Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Years of my own research and experimentation with crossing blue birds does not
seem to produce the phenotypes that the genetics topics all say will happen. I have
worked with many different blue-colored birds and have had conflicting results. My
blue birds are not all the same shade of blue. It has never worked out as simply for
me as the genetics texts say it will. I am inclined to believe that in future years we
will see that it is no longer referred to as incompletely dominant.
If you take two birds that are both the perfect shade of blue and mate them togeth-
er, you will not get 100 percent blue chicks. If you keep track over the course of a
season of hatches, you should end up with 50 percent blue chicks, 25 percent black,
and 25 percent that turn out what is called splash.
Splash
is where the greatest de-
gree of variations occur. Birds will range from a nearly white with blue undertones
to a very off-white with blue splotches. Mate two splash birds and you get nothing
but shades of splash. Mate splash with blue and you will get 50 percent splash and 50
percent blue. Mate splash with black and you will get 100 percent blue, but they will
not be all the same shade.
The blue genetics are similar in ducks, with 50 percent blue and 25 percent black
offspring resulting from a blue-to-blue mating. With ducks, however, the other 25
percent are called silver, as they tend not to be splash but a solid pale grayish white.
In turkeys, you get the blue and black, and the third color is a very pale grayish blue.
When maintaining a blue variety of poultry, it's important not to always discard
all of the nonblue birds to uphold the proper shade of blue. Continued blue-to-blue
matings seem to make the blue become dull after a period of time — possibly from
too many blue genes. Without the correct dilution, the pigment does not concentrate
in the lace of the feather, but makes spots within the body of the feather. It is defin-
itely a good idea to involve a black or splash bird in the breeding combinations once
in a while.
Twisted wing feathers
Feathers on the legs (if the breed is not supposed to have them)
Side sprigs on the comb
Misshapen combs
Twisted beaks
Misshapen eyes or legs
Whatever your course for breeding projects, keep meticulous records. Good record
keeping is vital for keeping track of the project stage in which you're embroiled, and