BBS Orpington x Sapphire Gem

[Rainbowlaying]

I’ve recently crossed my BBS Blue Orpington roo with my Sapphire Gem hen. I’m getting blue/silver/mauve chicks. If I wanted to create a new line of chicken, how could I weed out the mauve?

 

[NatJ]

I’ve recently crossed my BBS Blue Orpington roo with my Sapphire Gem hen. I’m getting blue/silver/mauve chicks. If I wanted to create a new line of chicken, how could I weed out the mauve?

That mix should not be giving mauve chicks. Unless the Blue Orpington rooster is carrying the chocolate gene.

For now, I would let them grow up and see what colors they actually have, because it may just be the chick down looking different than you expected.

When they have their feathers, maybe post updated pictures and see if anyone has useful suggestions.

There is always the option of picking the best-looking ones for breeding and eating the rest, which tends to work even if you don't figure out what genes are involved (although understanding the genetics can sometimes make the project go several generations faster.)

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Sapphire gems are blue (unless they changed their "recipe")
If your rooster is blue, and your hen is blue, all your chicks will be BBS (blue, black, or splash)
The splash spots can take a while to be noticeable. Some chicks also start out lighter than others.

In the chicken world, Mauve is blue + chocolate (sex link chocolate, not dun chocolate. They're different, but they look similar)