Arkansas Blue egg layers

[johnderosa1]

I don't know of a set standard other than being BBS coloring.  From the original thread it seemed the intention was specifically for a prolific blue egg layer.  I would prefer not to have a specific standard for body type etc because I would prefer to select for production value just like you.

I agree with the comment that we are looking for prolific blue egglayers but strongly disagree with straying from rhe type and color here. The beauty of these birds is that they breed true for type color and egg color. Mixing a bunch of different birds together just for blue eggs seems to defeat the purpose. I think thats already been done... Its called an easter egger.

 

[1muttsfan]

Arkansas blue egg layers are actually a true-breeding purebred. There is no reason why you can't try your own crosses, but you really can't call them AB's. I am also crossing my AB roo over CL hens to get autosexing blue egg layers for production purposes, but intend on keeping pure AB stock as well.

 

[Metella]

1muttsfan is right one - the thing about a standard and breed is you know what the offspring are going to give you.

Just because you crossed a white EE with an AB and got a great blue egg layer .... HER offspring may give you white or green eggs -and if you sold them as blue egg layers - you are going to have very unhappy customers ...

So there is a long term genetic issue here ... mixes don't breed true to what their parents are in egg or feather color ... so if you are playing around - that is fine - but make sure you call it that - a mixed that MAY give blue eggs ....

 

[Manningjw]

I agree with the comment that we are looking for prolific blue egglayers but strongly disagree with straying from rhe type and color here. The beauty of these birds is that they breed true for type color and egg color. Mixing a bunch of different birds together just for blue eggs seems to defeat the purpose. I think thats already been done... Its called an easter egger.

My point is that I don't think there is a defined type yet is there other than being BBS, pea combs and laying blue eggs? Considering people are still getting variety out of 'pure' stock (ie recessive white popping up out of BBS stock...) also I remember some people on rare occasion getting straight combs from the originals although I think people are doing a better job of selecting now.

I am not at all saying one should intentionally breed away from what they look like at the moment, simply saying that the original designed intent of the bird is not appearance and body type first(which is yet to be defined), eggs second. The original bird was bred for a specific egg laying roll, the appearance that came about just happened to be.

 

[Manningjw]

1muttsfan is right one - the thing about a standard and breed is you know what the offspring are going to give you.

Just because you crossed a white EE with an AB and got a great blue egg layer .... HER offspring may give you white or green eggs -and if you sold them as blue egg layers - you are going to have very unhappy customers ...

So there is a long term genetic issue here ... mixes don't breed true to what their parents are in egg or feather color ... so if you are playing around - that is fine - but make sure you call it that - a mixed that MAY give blue eggs ....

I don't think anyone suggested someone could call them Arkansas Blue when they are crossed so not sure what you are getting at...

Considering that AB egg layers are bred from White Leghorn and Araucana crosses, possibly one other breed mixed in, what if someone were to breed back into White Leghorn for more genetic diversity then breed them back to the AB 'type' of BBS blue egg laying chickens?

 

[Metella]

Farmhand was asking about crossing this hen with an AB .... and keeping the blue egg color.

so the genetics of egg color is an issue - sheesh people jump to conclusions - I never thought Farmhand was going to try to sell any chicks as AB when they are mixed - but I was making a point at how easy it is for people to think they are getting a chicken that has a certain trait from its parents when it really may be just a product of the mix and not something that is passed down to generations in a way that a person may want it to be.


So - manningjw - I am getting at the exact same thing you are getting at. Exact same even with the BBS and white recessive issue. I am agreeing with you and using different wording and a slightly different focus.

 

[Manningjw]

so the genetics of egg color is an issue - sheesh people jump to conclusions - I never thought Farmhand was going to try to sell any chicks as AB when they are mixed - but I was making a point at how easy it is for people to think they are getting a chicken that has a certain trait from its parents when it really may be just a product of the mix and not something that is passed down to generations in a way that a person may want it to be.


So - manningjw - I am getting at the exact same thing you are getting at. Exact same even with the BBS and white recessive issue. I am agreeing with you and using different wording and a slightly different focus.

Arkansas blue egg layers are actually a true-breeding purebred. There is no reason why you can't try your own crosses, but you really can't call them AB's. I am also crossing my AB roo over CL hens to get autosexing blue egg layers for production purposes, but intend on keeping pure AB stock as well.

I agree. I probably should have been more clear in my original response. What i meant to say is I don't think there are specifically defined body weights, angle of the tail, length of legs, etc etc or if there are I am not aware of them. They should be BBS, pea comb only (not throwing any straight combs), lay only blue eggs. Just like pea combs no white eggs should be possible or result from crossing even to another breed (should have 2 genes of blue which is dominant). I just hope that anyone who breeds them continues to breed for production first. I imagine they will or they would have went with Ameraucanas, CCL or Araucanas instead.

Most importantly however is to continue to have fun with whatever breed(or mutt) you maintain, if we aren't doing that we are doing something wrong

.

 

[1muttsfan]

I don't know of a set standard other than being BBS coloring. From the original thread it seemed the intention was specifically for a prolific blue egg layer. I would prefer not to have a specific standard for body type etc because I would prefer to select for production value just like you.

This post does make it seem as if you mean that egg laying should be the primary standard. When you are working with purebred birds, having a standard look is just as important as production standards - neither are more or less important than the other. Developing a breed standard is a long and complicated process, and will take some time - the CL folks have been working hard on that for several years now. When we have more people breeding AB's we will have a better handle on how the Standard should be written.

That does not mean that crosses can't be excellent, sometimes even superior layers or have other superior attributes. Those who are not interested in appearance can probably develop non-standard blue egg layers, like EE's or the Super Blue Egg Layers I see advertised. The best way to get hybrid vigor is to thoughtfully cross two separate purebred breeds with specific goals in mind. My interest in the CL crosses is to have blue eggs from an autosexing bird, but with a pea comb - someone was working on a pea comb CL but haven't heard about that project for a while. The CL combs, especially the roosters, tend to suffer in the extreme cold weather we have here. And for sales of laying pullets to folks not interested in breeding, you can raise only pullet chicks and not have extra roosters to deal with.

 

[Manningjw]

This post does make it seem as if you mean that egg laying should be the primary standard. When you are working with purebred birds, having a standard look is just as important as production standards - neither are more or less important than the other. Developing a breed standard is a long and complicated process, and will take some time - the CL folks have been working hard on that for several years now. When we have more people breeding AB's we will have a better handle on how the Standard should be written.

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[Manningjw]

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Looking at Sumatra game birds, I personally don't think they look much like them they look a bit more like Leghorns to me but not really like either. Considering leghorn is the original primary breed involved, crossing out to commercial leghorn bloodlines and breeding back to homozygous blue egg gene/blue feathering would be consistent with the original project that is now the AB.