Cream Legbar Working Group: Standard of Perfection

[duluthralphie]

Does anyone have experience getting their birds tested for the blue egg gene? I came across this resource in another thread that looks really interesting...
https://www.silveruddsblue.org/testing-for-blue-egg-gene

Why would we do this when all our birds lay blue eggs?

 

[Bantambird]

I was wondering this. But I was wondering what other answers might be said, too. I'm curious.

 

[chickengr]

Why would we do this when all our birds lay blue eggs?

I test the eggs. when I crack them they must be blue inside as well. but I cannot test roos for blue gene. only by mating them to non blue egg layer and then checking if pullets that hatch from that cross will lay blue/green eggs. that would take at least 2 years.

 

[duluthralphie]

I test the eggs. when I crack them they must be blue inside as well. but I cannot test roos for blue gene. only by mating them to non blue egg layer and then checking if pullets that hatch from that cross will lay blue/green eggs. that would take at least 2 years.

Which again makes no sense on a thread about a breed that only lays blue eggs.

Any and every legbar has the blue egg gene or he/she is not a Legbar.

 

[chickengr]

Which again makes no sense on a thread about a breed that only lays blue eggs.

Any and every legbar has the blue egg gene or he/she is not a Legbar.

I agree. but we have a lot legbar looking chickens. they came from dominant.cz and have been sold like legbars.

 

[halefamily_flock]

Why would we do this when all our birds lay blue eggs?

As an example, I started with hatchery stock and am looking to improve them over time. I've already discovered that my rooster is heterozygous for crest through test breeding. I think he is homozygous for blue egg, but it would be nice to know for sure. Correcting for crest through selection is pretty straightforward and culling by selling small-crested or non-crested birds for backyard flocks is pretty easy, as long as they lay pretty blue eggs. But what if I'm pairing him with homozygous hens without realizing he's heterozygous for blue egg?

I've also recently discovered one of my Dominique hens is heterozygous for rose comb. That was incredibly frustrating and has me looking for ways to independently (and quickly) confirm some of the most important genes in my breeding program. I haven't come across any services that confirm comb genes.

You are right, if everyone started with great breeding stock, you wouldn't need this service. Given how many sources of birds, of various quality, are available currently, this sort of test seemed like something someone on this forum might have considered and/or used at some point in the past.

 

[halefamily_flock]

I test the eggs. when I crack them they must be blue inside as well. but I cannot test roos for blue gene. only by mating them to non blue egg layer and then checking if pullets that hatch from that cross will lay blue/green eggs. that would take at least 2 years.

All blue eggs are blue on the inside. But if they only have a "single dose" of the blue egg gene (heterozygous) it will be a lighter blue and they could eventually be matched with a hen who only has a single dose and offspring could lay white. Like you said, the only way to do this through test breeding is with a non blue layer--very long process

 

[Minky]

...but this feather test will only show you if your bird has blue egg gene, not if it has double blue egg gene- correct? So then you are back to square one.

 

[halefamily_flock]

...but this feather test will only show you if your bird has blue egg gene, not if it has double blue egg gene- correct? So then you are back to square one.

It appears to show single vs. double blue egg gene. Here is the example certificate from the link I shared above...

 

[Bantambird]

I feel like I am much too poor, is all, for such testing, but I'd gladly watch other people do it. It's true that there are plenty of bad faith breeders out there, or uneducated breeders.