Navy Blue Orpington

rom1136

In the Brooder
Aug 25, 2015
23
3
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we have some very dark blue orpingtons feathering up. they almost look black in the pictures. their whole body is the solid color of what the neck feathers and lacing is typically in blue orpingtons. can someone explain how we got this solid color? other blues came out laced correctly, although they are a little dark. has anyone seen this dark of a blue before?

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i'm really not sure and I'm hoping someone can shed some light. the color is pretty cool. i'm gonna grow at least 1 pair out just to see them full grown.
 
I don't know the genetics behind it, but I've been breeding a fair amount of blue birds the last few years and colors can be all over the place, from this dark blue to a lighter dove grey (but still not splash). I think the variation just happens and is why breeders cull for specific color and lacing. These off shades aren't "correct" as the classic laced blue.

If you want to keep the color going, you could probably just breed birds of the desired shade together and cull the offspring for the shade you want.
 
When you breed blues you don't get a single appearance -- you get a spectrum, often a very wide spectrum. If you're a show breeder you pick the ones that do well in shows, and you sell or cull the rest. If you're not a show breeder, you pick the appearance that you find most pleasing and work towards that, or you simply enjoy the variety. You can fine tune the color as much as you want, but most breeders of blues will still produce some variety. It's just how the color works.
 

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