Lavender patterned Isabel duckwing barred - lavender brown cuckoo barred - project and genetic dis

[The Moonshiner]

If you do go back to the leghorn you'll also be going back to white egg genes and away from blue egg genes.
I'd set the two genes for blue eggs then select to improve color with what you have.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Just looked up Crele Leghorns and they are stunning! I will definitely have an assortment of Leghorns in my flock once I have my own place.

Music to my ears.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Music to my ears.

I don’t understand what people have against Leghorns, I love them!

If you do go back to the leghorn you'll also be going back to white egg genes and away from blue egg genes.
I'd set the two genes for blue eggs then select to improve color with what you have.

Wouldn’t the blue just get lightened if she introduced Leghorn genes?

 

[The Moonshiner]

I don’t understand what people have against Leghorns, I love them!

Wouldn’t the blue just get lightened if she introduced Leghorn genes?

Egg genes can be non blue (white) or blue.
One gene of each will produce blue egg layers but won't breed true for blue egg layers.
When bred back to leghorns you're insuring the offspring to carry one non blue egg gene.
Its always been my opinion the egg color would be the biggest issue with this project.
I would set them up with two genes for blue eggs then work with those to improve everything else while maintaining the egg genes.

 

[ChicKat]

The broody didn't get the final egg hatched so she has 6 chicks. 3 male and 3 female. I have them in a little hutch inside a chain link 'dog kennel' -- and the first 2 feet of the bottom are clad in hardware cloth. but there are gaps by doors etc. The broody wanted out -- and so she and the chicks paraded down the ramp -- when I opened the door to their house. Big mistake --one chick was left behind. Mother went frantic and back up the ramp when I reached in to try to get the chick to put it out. Then the other chicks scattered and kept calling for poor mother hen. It took me 1/2 hour to catch the 5 that were out once I locked her back in. They went through holes and traveled into two adjacent pens. Eventually I got one of those little nets that you use to catch goldfish. Should never have let them out. I already knew better --- Maybe tonight or tomorrow I will be able to move them to a hoop coop in the dark. She did take a piece out of my hand thinking she needed to protect a chick.

And the incubator hatch -- 4 males and 5 females. The rest shrink wrapped. Seems I used to run the humidity too high and babies drown in the eggs. This hatch I think I ran too low. The very last egg -- the baby was so glued inside that some parts of the shell are still stuck to the down and I couldn't get them off. Dunked the baby in hot water when I came home yesterday and it was on its back in the incubator seemingly glued down to the bottom of the incubator... Poor little thing is an ugly duckling for awhile -- I'm not sure another bath would be the best thing. I'm counting this little one as a female -- but the down is awfully matted. The boys are all light except one who has that lavender color and would be counted as a female except has tell-tale headspot....Very big pudgy baby too.

The little matted one is on the far right.
Although I don't believe in 'helping' chicks out -- for the given reason that nature requires them to bust out of the shell as the first test of their little lives...in this case it would have been abandoning a chick that pipped and got glued to the back of the shell and was hollering like crazy to get out of there...so I don't think it was a genetic weakling -- I think it was fighting to get out against unfair odds. I helped the chick out -- but the chick had to do the last bit solo.... and the baby was like someone had taken glue and slathered it on the chick...so I left it for 1/2 day and came back home to find it not dry and fluffed. That is when a hot water dunk occured - and back into the incubator -- then out this morning. the female at the bottom of that pict was second last to hatch and she was a bit gooey too - and got a hot water bath. Now the incubator is unplugged.

male, then female, then matted chick.

 

[ChicKat]

Oh, and that's the end of the spring breeding season.

 

[Kiki]

I had to LOL picturing your running around like a nut in this nasty heat!
Precious littles.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Egg genes can be non blue (white) or blue.
One gene of each will produce blue egg layers but won't breed true for blue egg layers.
When bred back to leghorns you're insuring the offspring to carry one non blue egg gene.
Its always been my opinion the egg color would be the biggest issue with this project.
I would set them up with two genes for blue eggs then work with those to improve everything else while maintaining the egg genes.

Is the blue egg gene dominant?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Is the blue egg gene dominant?

Yes it is.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Yes it is.

Could you explain how one would go about breeding for two blue egg genes in a chicken?