Lemon Blue coloring??

[steffpeck]

What do you cross to get the Lemon Blue coloring in chickens? Is it buff x blue??

 

[tiki244]

the only buff blue crosses I have seen were pretty dark. Like steely gray and reddish colored.

 

[tadkerson]

Quote:
A lemon blue has to have the following genes: birchen (ER), gold (s+), blue (Bl)and a diluter of red like cream (ig). The genotype would be ER/ER, s+/s+, ig/ig and Bl/bl+.

You can produce males that are lemon blue with the following genotype ER/ER, S/s+, and Bl/bl+.


You have to have a birchen bird in the cross to produce a lemon blue. And then if you used a birchen it would have to be a brown red or a black copper. When I say birchen, I am talking about a bird that carries birchen genes not the birchen variety.

You could use the buff because buff do contain a gene or genes that dilute the red. But buff also contain genes that you do not want in the bird. These genes are called restrictors of black, one of the restrictors is called columbian (Co). The buff birds will also have dominant dilute (Di) and wheaten (eWh) which you do not want in your birds. So buff would not be my first choice.


A blue bird could be birchen but I would not count on it being birchen. Most blue birds are extended black (E) which when heterozygous (split) with wild type (e+)or brown (eb) or wheaten (eWh) can produce a pseudobirchen phenotype. The birds will look birchen but are not. You do not want extended black in your breeding regimen for lemon blue.

If I was going to produce a lemon blue I would start by crossing a blue wheaten with a brown red. You will get some blue brown reds from the cross. Back cross the blue brown reds to the brown red parent and pick out the blues that have the best breast lacing- these birds are homozygous (pure) for the birchen gene.

The next step is to introduce the cream gene and that is the hard part. In large fowl, the only birds I know of , in the US, that carry the cream gene are the cream brabanters (Ideal has them).

Cross the brabanter with the blue brown red. You will get some blue /red blue spangled birds and black/red black spangled birds. The genes that cause the spangling , Pg, Db and Ml are all linked together so it will be easier to breed out the spangling than if they were not linked together. Pick a blue spangled bird and a black spangled bird that have the most red in the hackles and cross them together. You are going to get all kinds of birds from this cross. Some may have autosomal barring (like hamburghs), some may have penciling, some may look like the parents, some may be black tailed red or blue tailed red or black tailed cream or blue tailed cream, some may be brown red, some may even be black, some may be like the brabanter both red and cream, etc. If the Pg-Ml-Db stay linked then you will only get three basic varieties of birds, spangle like the parents, spangled like the brabanter or birchen, that are either blue or black and cream or red. . You will have to hatch 50 or more birds to get what you want. Hopefully you will get some lemon blues from the cross- they will be birchen, sex linked gold and cream. If none of the lemon blue birds have lemon breast lacing cross the lemon blues with lemon blacks ( if you get some) and pick out birds with the best breast lacing to use as breeders.

If a person has limited room and resources they probably should not try the crossing. If you want a big adventure do the crossing. You will undoubtedly produce other varieties that would be interesting.

Tim

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Come back Tim....you've got to finish!!!!

 

[tadkerson]

I finished the post. Go back and read the previous post.

Tim

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Thanks, Tim...a lot to chew!

 

[steffpeck]

Thank you so much Tim!!! I really appreciate your help in this. I think, I am going to give it a try. Now to decide which breed to do it with.

 

[tadkerson]

It would be easier to make a lemon blue from bantams than large fowl.

Tim