Features

There are 7 feature loci: karyotype, body, pattern, tail, comb, eyespot, and wattle. Chicks generally inherit each parent's traits in an equal ratio.

Karyotype

Chickens can have two karyotypes: ZZ and ZW. They determine whether the chicken has leg spurs and also whether they can breed with each other. Check the breeding page for more information about chicken karyotypes.

Body

Chickens can currently have two body shapes: chook and chorb. The colour of the chicken's body is determined by their Base colour gene. It is likely that more will be added.

Pattern

There are eight available patterns: none, bar, lace, head, speckle, neck-speckle, double-lace, and half-lace. The chicken's pattern colour (as well as their wings) is determined by their Over colour gene.

Of these variants, only the first five can be obtained through splicers (EnPattern or Roll). The rest can only be obtained via breeding. Patterns aren't always inherited in a 50/50 ratio from parents. Refer to the chart below for inheritance ratios. (Effectively, double-lace, half-lace and neck-speckle are recessive, and will almost always be rarer for their offspring to inherit.)

(Read from top to bottom; a higher rule takes priority over a lower rule)

Lace × Lace

75% Lace

25% Double-lace

Lace × None

50% Half-lace

25% Lace

25% None

Double-lace × Lace

75% Lace

25% Double-lace

Double-lace × Not Double-lace

100% Lace

Half-lace × Neck-speckle

100% Half-lace

Half-lace × Not Half-lace

100% the other parent's pattern

Speckle × Head

50% Neck-speckle

25% Speckle

25% Head

Neck-speckle × Not Neck-speckle

100% the other parent's pattern

Tail

Chickens can have one of five tails: none, stub, fan, floppy, and plume. Their tail colour is determined by the Over colour gene.

Comb

Currently, chickens can have seven comb types: none, front, back, lorge, bantam, mop, and flick. The first four combs have their colours determined by the Flair colour gene; Mop is determined by the Base colour gene, and Flick is determined by the Over colour gene.

None combs are special: chicks cannot hatch with no comb (a chick with two uncombed parents will have a random comb), and combs can only be removed with the UnComb splicer.

Eyespot and Wattle

Eyespots and wattles are either present or absent. Their colour is determined by the Flair colour gene.