Advice for breeding BBS (Blue Black Splash) genetics! 🐣

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Thank you! That was extremely helpful!

Glad to help! I should point out I did just make a slight edit because I forgot to mention something with regards to the numbers for the first question about having a Blue male over Blue and Splash females. Those numbers assume you have an equal population of Blue and Splash hens in the parent group laying roughly the same number of eggs as each other; the numbers would obviously skew a bit if you had different numbers of those varieties in your breeding group.

 

[Iluveggers]

Glad to help! I should point out I did just make a slight edit because I forgot to mention something with regards to the numbers for the first question about having a Blue male over Blue and Splash females. Those numbers assume you have an equal population of Blue and Splash hens in the parent group laying roughly the same number of eggs as each other; the numbers would obviously skew a bit if you had different numbers of those varieties in your breeding group.

For now it would be 1 of each in a trio…just testing it out and starting small! If we get roughly 2 eggs daily I would assume your numbers would be pretty close!

 

[hannahsocal]

For now it would be 1 of each in a trio…just testing it out and starting small! If we get roughly 2 eggs daily I would assume your numbers would be pretty close!

Hello! I’d like to add also that the number of blues aren’t just what’s important, it’s the QUALITY of the blues. You’re breeding not just for the colour, but for the best likeness to the SOP (so that includes body shape, size, features, etc.). You have to weigh your blues with the qualities of your blacks and splashes and see how you want to breed according to what would make the best blue SOP bird. I know a bbs breeder who ONLY keeps blue birds because of this, and culls all black and splash. To keep the quality of the blue lines high and not mix in any unwanted traits (height, features, etc.) that are in the blacks or splashes. Hope this helps!

 

[Iluveggers]

Hello! I’d like to add also that the number of blues aren’t just what’s important, it’s the QUALITY of the blues. You’re breeding not just for the colour, but for the best likeness to the SOP (so that includes body shape, size, features, etc.). You have to weigh your blues with the qualities of your blacks and splashes and see how you want to breed according to what would make the best blue SOP bird. I know a bbs breeder who ONLY keeps blue birds because of this, and culls all black and splash. To keep the quality of the blue lines high and not mix in any unwanted traits (height, features, etc.) that are in the blacks or splashes. Hope this helps!

Thank you!

Side note: there’s someone local that sells Gold Laced Wyandottes. If we added one of them, can I assume it would genetically work like a Black Laced Red except the lacing would be less red? I was going to ask in a new thread, but you all seem to know so much here! Hoping it would play well with the Blue Laced Red!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I believe the only difference between gold laced and red laced in Wyandottes is the mahogany gene darkening the gold parts of the feather to red. If that is the case, then you'd see 100% red laced in the first generation, but those birds would only have one copy of mahogany and if you kept them in your breeding program you might see gold lacing pop back up in future generations.

 

[NatJ]

Side note: there’s someone local that sells Gold Laced Wyandottes. If we added one of them, can I assume it would genetically work like a Black Laced Red except the lacing would be less red?

Yes.

But one detail: the "lacing" is the edge of the feather, whether that is black, blue, splash, white, or chocolate.

Some varieties have names that make that clear (Blue Laced Red, Black Laced Red, Chocolate Laced Silver, etc.) The common "Gold Laced" and "Silver Laced" actually have black lacing on a gold or silver ground color.

 

[3KillerBs]

Note: Statistics are just statistics.

Random chance happens -- I've hatched around 40-50 chicks from my flock this year and have had only one splash and a disproportionate number of blacks.

But if I'd hatched 1000 chicks I'd probably have gotten the expected proportions.

 

[Iluveggers]

Yes.

But one detail: the "lacing" is the edge of the feather, whether that is black, blue, splash, white, or chocolate.

Some varieties have names that make that clear (Blue Laced Red, Black Laced Red, Chocolate Laced Silver, etc.) The common "Gold Laced" and "Silver Laced" actually have black lacing on a gold or silver ground color.

Awesome thank you for the detail! Genetics is completely new to me…so fascinating!

 

[hannahsocal]

Awesome thank you for the detail! Genetics is completely new to me…so fascinating!

There’s a few really informative and useful papers I’ve read on chicken feathering genetics that you might be interested in. I’ll try to find them this week and post links if you want to check those out! as a science lover haha (B.S. in combined science at a top uni), it always makes me so happy to see other chicken people who are also interested in the nitty gritty explanations of how these amazing colouring genetics work!

 

[Iluveggers]

Note: Statistics are just statistics.

Random chance happens -- I've hatched around 40-50 chicks from my flock this year and have had only one splash and a disproportionate number of blacks.

But if I'd hatched 1000 chicks I'd probably have gotten the expected proportions.

I understand! Just want to make sure if I sell chicks or hatching eggs that there actually is a chance of getting all 3.

Anothet I could do is blue rooster with black & splash hens…if I’m correct it would be 50% blue, 25% splash & 25% black?