Buff eye color...Blue or Brown????? Which is correct???

[hopemason28]

I have Buffs with blue eyes and was wondering if this was not a good thing as far as keeping my breeding line pure. Or is this a trait they should not have? Help

 

[Pyxis]

I pulled out my SOP to check for you and the standard calls for the eyes to be a dark hazel, not blue.

 

[hopemason28]

OK. So where on earth did the blue eyes come from??? Mom and Dad have hazel

 

[Pyxis]

OK. So where on earth did the blue eyes come from??? Mom and Dad have hazel

I believe blue is (mostly) recessive in geese just as in humans - your parent birds carry it but don't express it.

 

[hopemason28]

So these birds should not be breed? To keep the blue eyes from being passed to a new generation. ??

 

[Pyxis]

So these birds should not be breed? To keep the blue eyes from being passed to a new generation. ??

If you were breeding for the SOP, that's correct. The other problem is even if you get offspring from the first pair (or from these new ones if you breed to ones that have hazel eyes) that have hazel eyes there's no way to tell that they're not also carrying blue until you breed them. The problem with recessive genes is it's really hard to make sure it's actually gone. You could think you've eradicated it and then it pops up again a few generations later.

 

[hopemason28]

Thank you for the help I was afraid of that.

 

[Silver Spring Waterfowl]

Do not worry about the color of their eyes. I cannot tell you how many really good birds I culled for this reason -all for nothing! Their eyes actually change color. That was never something I would ever have considered, but it's true! The SOP says dark hazel, not blue OR brown, although brown seems to be as acceptable as the dark hazel. If you have geese with bright blueberry or china blue eyes, those will probably (Note: probably) not change. I have a lot of young birds (including the one in my profile picture) who had blue eyes. Those blue eyes will actually change over time and you will have a true hazel. It's the lighter ones that are less desirable. If they are still distinctly blue at one year, then think about whether or not you should breed them,but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Those seemingly blue-eyed babes are the true hazels. PM me if you have a question or problem. I'm rarely on here. Kathy