How do you get blue laced red... "For dummies" ;)

[Coopa Cabana]

My little f1's are now all between 2 and 5 weeks old. I hatched out 14, from my (very red - hopefully Mg) Golden Laced roo x Splash hen (pics below). I was hoping/expecting the F1's would be all Blue, but it appears they are all feathering out black (pics below). Does this mean something is wrong with the gene pool of the sire and dam and its back to the drawing board? Or do I proceed as planned, and use a couple of the best females back to the sire, and a couple of the best roos on my GL hen?
Or should I give all the chicks a chance to get a bit older and feather out more before making any decisions?
If I start over, any ideas on what direction I take next?

Sire - Golden Laced Bantam Cochin:

Dam - Blue Splash Bantam Cochin:

F1 Chicks:

F1 Chicks at about 4 weeks:

 

[tadkerson]

Each one of the chicks is carrying the blue gene. I can not say why they do not appear blue. Thier down looks blue. Each one of the females should carry a blue gene and a sex linked gold gene.

Every chick that I have hatched looks blue when they carry the blue gene. I have hatched out quit a few over the years. If it would have happened ( blue but appears black)- I may have some answers for you.

I would go ahead and use some of the females.

Tim

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
Thanx Tim!! For the first few days after they hatched, they looked blue, and I was so excited that things were progressing as predicted. Then they started feathering out black! So I've been re-reading my books - trying to decipher if the Mg Mahogany or Ml Melanotic would have any effect on all this (appearance of the black). But I'm still a genetics novice - so much/most of this is still way over my head.
As I certainly have a lot of time before they're at breeding age, it will give me a chance to see what happens (if anything) when they molt, before I make final decisions on which will stay and which will go.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

An update on my F1 BLR Cochin project:
I retained the 3 pullets that I felt had the best Cochin type; they are just now coming on 5 months, and I'm starting to get some pullet eggs. Can't wait for spring! These girls will be bred back to their sire at that time. As mentioned earlier, their phenotype is Blue. But what you can see in the pics is that, instead of the thin dark edging on the feathers that you normally see in Blues, they have wider lacing, which is very encouraging to me. I'm very anxious to see how many generations before I start to see some red and gold leaking thru. I took these pics back on 9/25:

 

[Pidgey104]

What would happen if you breed a spalsh Blue laced red rooster with standard blue cochin hens?

 

[tadkerson]

If you breed them back to the father (gold laced) remember only half of the offspring will carry the blue gene. I would hatch 20 or more birds. Focus on the females with the most red and best blue lacing and backcross to the gold laced male. This last cross should produce some birds with better lacing.

You can start using offspring males for crossing when they start showing lacing on their breast.

spalsh laced red rooster x standard blue cochin hens= splash and blue offspring. Some will be solid blue or solid splash and others will be solid blue or solid splash with red or white breaks in their plumage


Tim

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
Thanx Tim!!! It is so great to have your help and guidance along the way!
~Gail

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Are you working on bantams?

I've been working on large fowl for a few years...

My problem was that I culled too hard...I was wanting perfection sooner than it was possible...I sold all of the chicks before letting them mature out long enough...BIG MISTAKE....so I'm pretty much back to where I started...I did keep one promising roo (not the best picture) but he does have a laced breast & bluish down...

As a young cockerel:

Slightly older cockerel:

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
Heather, not sure if your question is directed at me, but yes, mine are bantams. What generation is your ckrl? What colors did you start with? Keeping them long enough - that's the hardest part of raising any of the parti-colors!!

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Heather, not sure if your question is directed at me, but yes, mine are bantams. What generation is your ckrl? What colors did you start with? Keeping them long enough - that's the hardest part of raising any of the parti-colors!!

Yes, sorry...

Blue Splash hen with GL Rooster. The cockerel shown is 3rd generation and next spring, I'll be out crossing for the first time.