Blue x Black = Black??

[Rancho Bravo]

You are correct, you can never get splash from black x blue. draye was thinking blue x blue.

A BBS blue bird can carry lavender and not express it. Really any bird can carry lavender and not express it, but both lavender and BBS blue only affect the black parts of the plumage. White leghorns, for ex, could have all the genes for either lavender or BBS blue, but you will never know until you breed to a black-based bird, and even then probably not until the F2's.

I think I just muddied the water even more . . .

Lav is separate from BBS, right? So in this cross I should still get 50% black and 50% blue and if the hen carries Lav, then some of the offspring would also be carriers. (unless of course the roo also carries Lav, in which case I would get 25% Lav, 50% carriers, and 25% non-Lav). Am I thinking clearly in these muddy waters?

Now that I'm thinking about it more, how do Blue and Lavender interact? For example, if you have a bird with Blue and homozygous Lav, what would the phenotype be? (sorry if this is an obvious/dumb question)

 

[keesmom]

Lav is separate from BBS, right? So in this cross I should still get 50% black and 50% blue and if the hen carries Lav, then some of the offspring would also be carriers. (unless of course the roo also carries Lav, in which case I would get 25% Lav, 50% carriers, and 25% non-Lav). Am I thinking clearly in these muddy waters?

Now that I'm thinking about it more, how do Blue and Lavender interact? For example, if you have a bird with Blue and homozygous Lav, what would the phenotype be? (sorry if this is an obvious/dumb question)

It isn't a dumb question at all. A bird can be both blue and lavender. It is not a breeding I have done so I have no firsthand knowledge of what it would look like. Here is a thread discussing the blue x lavender issue.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/863346/lavender-and-blue-genes-cross-outcome

 

[hotlipshens]

Would a black jersey ever be able to produce a blue offspring? I wouldn't think they would and would expect all black chicks...unless there are blue jerseys?

 

[keesmom]

Would a black jersey ever be able to produce a blue offspring? I wouldn't think they would and would expect all black chicks...unless there are blue jerseys?

The OP crossed a Jersey Giant cockbird with a blue Orpington hen. The hen is where the blue was introduced.

 

[hotlipshens]

Yes, I know. There are BBS orps but never heard of BBS Jerseys...do they exist?

 

[draye]

How can you be sure the hen is not Lav?

A Lavender doesn't have that dark of a blue color on the neck.

 

[draye]

Yes, I know. There are BBS orps but never heard of BBS Jerseys...do they exist?

Yes, BBS Jersey Giants do exist. Up until about a month ago I had them.
As far as the numbers go it is usually based on a hundred or more chicks. The bigger the numbers the closer to 50-50 on your colors.

 

[hotlipshens]

Thanks! BBS is probably my favorite color variety but I'm still learning about chickens and their complicated color genetics. So sorry to hear you lost your giants.

 

[draye]

Thanks! BBS is probably my favorite color variety but I'm still learning about chickens and their complicated color genetics. So sorry to hear you lost your giants.

I didn't lose them, I sold them.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: The phrase in bold above is incorrect. lavender affects both red and black pigment equally. Blue affects primarily black pigmen t, but can cause some minor dilution to red pigment.

The hen in question is too dark to be lavender, and does not mathc the lavender phenotype of a uni-coloured (self coloured) bird that is a single colour and shade/tint throughout its entire body. Note its darker head and hackles.

The black cock could be a really dark blue, but then you would expect some splash offspring. However with such a small hatch (7), any expectation of the percentages is merely hoping. The reality is that each egg has a 50% chance of being blue and a 50% chance of being black. The more chicks you hatch, the closer you ought to come to 50% of each.