BLUE/BLACK/SPLASH & Lavender Orpington Question????

[Kekko]

We have raised Chickens (mixed Flocks) for the past 7 years and Turkeys for about 5 years. This year we have decided on breeding some pure bred chickens so I acquired Blue Lace Red, Columbian Wyandotte and BBS Orpington eggs and incubated them for our breeding stock.

Our hatch on the BBS Orpingtons was a little disappointing as we only had 8 hatched out of 22 (shipped eggs). Of the 8 there was only 1 black and that one didn’t make it. We now have 4 blues (2 hens 2 roosters) and 3 Splash (2 hens 1 rooster). I also have a Lavender Rooster that I hatched and keeping for a while form a gal that has some Lavender Orpingtons. I am trying to decide how to set up our breeding pens for the Orpingtons for next year. From what I have read I am leaning toward keeping 1 Blue Rooster and mating it to the Blue and Splash hens as I am wanting more of the Blue and Black offspring. Down the road I could set up a pen of just Black X Black and a pen with a Splash Rooster & Black hens for 100% Blues. I’m also wondering what the results would be of mating the Lavender rooster with the Blue & Splash hens?

If anyone has some suggestions or advise for me I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[Goose and Fig]

You can keep all of your BBS together. Unless your splash rooster is dominant, you should get a good mix of colors in the offspring.

The lavender would be best to keep him with blacks. You can breed to blue to make splits, but black is best. The lavenders still need improvement in type and feather quality

 

[Kekko]

Quote:
What I am thinking from what I have been reading is that with the Blue Rooster X Splash hens I would get 50% Blue 50% Splash and with the Blue Rooster X Blue Hens I should get 50% Blue 25% Black 25% Splash. That will break down to 50% Blues 37.5% Splash & 12.5% Black which is still more of the Splash than I wanted but better chance for Blues & Blacks. Then I can pick out the Blacks I want and any other Blues and set up a pen with Splash Rooster X Black & Blues to reduce the number of Splash. As I said i'm just baby setting the Lavender Rooster for now but I might have the use of him later on if I could use him for any additional breeding I want to do.

These birds are only 2 1/2 months old now so I'm thinking ahead for next springs breeding!