Blue leghorn and black leghorn hen produce only black males

[mellissa]

Why is it that my blue leghorn rooster and my black hens only produce black males.

 

[sylviethecochin]

You have terrible luck? How many have you hatched? I met one guy who hatched out a dozen eggs and got one hen. (Somehow, you never hear a similar story about hatching too many pullets.)

 

[sevenfatcows]

The smaller the sample the more likely the sex ratio will be something other than 50/50. Last October I hatched 8 Cream Legbar/ Silver Laced Wyandotte chicks and got seven pullets and one baby roo. So if you have not hatched very many, that may be your whole problem.

 

[Fairview01]

You need to learn you genetics. Typically black is a dominant color and blue is recessive to black. If the above is correct that means your rooster has 2 blue recessive genes. Since no offspring is blue there is a very good chance the hen has 2 dominant black genes. Since the rooster and hen contribute one gene each all offspring will be black which covers the blue gene. It would not be until the F1 generation is bred that there would only be a 25% probability that the egg would carry a double blue gene and produce a blue offspring.

Either that or you have really bad luck.

 

[The Moonshiner]

You need to learn you genetics. Typically black is a dominant color and blue is recessive to black. If the above is correct that means your rooster has 2 blue recessive genes. Since no offspring is blue there is a very good chance the hen has 2 dominant black genes. Since the rooster and hen contribute one gene each all offspring will be black which covers the blue gene. It would not be until the F1 generation is bred that there would only be a 25% probability that the egg would carry a double blue gene and produce a blue offspring.

Either that or you have really bad luck.

You also need to learn your genetics.
That is not how black and blue work at all.
Blue is an incomplete dominant and doesn't breed true.
No blue genes equals black
One blue gene and one black gene equals blue
Two blue genes equals splash.
If the rooster is blue he carries one blue gene and one black gene.
If the hen is black she carries no blue genes just black.
When bred together the hen passes on a black gene and the rooster passes either a black gene or a blue gene.
That produces about 50% black chicks and about 50% blue chicks.

 

[sylviethecochin]

You need to learn you genetics. Typically black is a dominant color and blue is recessive to black. If the above is correct that means your rooster has 2 blue recessive genes. Since no offspring is blue there is a very good chance the hen has 2 dominant black genes. Since the rooster and hen contribute one gene each all offspring will be black which covers the blue gene. It would not be until the F1 generation is bred that there would only be a 25% probability that the egg would carry a double blue gene and produce a blue offspring.

Either that or you have really bad luck.

Black is dominant--but blue is co-dominant. Blue is actually one splash or "true blue" gene, and one "black" gene. That color crossed with black should get 50% black, 50% blue.

This is my blue hen.

Splash or "True blue" is two copies of the "true blue" gene and looks white. That color crossed with black would actually get 100% blue.

This is my splash hen, the sister of the above. (Not a particularly good example, she's just filthy)

If you were talking about lavender, you would be correct. Lavender is completely recessive to black.

I stole this image because I have no lavender hens.

EDT: You can tell blue from lavender because blues have dark neck feathers. You should also see faint darker lacing on the feathers of blue hens.

EDT2: Didn't see your edited post, Moonshiner. x2.

 

[mellissa]

Thanks for everyone’s response. I’m going to try the blue roosters black offspring over my splash hen. Hopefully i might see blue and female. I’ll post pics once I have chicks.

 

[keesmom]

Black x splash will result in 100% blue offspring. Good luck with the female part.

 

[mellissa]

Here is an image of a what I thought to be white too 21 weeks but has just started to develop a few blue feathers. Will he work over black hens.
When I bought the black hens they were from blue breeding pen (allegedly).

 

[mellissa]

His mother large white leghorn dads the blue roo