14/09/2023
So, this isn't a rabbit, but we've had some baby chicks hatch at our place, so I'm taking a detour for a moment.
Notice anything interesting about this chicks feet?...... She has 6 toes!
Genetic traits are controlled by pairs of genes, one from each parent. When the two genes in a pair are not the same, they are called alleles. An allele is simply a variation of a gene. The word is short for allelomorph, literally meaning “other form.”
Since the allele for five toes has greater influence than the allele for four toes, when both alleles are present the five-toed trait dominates. A polydactyl mixed-breed chicken has at least one parent with five toes.
As in many things related to genetics, polydactylism is also controlled by other, unrelated genes. A chicken inheriting the dominant trait of polydactylism therefore may have, not five toes on each foot, but five toes on one foot and four on the other. Just as likely, it may have six toes on each foot, six on one and five on the other, or six on one and four on the other.
(Info from Cackle Hatchery)
