Making a splash

[theuglychick]

I've got a couple of splash birds and I want to know more about the color.

Can y'all point me to some resources on the genetics of splash?

Does it only occur in blue genetics?

Everything I found about it online just rattles off the rules for breeding blue birds and that splash is one of 3 results of blue to blue breeding.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[junebuggena]

I'll break it down as simply as possible. Splash birds have two copies of the Blue dilute gene. Blues have a single copy. Blacks have no dilute gene at all.
So Splash to Splash produces only Splash offspring. Blue to Splash will produce 50% Splash and 50% Blue. Blue to Blue will give you 50% Blue, 25% Splash, and 25% Black. Blue to Black will give you 50% Blue and 50% black. Splash to Black is the only pairing that will give you 100% Blue.

 

[theuglychick]

Ok, thanks, that's a great start!

Will breeding splash to splash produce varying degrees of splash, such as more white, less coloring?

Aside from getting 100% blue birds, is there a reason why people breed blue and black birds to splash? Is it for the variety they get?

I guess my question is if you want splash why not just breed splash to splash? Is there a problem if you do so?

Does it matter if the rooster or hen is splash?

Does anything affect the intensity of the splash?

Thank you for your help and information! It's wonderful!

 

[BlueBaby]

I have been told that if you want to keep a good coloring of the splash going on in the future offspring, that you should breed the splash to a blue. Breeding the splash to splash in generations will start to loose the good splash coloring in the feathering. In other words, the splashing can fade.

Blue to black produces 50% blue chicks, and 50% black chicks. You need the black to the splash to get your original blues. The Blues can then be put with any of the 3 colors to keep all of the colors going. It makes no difference what color the hen or the rooster is. Only the matched colors count, not the sex of the chicken.

As an afterthought, breeding the blues back to the blacks, can help to create the better lacing in the blue offspring.

 

[junebuggena]

Breeding too much Splash to Splash can lighten the overall coloring, and even lighten the Blues that those Splash would produce when bred to Blue. Breeding to Black helps intensify the coloring, but can mess with the crisp edging needed for show quality Blues. It's a balancing act.

 

[theuglychick]

Thank you, great advice. I see why it is done, then.

I'm also considering putting my cuckoo Marans in under my splash roo.

The color calculator indicated that I'd get blue cuckoo roosters and solid blue hens. Does this sound correct?

I'm also thinking of putting a Cream Legbar hen or 2 in there. Their color is technically dilute crele. I'm thinking that would give me the same results? What do y'all think?

 

[BlueBaby]

Thank you, great advice. I see why it is done, then.

I'm also considering putting my cuckoo Marans in under my splash roo.

The color calculator indicated that I'd get blue cuckoo roosters and solid blue hens. Does this sound correct?

I'm also thinking of putting a Cream Legbar hen or 2 in there. Their color is technically dilute crele. I'm thinking that would give me the same results? What do y'all think?

About working with those other colors, I am unable to help. I only have my Australorps, and I'm only working in the 3 colors with them.

 

[junebuggena]

Thank you, great advice. I see why it is done, then.

I'm also considering putting my cuckoo Marans in under my splash roo.

The color calculator indicated that I'd get blue cuckoo roosters and solid blue hens. Does this sound correct?

I'm also thinking of putting a Cream Legbar hen or 2 in there. Their color is technically dilute crele. I'm thinking that would give me the same results? What do y'all think?

The extended black pattern of the BBS is dominant, so both the Cuckoo Marans and the Legbar hens should produce similar offspring. The barred/cuckoo hens can only pass that barring to male offspring, but the Blue gene has a bit of an inhibiting effect on the expresion of the barring/cuckoo, meaning it can be difficult to spot the white head spot on the males and the barring they develop may be faint.

 

[theuglychick]

That is very interesting. Thank you!

 

[CallMeMealworm]

I'll break it down as simply as possible. Splash birds have two copies of the Blue dilute gene. Blues have a single copy. Blacks have no dilute gene at all.
So Splash to Splash produces only Splash offspring. Blue to Splash will produce 50% Splash and 50% Blue. Blue to Blue will give you 50% Blue, 25% Splash, and 25% Black. Blue to Black will give you 50% Blue and 50% black. Splash to Black is the only pairing that will give you 100% Blue.

Man I am going to have a lot of blue chicks if I ever do hatch out what my flock produces.

I have a blue roo and a splash roo and the hens are either buff or black.