How to Predict Wattles in Kunekunes
Have you ever wondered how to predict the potential for wattles in your Kunekune litters? Its not as mysterious as you think. Wattles are a simple dominant trait. Which means that if your Kunekune has wattles, then they are either homozygous dominant (two copies of the wattle gene- one from mom and one from dad) or heterozygous (one copy of the wattle gene from one parent, one copy of the unwattled gene from the other parent). If your Kunekune does not have wattles, then they are homozygous recessive (both parents gave them an unwattled gene). If your Kunekune is wattled and has been bred to several partners and has had all wattled babes, then most likely they are homozygous dominant. If your Kunekune is wattled and they’ve been bred to several partners and have had unwattled offspring, then most likely they are heterozygous. Once you have identified the genes that your pigs carry, you can use something geneticists use called a Punnett Square to predict pretty accurately what kinds of wattle rates your litters will have. Let’s look at some possible probabilities:
#1- Parent one has wattles and is heterozygous, parent two has wattles and is heterozygous. With this cross, an average of 25% percent of the babies will be wattle dominant and have wattles. 50% of the offspring will be heterozygous and have wattles. 25% of the offspring will not have wattles and will not have any copies of the wattle gene, therefore they are homozygous recessive.
#2- Parent one has wattles and is heterozygous, parent two does not have wattles. With this cross, an average of 50% of the litter will have wattles and if they do they are definitely heterozygous. That means they can produce both wattled and unwattled offspring. The other 50% of the litter will be unwattled, and can only produce offspring with wattles if crossed with another wattled parent.
#3- Parent one is homozygous dominant, parent two does not have wattles (therefore homozygous recessive). In this case the entire litter will have wattles and every one of them will by heterozygous.
#4- Parent one is unwattled, parent two is unwattled. Both parents are homozygous recessive, neither carries the wattling gene. Therefore, neither one can pass it on and 100% of the litter will be unwattled.
#5- Parent one is homozygous dominant, parent two is homozygous dominant. This is the holy grail, 100% of the litters will be wattled and every offspring will be homozygous dominant themselves.
A couple important notes- the wattling gene is not affected by sex or bloodline. It is a myth that certain bloodlines are wattle dominant and also a myth that the boar has more influence on wattles than the sow. Also, keep wattles in perspective and in line with your breeding goals. Wattles are purely cosmetic and have no other influence on the quality of your pig or its meat. Therefore, if you are breeding for meat, wattles are not that important. If you are breeding for piglet sales, IKHR will not allow unwattled piglets to be registered while AKKPS allows unwattled piglets into their registry. If you are wanting to show your pigs or sell show prospects, wattles are required at IKHR shows while EKPA and AKKPS allows unwattled pigs and lack of wattles is only a minor point deduction.
The K5 Farm prioritizes wattle dominancy but not before other important traits like conformation, growth rates, kind natures, and careful mothering skills. We do have higher than average wattling rates in our litters. We also provide free wattling evaluations of your current herd (up to five animals) with the purchase of a piglet from us, don’t forget to ask!
