jul 9 14:49:35 2007