Making a chicken breed-Midnight Blue Egger

[black_cat]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by Cochin bodytype. Do you mean the thin body and plump fluff?

I don't know how the look underneath the feathers-the cochin-y, plump, sort of round, squat look.
'Cochin body type':

Not 'cochin body type':

If there's a better way to say this please tell me, but I hope that explained what I was thinking of.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I don't know how the look underneath the feathers-the cochin-y, plump, sort of round, squat look.
'Cochin body type':
View attachment 2240912Not 'cochin body type':
View attachment 2240909
If there's a better way to say this please tell me, but I hope that explained what I was thinking of.

Okay. That's all mostly fluff. They're not super huge muscley birds

 

[black_cat]

Okay. That's all mostly fluff. They're not super huge muscley birds

Ok! I suppose I mean the cochin fluff shapes-the way that they have lots of feathers that make the birds seem very round.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Okay, that makes more sense.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I'll get into this thread tomorrow when I have more time.
It will honestly be a huge undertaking especially if you don't know genetics.
It would take quite a few years and a lot of hatching also. Probably end up being more of a dream then an ever completed project but if youre determined at least it will be a fun journey and a good learning experience even if you don't end up where you want.

 

[black_cat]

I'll get into this thread tomorrow when I have more time.
It will honestly be a huge undertaking especially if you don't know genetics.
It would take quite a few years and a lot of hatching also. Probably end up being more of a dream then an ever completed project but if youre determined at least it will be a fun journey and a good learning experience even if you don't end up where you want.

Yep...it'll probably turn into something smaller, like a cochin that lays blue eggs, or a cochin with a crest, or an ayam cemani version of a cochin can you see the pattern of cochins here I have plenty of time to research genetics, so I'm sure that by the time I get going on this, or any breeding stuff, I'll be much better suited for the job. This is mostly inspired by @MysteryChicken -she's doing several breeding projects, which inspired me to think up my own breed, which made me want to really create it!

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

I've created an absolute monstrosity in photoshop. If this all coordinated as actual feathers, then this would be what I'm going for.
View attachment 2240843
I want this, but with,,,y'know,,,actual feathers that are all part of the same bird,,,,,someone please take my photoshop away.

This is going to be amazing, awesome, and cool! I’m so excited!!

 

[NatJ]

At some point I want to try to make this chicken breed called the Midnight Blue Egger. I want it to be all black, like an Ayam Cemani, but I want it to have a cochin body type, feathered legs, a long tail, (even the hens), a crest like a polish, and I'd like to lay blue eggs.

I suggest you start with a cross of black sumatra and black silkie. That can give you black feathers, black skin, crest, feathered feet, and long tail. The crest, feathered feet, and long tail are dominant genes: you should see them in the first generation of chicks, although those traits won't breed true until you've done several generations of selecting.

Silkie feathers are caused by a single gene, and it's recessive. So you won't see silkie feathers in the first generation crossed chicks, although a few may pop up here and there in the future.

Silkie crosses will usually have a 5th toe and muffs/beard too, so those are traits you'll have to breed out; but each is caused by a single gene which makes it easier, and they're both dominant--so when they're gone, they stay gone, unless you cross to the silkie and bring them back again.

It looks like your idea of "cochin body type" has more to do with the loose, fluffy feathers than the underlying body shape. Sumatras have hard, close feathers--but you might get looser feathers when you cross to a silkie. Otherwise, you might have to cross a cochin in at some point.

If you can find a silkie that lays blue eggs, you won't have to cross in anything else. Just cross the "best" chicks to each other or to one of the parent breeds as needed. (Yes, some folks do have silkies that lay blue eggs.)

Otherwise, cross to an Easter Egger or Ameraucana at some point to get the blue eggs.

The whole 'knowing about chicken genetics' thing is my main wall between me and this new breed...

You could start here:
http://www.edelras.nl/chickengenetics/
That page links to several others, and is a fairly good starting point for learning chicken genetics.

 

[black_cat]

I suggest you start with a cross of black sumatra and black silkie. That can give you black feathers, black skin, crest, feathered feet, and long tail. The crest, feathered feet, and long tail are dominant genes: you should see them in the first generation of chicks, although those traits won't breed true until you've done several generations of selecting.

Silkie feathers are caused by a single gene, and it's recessive. So you won't see silkie feathers in the first generation crossed chicks, although a few may pop up here and there in the future.

Silkie crosses will usually have a 5th toe and muffs/beard too, so those are traits you'll have to breed out; but each is caused by a single gene which makes it easier, and they're both dominant--so when they're gone, they stay gone, unless you cross to the silkie and bring them back again.

It looks like your idea of "cochin body type" has more to do with the loose, fluffy feathers than the underlying body shape. Sumatras have hard, close feathers--but you might get looser feathers when you cross to a silkie. Otherwise, you might have to cross a cochin in at some point.

If you can find a silkie that lays blue eggs, you won't have to cross in anything else. Just cross the "best" chicks to each other or to one of the parent breeds as needed. (Yes, some folks do have silkies that lay blue eggs.)

Otherwise, cross to an Easter Egger or Ameraucana at some point to get the blue eggs.



You could start here:
http://www.edelras.nl/chickengenetics/
That page links to several others, and is a fairly good starting point for learning chicken genetics.

Thanks so much! This is super helpful!