Dongxiang or Lushi

[RobG7aChattTN]

yes I’m familiar with genetics. I was saying in terms of longterm selection. This is assuming of course that you are ok with pea comb birds. And yes, in this case it would only tell you that most single combed birds don’t have the blue egg gene in the specific crossing program I mentioned- the pea-combed individuals would be homozygous or heterozygous in subsequent generation.

You could also do a cross with the opposite linkage such as something like Silkie x Cream Legbar. In this case the blue egg gene would be linked to the single comb gene and you would be able to easily select single combed individuals in F2/F3 etc generations who should also be mainly pure for the blue egg gene. Two things with this cross- 1) silkies’ level of fibromelanosis is not as much as Ayam Cemani 2) silkies have both the pea comb and rose comb genes. Rose comb is not linked to the blue egg gene so rose combed individuals would also mainly lay blue eggs, but it would still be easy to select for single-combed individuals.

I think once the link between the blue egg gene and the pea comb gene is broken then there is no more link. I think if you crossed a Legbar with a brown egg laying pea comb bird there would be no correlation between blue eggs and pea combs.

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

Yes, I used Svart Honas and an F2 Svart Hona x Isbar that the breeder called "Swedish Bluebars". Both single comb. Unfortunately, since I started with only heterozygous F2 hens, I made my job significantly harder. I have been considering getting an Isbar rooster that is homozygous for blue and working from that angle.

Also, and this is mostly anecdotal, but I got the BBS gene mixed in my flock from the Isbars and it seems that the blue egg gene seems to follow blue/splash gene somewhat.

I’ve got a breeding project that has nothing to do with the blue egg gene but a lot of my birds do lay a blue or green egg. It’s long past F1 so there is no predictability. If I get the results that I want and a lot of my birds at that point are laying blue eggs I might try and just hatch blue/green eggs for a few generations to try and improve my chances. The test breeding is a huge hassle but it might be worth trying. I’m trying to create purple chickens and if the breed laid blue eggs that would be very cool.

 

[Sicilianu]

I think once the link between the blue egg gene and the pea comb gene is broken then there is no more link. I think if you crossed a Legbar with a brown egg laying pea comb bird there would be no correlation between blue eggs and pea combs.

This is not correct. I was a Genetics major in college. The two genes are linked closely on the same chromosome. When they recombine, they get spliced the opposite way. So if you take a pea comb blue egg line and cross it with a single comb white egg line in the F2 generation you might let’s say have 3% offspring which recombine to be single comb and blue egg. This means that in this individual the blue egg gene now has been spliced to be next to the single comb (or absence of pea comb) gene.

And this is the same with any breed like a cream legbar which has a single comb and blue eggs. These two genes will be linked in this line until recombination occurs in crosses with other breeds. And so single comb would be an indicator of probably carrying the blue egg gene as well in crosses using a legbar and silkie for instance.

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

This is not correct. I was a Genetics major in college. The two genes are linked closely on the same chromosome. When they recombine, they get spliced the opposite way. So if you take a pea comb blue egg line and cross it with a single comb white egg line in the F2 generation you might let’s say have 3% offspring which recombine to be single comb and blue egg. This means that in this individual the blue egg gene now has been spliced to be next to the single comb (or absence of pea comb) gene.

And this is the same with any breed like a cream legbar which has a single comb and blue eggs. These two genes will be linked in this line until recombination occurs in crosses with other breeds. And so single comb would be an indicator of probably carrying the blue egg gene as well in crosses using a legbar and silkie for instance.

What I was trying to say is that if you crossed a Cream Legbar with a pea combed brown egg layer the offspring wouldn’t suddenly recombine to link the blue egg gent to the PEA COMB. I got the impression that it was being stated that the blue egg gene automatically prefers the pea comb which would not be accurate.

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

What I was trying to say is that if you crossed a Cream Legbar with a pea combed brown egg layer the offspring wouldn’t suddenly recombine to link the blue egg gent to the PEA COMB. I got the impression that it was being stated that the blue egg gene automatically prefers the pea comb which would not be

This is not correct. I was a Genetics major in college. The two genes are linked closely on the same chromosome. When they recombine, they get spliced the opposite way. So if you take a pea comb blue egg line and cross it with a single comb white egg line in the F2 generation you might let’s say have 3% offspring which recombine to be single comb and blue egg. This means that in this individual the blue egg gene now has been spliced to be next to the single comb (or absence of pea comb) gene.

And this is the same with any breed like a cream legbar which has a single comb and blue eggs. These two genes will be linked in this line until recombination occurs in crosses with other breeds. And so single comb would be an indicator of probably carrying the blue egg gene as well in crosses using a legbar and silkie for instance.

Ah...I re-read this. Yes...I could see this being the case. I misunderstood what you were trying to say the first time I read it.

 

[Kindercare]

I’ve got a breeding project that has nothing to do with the blue egg gene but a lot of my birds do lay a blue or green egg. It’s long past F1 so there is no predictability. If I get the results that I want and a lot of my birds at that point are laying blue eggs I might try and just hatch blue/green eggs for a few generations to try and improve my chances. The test breeding is a huge hassle but it might be worth trying. I’m trying to create purple chickens and if the breed laid blue eggs that would be very cool.
View attachment 2277889

Beautiful birds. An impressive achievement. What breeds did you start with, just curious.

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

Beautiful birds. An impressive achievement. What breeds did you start with, just curious.

My first iridescent birds popped up as a byproduct of trying to get Lavender Laced green egg layers. I had a black laced green egg layer that was part Blue Laced Red Wyandotte and part Cream Legbar and I crossed her to a Lavender Orpington. I inbred those birds and very few chicks had Lavender and lacing and the color was disappointing as I thought the background would be “peach” or “pinkish” but they just looked like they had taken a dust bath in red clay soil so they just looked “dirty”. Some of the black birds were very iridescent so I decided to go down that road. It involved any black iridescent birds that I could get my hands on so at this point it’s a lot of breeds and mitts that have gone into the mix.