Genetic dummy help with Lemon Blue

[rosaroca]

I’ve posted here before and gotten some really detailed help, much of which went right over my head. Lol. I have one Brown Red bantam cochin Rooster and one breeding pair of Lemon Blues. What color hens should I put with my Brown Red to eventually get More Lemon Blues? (I can’t find any LB hens or pullets to purchase)

Keep it simple please As the title says I’m a genetics dummy. Too darn many color genes to deal with. But I do understand the black/blue/splash thing.

 

[nicalandia]

Brown Red Rooster x Lemon Blue hen = 50% Lemon Blues and 50% Brown Reds

 

[rosaroca]

Thanks. But I guess I explained poorly, I can’t find any lemon blue hens to buy (and my only one already has a LB mate) so what other color could I breed with my brown red to eventually be able to create more lemon blues? Sorry about the confusion.

 

[NatJ]

I can’t find any lemon blue hens to buy (and my only one already has a LB mate) so what other color could I breed with my brown red to eventually be able to create more lemon blues? Sorry about the confusion.

The options I can see:

Hatch chicks from your lemon blue pair, then cross some of those chicks to brown reds.

Buy brown red hens, and mate them with your current lemon blue rooster. (He will NOT object to having more hens to mate with!)

Your lemon blues should produce some chicks with two copies of the blue gene. I don't know what to call them--maybe "lemon splash"? If you get one, cross it to a brown red to get 100% lemon blue chicks.

None of these do anything for your brown red rooster this year, but by next year you can probably have some lemon blue or splash hens to cross with him.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Ya I'm not following.
If you have a pair of LBs and want more LBs whats the need in wanting to use the BR?
Breed the LBs and use some of those offspring with the BR next year.

 

[NatJ]

I think birchen hens with your lemon blue rooster should also produce lemon blue and brown red daughters (but cull all sons from that cross, if you want to keep things genetically simple.)

 

[rosaroca]

Thanks everyone. I’ve been trying to find something constructive to do with my Brown Red rooster this year While waiting to hatch some chicks from my LB pair and waiting for their chicks to get up to breeding age If I can get some chicks from the brown red and any mates I find for him that I can then use to produce more LBs I’d be thrilled. I do have a nice birchen hen that I can get I think.

 

[NatJ]

I do have a nice birchen hen that I can get I think.

Birchen is only useful with the Lemon Blue rooster, not with the Brown Red (that is, if you want Lemon Blues.)

 

[rosaroca]

Thanks NatJ. That’s helpful. If I bred the brown red to splash hens (from a blue breeding program) what would I get? Anything I could use to produce more LBs? I’m trying to get at least two breeding pens going to Build up my LB
Breeding program.

 

[NatJ]

If I bred the brown red to splash hens (from a blue breeding program) what would I get?

If you use the kind of splash that goes with solid black and with solid blue, you get a genetic mess. (Probably looks like a solid blue bird.) Getting reasonable lemon blues from that cross would probably take several years of breeding and selecting.

It will be faster to raise lemon blue or a "lemon splash" (or whatever they're called) from your own lemon blues to cross to the brown red. That way, you'll be hatching lots of lemon blues next year, descended from the chicks you raise this year.

Anything I could use to produce more LBs? I’m trying to get at least two breeding pens going to Build up my LB Breeding program.

You might just be stuck with one breeding pen THIS year. But if you produce some chicks this year, you can divide them up and put with various brown reds next year to make several breeding pens.

Or you could put your lemon blue hen with your brown red rooster, and buy brown red or birchen hens to put with the lemon blue rooster. That would give you two pens, and each pen would produce some lemon blue chicks, along with some brown reds. (And some weird cockerels, if you used a birchen hen--cull those cockerels.)

If you stick with just one breeding pen, you can get more total chicks (including lemon blue) by buying brown red or birchen hens to join the lemon blues. It will provide more genetic variation too, if you have chicks from several mothers.