So far as true blacks, I researched this a couple years ago when I had both blues and blacks and was trying to figure out what rooster to use. Boy did I make a mistake there. Just like others, took bad advice. But here's what I eventually found out after asking and asking and looking at the poultry genetics thingie and everything else:
Blue is a modifier. It inhibits black and turns it "blue." The best blues are those with a silver base to the black rather than gold. Then you go to the blue gene itself.
The gene that creates blue is either present, or it's not. If a bird is visually black, it has no "blue" gene in it. It didn't get that one. BUT, it's not considered a true black because of the assumption that it has silver under there rather than the gold, which "true" blacks have that helps produce a shimmering green sheen.
That being an assumption. A "true" black line has the gold under there rather than silver. If it has a fantastic green sheen when in good condition, it's probably as true a black as you could possibly have. Especially if you breed a few generations as has been suggested and get all blacks of good quality sheen.
Remember blue is a modifier. One copy = blue. Two copies = splash. No copies = black. That black one does not have a blue gene in it. Else it would be blue or splash.
This silver or gold thing is also why a bird of a "pure black" line is not considered desirable for breeding to blues. The assumption being it has gold under there rather than silver and won't make as good a blue. I keep saying "assumption" because unless you know all the bird's lineage, or have enough experience to see it (which I do not) then you don't really know for sure if that gold is there or not.
I guess really the best way to think of the silver/gold thing is like the gene for blue. If it has the gold enhancer, it has it, if not, it's got a silver base. Or to be more correct, if it has the gold inhibitor, then it's silver, and if it doesn't, it's gold. I think of it backwards.
Blue is a modifier. It inhibits black and turns it "blue." The best blues are those with a silver base to the black rather than gold. Then you go to the blue gene itself.
The gene that creates blue is either present, or it's not. If a bird is visually black, it has no "blue" gene in it. It didn't get that one. BUT, it's not considered a true black because of the assumption that it has silver under there rather than the gold, which "true" blacks have that helps produce a shimmering green sheen.
That being an assumption. A "true" black line has the gold under there rather than silver. If it has a fantastic green sheen when in good condition, it's probably as true a black as you could possibly have. Especially if you breed a few generations as has been suggested and get all blacks of good quality sheen.
Remember blue is a modifier. One copy = blue. Two copies = splash. No copies = black. That black one does not have a blue gene in it. Else it would be blue or splash.
This silver or gold thing is also why a bird of a "pure black" line is not considered desirable for breeding to blues. The assumption being it has gold under there rather than silver and won't make as good a blue. I keep saying "assumption" because unless you know all the bird's lineage, or have enough experience to see it (which I do not) then you don't really know for sure if that gold is there or not.
I guess really the best way to think of the silver/gold thing is like the gene for blue. If it has the gold enhancer, it has it, if not, it's got a silver base. Or to be more correct, if it has the gold inhibitor, then it's silver, and if it doesn't, it's gold. I think of it backwards.
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