Blue x Blue = lighter Blue?

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Okay, so I still can't find the post that prompted me to make this thread, but I've found a few more posts from experienced breeders of the forum that seem to confirm or at least imply that this is a thing. So I guess all I need to do is breed my Blues together and I'll eventually get to the lighter Blues I want at some point down the line. Should anyone with more knowledge on the subject see this, please do correct me if I'm wrong!

I've also been seeing a bit about breeding super light Blues to Blacks in order to make a more medium shade of Blue, breeding Splash to Black to make a spectrum of different shades of Blue, and that breeding similar shades of Blues together are more likely to produce Blue offspring of a similar shade rather than a spectrum of different shades. Very interesting stuff.

I guess next year is going to be an exciting year for hatching here. I can't wait!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Should anyone with more knowledge on the subject see this, please do correct me if I'm wrong!

@nicalandia
@NatJ

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I think that blue to blue and blue to splash end up throwing a slight variety of lighter and medium chicks. So theoretically you could just keep selecting the lightest blues to keep lightening the color

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

@nicalandia
@NatJ

Nicalandia was one of the users I saw that confirmed the accumulation of dilution in Blues when breeding Blue to Blue making them lighter over generations, as seen in the link I posted on the last page, but I would love to see if they or NatJ have any other insights on the topic.

I think that blue to blue and blue to splash end up throwing a slight variety of lighter and medium chicks. So theoretically you could just keep selecting the lightest blues to keep lightening the color

That seems to be the truth based on what I've been finding, so that's what I'm going with.

 

[NatJ]

I would love to see if they or NatJ have any other insights on the topic.

I have no personal experience. Like you, I've seen it discussed, but that's the extent of my "knowledge."

Depending on how many chickens you have room to keep, you could try with each rooster, and see what results you get which way.

No matter which rooster(s) you choose, if you keep notes, you will eventually know how it works (or doesn't work) with your own birds.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I do intend to keep both of the males I posted as a bit of insurance in case something happens to one of them, so I may try that. I am limited by the amount of space I have to brood and grow out chicks, so it may not be a huge number per brood, but hopefully I can hatch enough that I can document something.

 

[JedJackson]

Blue x blue will produce some variation in coloring, so you can select what you want. Generally when you are breeding for showing you want darker blues, and most breeders of show birds cross blue and black birds together, only resorting to blue x blue or blue x splash when their stock has gotten too dark.