Gold Laced Orpington- For Learning and Sharing

[rockinpaints]

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.

Wow excellent information!

Thank you !

 

[Hurlburt Farms]

Is the green sheen more visibly in the sunlight? I too am starting a black line. Hatched 2 black roos from blue roo/black hen last year. Bought 2 hens to put with the 1 roo, which are together now a few eggs in the bator now. Should I wait for them to grow up & use them in my breeding with my Lavender hens? My Lavender hens will be 3 years old this spring so I was going to use the other black roo with them?

 

[thedragonlady]

Wow excellent information!

Thank you !

I have a hunch that using a black carrying red on the GLOs will improve lacing with green sheen, but more importantly, help immeasurably with the shafting that is so prevalent. I have yet to see, ANYWHERE, a line of GLOs without some shafting. Theoretically, a black carrying red SHOULD darken those shafts, but Mother Nature may surprise us.

 

[thedragonlady]

Is the green sheen more visibly in the sunlight? I too am starting a black line. Hatched 2 black roos from blue roo/black hen last year. Bought 2 hens to put with the 1 roo, which are together now a few eggs in the bator now. Should I wait for them to grow up & use them in my breeding with my Lavender hens? My Lavender hens will be 3 years old this spring so I was going to use the other black roo with them?

If you use a black carrying red on your Lavenders, you will get red leakage on your males for almost certain. You need a black male carrying SILVER to breed to them.

 

[Hurlburt Farms]

If you use a black carrying red on your Lavenders, you will get red leakage on your males for almost certain. You need a black male carrying SILVER to breed to them.

Thank you so I would be on the right track to use the black roo from last year with the lavender hens. Just keep breeding the black pen. Do you think the next offspring will still have the silver or gold or does it take more generations to get gold?

 

[Hurlburt Farms]

This is so interesting...Chicken genetics seems more complicated than goat genetics

 

[deek]

If you use a black carrying red on your Lavenders, you will get red leakage on your males for almost certain. You need a black male carrying SILVER to breed to them.

I've searched far and wide also to find GL hens without shafting. Some to a lesser degree, but none without. There are k's without much shafting, though. Of interest, the color standard allows some shafting in the hen as long as the background color, throught the entire plumage, is uniform and not light in color. However, shafting in the cock bird is a DQ.

 

[deek]

Oh, and if you want to see what shafting looks like in a pullet, I can go and photograph my girls. One has less than the others, but it's there.

 

[delisha]

Oh, and if you want to see what shafting looks like in a pullet, I can go and photograph my girls. One has less than the others, but it's there.

I would be interested to see please

 

[aveca]

You have me looking at all of them now for that..I dont know..this bantam maybe doesnt have it? I was straining to see any here