Introducing new blood line to blue orps

[msrma7670]

1.) Miss priss said to keep a black orp in the flock for coloring., but doesn't the black orp need to carry the blue gene or can I just pick up
any old blk orp with good traits. If I am wrong please correct me but in order for the blue gene to come out doen't both parents need
gene? I guess I am also wondering if I do grab any blk orp then

#1 blk orp (no gene blue) x Hen with blue gene = offspring with blue gene
#2 black with blue gene x blue hen with blue gene= off spring with gene

Then if I take the offspring of pairing #1 reintroduced to offspring of #2 I should get a normal blue line with new blood is that correct?
And If this is the case then wouldn't it better to start two lines Like #1 then take the offspring and start a new line?

2.) I do plan to keep two seperate flocks in time and would love to get some of your eggs missprissy and speckledhen but as my dad
always says if you are going to do anything do it right the first time.


3.) How will you know which traits to keep and what to remove? When do you start looking at their traits to cull out? Do wait until full
grown or can you do this at a much earlier therefore saving money and time?

4.) Missprissy wrote about the standard of prefection but what is that exactly and who decides it?

5.) Are their any other websites that would help me on all these questions? It just seems every time I go looking I end up back here at
byc.



Thank you very much corancher for the eggs they look like a majorty will hatch with out problem I candled then and they are doing very well I proably would not have gotten this far if you did not pack them and help me out so much. Thank you misspriss and speckledhen I know I have taked to ya on occasion about all this stuff and just wanted to say thank you. And thanks to the rest of ya if it wasn't for the everyone helping each other this site would not be nearly as great as it is.

thanks from
Mike and shannon and the 4 kids under 7

 

[speckledhen]

Don't know if you've seen this, but here is a description of the standards for different Orp colors.
http://freespace.virgin.net/mick.barrett/Breed_Standards.htm

 

[seriousbill]

msrma7670 wrote: How will you know which traits to keep and what to remove? When do you start looking at their traits to cull out? Do wait until full grown or can you do this at a much earlier therefore saving money and time?

You know which traits to keep by comparing your birds to the Standard of Perfection (and also keeping in mind things like health, overall vigor and breeding vigor, and temperament). With practice, you can usually tell if the birds have potential by the time they reach adolescence, although if you're not sure it might be best to wait until they fully mature.

4.) Missprissy wrote about the standard of prefection but what is that exactly and who decides it?

This is the ideal description of the breed (with pictures) set forth in a book called American Standard of Perfection and published by the American Poultry Association.
http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/​

 

[KKluckers]

 

[pips&peeps]

1.) Miss priss said to keep a black orp in the flock for coloring., but doesn't the black orp need to carry the blue gene or can I just pick up
any old blk orp with good traits. If I am wrong please correct me but in order for the blue gene to come out doen't both parents need
gene? I guess I am also wondering if I do grab any blk orp then

The blue gene you currently have is actually a recessive black. So your blue is technically black.

Like in the other post blackXblue = 50% black and 50% blue chicks.

The black cross, I have found, helps to keep the blue color darker and nicer lacing on the feathers.

Yes, get the nicest black roo you can.​

 

[MissPrissy]

pips&peeps :

1.) Miss priss said to keep a black orp in the flock for coloring., but doesn't the black orp need to carry the blue gene or can I just pick up
any old blk orp with good traits. If I am wrong please correct me but in order for the blue gene to come out doen't both parents need
gene? I guess I am also wondering if I do grab any blk orp then

The blue gene you currently have is actually a recessive black. So your blue is technically black.

Like in the other post blackXblue = 50% black and 50% blue chicks.

The black cross, I have found, helps to keep the blue color darker and nicer lacing on the feathers.

Yes, get the nicest black roo you can.​

Exactly - get the nicest black roo you can find and use for your breeding. The blue is a defect or a mutation on the black gene - instead of black it is diluted to "blue".

If you don't have a nice black roo get the nicest blue you can find and put him a pen of the best biggest black hens you can breed.

This is what I am working toward from chickens from all different sources - a blaco roo, a blue roo and a splash roo. I have those and some various pullets. I am working toward more pullets to fill out the empty places. The ratio of roos to hens is high. Ask us how we know? LOL

It can be hard to wrap your head around the genetics of color. I still don't have a grasp on all the colors and genenics it takes to make them. There are plenty of poultry genetics books you can get - check your library. You will do yourself a big favor to read read read.​

 

[speckledhen]

I can tell you that just getting a starter flock of Blue Orpingtons can take a couple of years or more. The eggs do not ship that well, in general. And you have to cull or in the case where you aren't getting what you want, keep working with birds that are not the ideal, pairing them with better birds to get acceptable chicks. There is so little unrelated stock that one of the hatcheries was supposedly crossing out Blue Rocks to prevent more inbreeding. That in itself caused problems when chicks popped up with yellow legs. Sometimes those change color to a better color, sometimes they dont. It can get very complicated and frustrating, so be prepared.

 

[msrma7670]

I enjoy a challenge; sounds like it will be one may even need to start a breeding book bye the sounds of things.

Miss priss you mentioned some books on genetics of poultry are there any good ones anyone would recomend? And do you have the book? I have several on chickens but none go into genetics.

 

[halo]

I have several black roos and hens that I got from coranchers black flock. Absolutely stunning birds, with gorgeous glimmering green black feathers. Am I to understand that these birds should NOT be bred to blues? That the best blacks to breed to blues are the ones that come from blues? This is a fascinating thread. I wonder if someone somewhere shouldnt start a list of those people who have flocks of blue/black/splash orpingtons.

 

[KKluckers]