I have silver ameraucanas that need some help in the size and vigor areas. I hatched a very nice large black ameraucana cockerel from a nice blue egg this spring. I am thinking of putting him over the silver hens I have. I am pretty sure the black cockerel has birchen genes as his legs are slate. My end goals are to increase size, get some hybrid vigor the new blood should introduce, maintain the egg color and get a nice black breast on the males. The males right now are speckled with white in the breast and seem to be lacking silver in the hackles and saddles. The females are looking nice and to the standard, except for the size. My question: Is it better to put a silver male over a larger black hen or a large black male over the silver hens? Please remember to answer in terms that are suitable for a person who needs to read the book, "Chicken Genetics for Dummies".
Jean, Here is a sight that may help. Harry http://home.hetnet.nl/~h.meijers69/kruising.html or search for Kip Calculator HS
Locus just means the different gene groups. For example the blue gene, splash or lack there of "ie self or black".
Locus means the specific location on a particular chromosome. It's the same basic idea as an house address for someone.. like 23443th House on Chromosome 1 SGM you may be thinking of alleles, which are genes that occupy the same locus.
It shows the same results if I use a black roo over silver hens or silver roo over black hens. Harry, how did you get your size up so fast on the lavenders? I just put my little guy out over the black hens. He is just slightly smaller than they are. I am hoping to have some split to lavender offspring set aside to breed to what I hope to get from you in the spring.
Jean, Yes, it does but at the bottom there are the results and then shows you the results if you use any of the roosters or the original silver rooster. I would use him on your very largest hen/pullet. Some people say you get size from the female where I was always told you get size from the male even though some of the writen authors also say the female gives you size. So, this is something that the individual will have to figure out by themselves. If you have a female cull that is like a birchen from the blacks that may be your best course to follow by I have no interest in Silvers. If I remember right you need two pens for breeding in some breeds, one for the male show line and one for the female show lines. Now as far as the Lavenders, I had three different lines to work with. One was trashed because of cleaning the red out of it would take forever. The two lines were John's and another was a EE's line with larger birds than a show Ameraucana size. So I have no problem with size. The male in the picture on BYC is a combination of both lines. The other male is also combination but looks more like John's bantam line but he is going to be the right size for LF. My black split lavender chicks are going to large by their appearance and they are looking really good. I may just get out of the blacks eventually except for my own purposes for new blood. My lavenders except for one pullet have bright red ear lobes so I don't have to deal with that too much, may even cull her. HS
Harry, My problem is that my black lines carry birchen genes. I only know this because I was told that a genetically black bird with white skin cannot have slate legs and some of my black birds have slate legs. I was told they had to be birchen but had so many black modifiers that the birchen genes were covered, therein lies a problem..... I never get a black or blue bird with off colored hackles. How is egg color in your lavenders?