Blue Eared Breeds?

[tlcmurphy]

Lol no it's a common trend! Red ears = brown, white = white, blue = blue. But Silkies don't lay blue eggs either!

Can’t think of a blue-lobed breed that lays blue eggs. And I’m an old wife so know all the tales

 

[sean_wonder]

Can’t think of a blue-lobed breed that lays blue eggs. And I’m an old wife so know all the tales

Me neither! That's why I came here to ask because aside from Silkies I can think of literally no other breed with blue lobes in their SOP

 

[MGG]

How blue are you talking?
Silver spangled Hamburgs have blue-ish earlobes, and so do Andalusians depending on quality. But the really teal colored blue that silkies get is a pretty unique trait and I'm not aware of any others that get that blue.

Hamburgs

 

[TexasBlues]

Can’t think of a blue-lobed breed that lays blue eggs. And I’m an old wife so know all the tales

Some whiting true blues do. more of a light blue compared to the turquoise of the silkies. silkies also have bluish beaks.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Me neither! That's why I came here to ask because aside from Silkies I can think of literally no other breed with blue lobes in their SOP

It’s probably because it’s linked to dermal melanin. I would assume it’s limited to breeds that are either fibromelanistic or have mulberry faces. For it to show up, it needs to also have the white earlobe gene to deposit purines under the skin. So breeds like Sebrights wouldn’t have this because they have red earlobes. The combination of white earlobes and fibro/mulberry faces eliminates most breeds so that’s why true turquoise lobes are uncommon.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

It’s probably because it’s linked to dermal melanin. I would assume it’s limited to breeds that are either fibromelanistic or have mulberry faces. For it to show up, it needs to also have the white earlobe gene to deposit purines under the skin. So breeds like Sebrights wouldn’t have this because they have red earlobes. The combination of white earlobes and fibro/mulberry faces eliminates most breeds so that’s why true turquoise lobes are uncommon.

I’m brainstorming breed possibilities and since Hedemora are a landrace breed it appears they have red or tinted white earlobes and some are fibro. There are some examples of birds with turquoise lobes

 

[flockofdovz]

We have multi-gen Olive Eggers who have the light blue earlobes shown in the photos in this thread. They all lay hues of green. Their father is a homozygous rooster with blue-egg genetics. Many are a BC1 blue back cross with the moms being Olive Eggers.

 

[sean_wonder]

Woah... all very neat info. So seems like blue ears are not a common enough thing for multiple breeds, but common enough that lineages can experience them anyway

 

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

This thread isn't super old or anything so I thought I might mention that most of my mix breeds past 2nd or 3rd generation have light blue earlobes. Here's a few examples, I've been unsure if can breed true though. These guys don't have any silkie blood in them whatsoever by the way

this ones slightly less blue in direct light, more of a sky blue

 

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

This thread isn't super old or anything so I thought I might mention that most of my mix breeds past 2nd or 3rd generation have light blue earlobes. Here's a few examples, I've been unsure if can breed true though. These guys don't have any silkie blood in them whatsoever by the way
View attachment 4206929
View attachment 4206931
this ones slightly less blue in direct light, more of a sky blue
View attachment 4206932

Both black hens lay light brown eggs but the red one lays really blue eggs!