Results of Blue or Splash Orpington over...

greenaus · **Posted:** Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:26 am

Previously I followed and may have even participated a little in a discussion about sex-linked chickens from Light Sussex mothers and barred/cuckoo mothers such as Barred Plymouth Rocks.

Originally, I had thought that a Blue father would yield a similar result to a Black but with Blue in place of black. Until...recently I realised/remembered that a Blue Orpington is produced from Splash over Splash or Black/Blue over Blue/Black, never Blue over Blue. I began to wonder WHAT the result would be from Blue over Light Sussex or Plymouth Rock.

andrewschooks explained what happens with blue (and splash) over a barred hen right here. So, that bit is answered...I think.

andrewschooks wrote:

If you mate a blue rooster over the barred hens, then half the male chicks will be black and barred and half blue and barred and half the females will be straight black and half straight blue. Both possibly with some colour in the hackles.

What about a Blue Orpington over a Light Sussex?

Of splash over barred, andrewschooks wrote:

If you mate a splash rooster over the barred hens, then the male chicks will be blue and barred and the females will be straight blue. Both possibly with some colour in the hackles.

What about a Splash Orpington over Light Sussex?
.

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

The earlier post you quote was about mating cuckoo and colours. In this new example the colours are not sex linked, so the numbers of each colour in each sex should be the same.

If you have a splash rooster x light sussex there are lots of genes different in the parents, and it will depend on the genotype of the splash rooster. The light sussex has the columbia colour pattern that limits black to just the hackle and the tail. My bet would be that you get all progeny looking like a light sussex but with blue hackle rather than black.

If you have a blue rooster x light sussex there are still lots of genes different in the parents, and the rooster is heterozygous (mixed) for the splash gene. My bet would be that you would get all progeny looking like a light sussex but with half black and half blue hackle.

greenaus · **Posted:** Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:30 pm

Darn!

I guess I'll have to go with the Buff Orps over them, and/or stick to putting them over cuckoo/barred hens.

Thanks for the explanation...even if it wasn't what I really wanted to hear. It's better to find out before doing it.

Has anyone else got anything they want to add?

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

what are you trying to achieve?

greenaus · **Posted:** Sat Jul 10, 2010 2:14 am

Nothing special. I just wanted to be able to sex at a glance so that I can stop feeding cockerels.

MariaCreeksPoultry · **Posted:** Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:10 am

We tried a Splash Orpington rooster over light sussex hens for meat birds. The chicks were all a very washed out blue colour. It didn't matter they tasted nice, but not as nice as Australorps.

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

With light sussex hens you could use a gold rooster of some description, like a rhode island red. Female chicks will be orange and males yellow. This colour mating is what they use to make Isa Browns, Lohmans etc commercially. Of course they use their own special strains of parent birds not straight sussex and RIR.

The Brown leghorn also has a gold base colour, but they tend to have other kinds of red enhancers as well so even the silver (yellow) males may look a bit orange.

greenaus · **Posted:** Sat Jul 10, 2010 12:44 pm

Ok. Thanks.

Much of my small bit of knowledge on the subject came from pages such as http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and- ... ckens.html

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

[quote="greenaus"]I had thought that a Blue father would yield a similar result to a Black but with Blue in place of black. Until...recently I realised/remembered that a Blue Orpington is produced from Splash over Splash technically this is incorrect – in Orpington Splash to Splash can only give you Splash which 'technically' is the true Blue having Bb as its genetic code or Black/Blue over Blue/Black, never Blue over Blue. Blue to Blue gives Blue this I know as it happens all the time in Orpington breeders pens I began to wonder WHAT the result would be from Blue over Light Sussex or Plymouth Rock. To any barred/cuckoo bird Blue results in mismarked birds with incorrect skin and eye colour UNLESS you are talking a Blue carrying Barred/Cuckoo from a Blue Cuckoo/Blue Barred mating
Genetics is all fine and good but without DNA testing to reasonably accurately know what is in your backyard everything comes down to Mother Nature and she really knows how to screw with the human mind [end quote]

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

I've been wondering about blue cuckoos for a while now. Is it the case that sometimes the barring only shows up very faintly on a blue bird?

AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Results of Blue or Splash Orpington over...

Who is on the Forum