Sports

I just ordered 40 BPRs with the intention of maintaining a purebred flock, as well as crossing them to produce BSLs from time to time.
After I placed the order I found that breeding BPRs requires breeding sports, a few different color varieties in the breed, to maintain good barring and so on.

I also would like to produce RSLs using birds with a columbian type colorings. Do breeds like the Columbian Rocks and Delawares breed true? or do they also require the use of sports to maintain quality breeders?

SunnySideUpGUAM said:

I just ordered 40 BPRs with the intention of maintaining a purebred flock, as well as crossing them to produce BSLs from time to time.
After I placed the order I found that breeding BPRs requires breeding sports, a few different color varieties in the breed, to maintain good barring and so on.

I also would like to produce RSLs using birds with a columbian type colorings. Do breeds like the Columbian Rocks and Delawares breed true? or do they also require the use of sports to maintain quality breeders?

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What is a BPR? Do you mean "Barred" Plymouth Rocks or "Blue" Plymouth Rocks?


Matt

Barred

SunnySideUpGUAM said:

Barred

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Well, in that case...someone gave you some bad information because Barred Rocks do not need to be bred to anything else. As a matter of fact a Plymouth Rock "Sport" would be a quite rare thing to find because they are produced out of the Blue variety and Blue Plymouth Rock are extremely rare. I only know of 2 people in the country that have them currently. The Blue or Sport variety would in no way aid in the breeding of Barred Rocks. Being that Barred and Blue or "Sport" are completely different color patterns if you were to cross them it would cause a mess color wise.

Matt

i read it here http://barredplymouthrock.com/content/breeding-barred-rocks. some other people told me its because the UK has different standards from US.

anyway would you happen to know if columbian patterns like Columbian Rocks or delawares breed true?

SunnySideUpGUAM said:

i read it here http://barredplymouthrock.com/content/breeding-barred-rocks. some other people told me its because the UK has different standards from US.

anyway would you happen to know if columbian patterns like Columbian Rocks or delawares breed true?

Click to expand...

Hi,
I don't see why not. they are built on different alleles. Columbian Rock is built on eb ( Brown). Delaware is built on eWh ( Wheaten) allele. They take different techniques in color breeding but as far as I know both breed do breed true.
Best,
Karen

Thanks Karen

OK, they are using sport in a different manner than is used in the US, where it is used almost exclusively by game bird breeders to refer to the splash version of blue. Also, the genetic nomenclature in the link is wrong worldwide. The genetic symbol for barring is B, not Ba, and Bl is indicative of blue, not black. There is no specific nomenclature for black other than the various symbols for the base such as E (Extended black) E^R (birchen) etc. The lack of a blue dilution of black plumage would be bl+, but that does not ensure that there are no other genes that alter the black pigment, only htat there is lack of a blue dilution.

If British standards call for a heterozygous male (one copy of barring), then yes, you will produce some black and some doubled barred birds as well, depending on how you pair them up. US standards require males be double barred. I would check you standards to be certain. Even for a single barred male in the US, the barring in the 1st photo shown would not be correct. Our barring is supposed to be very crisp, and not wavy like in many of the photos in the links.

thanks for the feedback im trying to learn as much as i can before my barred rocks arrive and while they develop. My main goal is to maintain a barred rock flock to produce Red sexlinks with, but within the pure flock i want to make sure they are close to the standard but more importantly stay productive.

Do you have any tips to breed for egg productivity?

You cannot make red sex links using barred rocks.