Nice birds,
but if I had to guess, they might have Orpingtons in their back ground.
just guessing.
but if I had to guess, they might have Orpingtons in their back ground.
just guessing.
My blue wyandotttes don't have yellow legs, are they something else?
- Thread starter rachaelc
- Start date
Most LF Blue Wyandottes do have alot of black on their shanks...at least the ones available in the last few years, when I got my start in the blues they had no lacing on the feathers (their feathers should be blue, with a thin black line of lacing), and extremly dark legs and feet....I suspect Blue Orps or maybe Blue Jersy Giants were used to make them?
I have been working on leg color and better lacing on my blues for several years now, I still get a dark green or black on the legs of my hens, but the feet are yellow. My roosters have hardly any black on their legs and are getting better lacing, this breeding seasons hatches have seen much improvement in leg color, the good news is the feathering is extremely soft on them and type is pretty easy to breed for. I try to bred blue to blue only, I did use a LF Black Wyandotte last year on my hens to improve the lacing, I dont use splash colored birds in the breeding pen.
I would stick with them, pick your best birds for type and size, then just keep trying to improve them each season, the leg color seems to work itself out on its own. They are beautiful birds to watch walking across the green grass on a sunny day, the blue's when correctly colored are phenominal.
Jerry
I have been working on leg color and better lacing on my blues for several years now, I still get a dark green or black on the legs of my hens, but the feet are yellow. My roosters have hardly any black on their legs and are getting better lacing, this breeding seasons hatches have seen much improvement in leg color, the good news is the feathering is extremely soft on them and type is pretty easy to breed for. I try to bred blue to blue only, I did use a LF Black Wyandotte last year on my hens to improve the lacing, I dont use splash colored birds in the breeding pen.
I would stick with them, pick your best birds for type and size, then just keep trying to improve them each season, the leg color seems to work itself out on its own. They are beautiful birds to watch walking across the green grass on a sunny day, the blue's when correctly colored are phenominal.
Jerry
Totaly agree with Turbo I have had my blues 4 years now and leg color and lacing are the hardest. I am seeing promise in lacing in mine this year and the leg color in my breeders is prety good. But they are still throwing some slate coloring in the legs in some chicks.
As said pick out the best for size,type and enjoy them. Mike
As said pick out the best for size,type and enjoy them. Mike
Well I haven't taken any pics of them recently but can tell you the red is better than I've seen anywhere yet. They are at that stage where lacing is showing somewhat but still kind of awkward. Leg color is great and think I have a nice roo developing but hard to tell so young. I don't think you could possibly be disappointed in the BLRW from the Foleys!!!
- Nov 18, 2008
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With Black/Blue yellow shanked birds you have a problem of genetic balance. You need Melanisers to get a good black ground plumage, the best blues come from the best blacks. The melaniser genes put the melanin (black) not only into the plumage but also into the dermis of the shank, and into the beak.
The Inhibitor of Black gene removes this melanin from shank, beak and in the male ,the undercolour, this is because I^d is sex linked, males have 2 copies of the gene, hens only one resulting in dusky shanks & beaks, but with the required black undercolour.
There are other modifier genes that remove colour from the shanks & beaks & these can be selected for.
To get a good line of yellow shanked birds that produced good males & females I bred in excess of 500 chicks a year for nearly a decade. Probably keeping no more than 10 birds a year.
The combination of black/blue birds with either clear yellow or white shanks is possibly the hardest colour to produce.
Then there is the question of lacing on the blues, most do not have any. What is called lacing is not a distinct lace, but an edging caused by female hormones. Which is why the males don't have it.
David
The Inhibitor of Black gene removes this melanin from shank, beak and in the male ,the undercolour, this is because I^d is sex linked, males have 2 copies of the gene, hens only one resulting in dusky shanks & beaks, but with the required black undercolour.
There are other modifier genes that remove colour from the shanks & beaks & these can be selected for.
To get a good line of yellow shanked birds that produced good males & females I bred in excess of 500 chicks a year for nearly a decade. Probably keeping no more than 10 birds a year.
The combination of black/blue birds with either clear yellow or white shanks is possibly the hardest colour to produce.
Then there is the question of lacing on the blues, most do not have any. What is called lacing is not a distinct lace, but an edging caused by female hormones. Which is why the males don't have it.
David
Blackdotte,
I think what I have found in the LF Blacks and the LF Blues is that I have a male line with the Blacks....when I use Black females with no black in the shanks I loose the green sheen on my males....when I use females with black on the shanks, I get great colored males. I am seeing some LF Blacks with white undercolor....no white on the wing tips ...yet.
I have a female line of Blues, I cant seem to get a good super star rooster....but my hens have great type and pretty dark blue-black distinct lacing ( I havent never heard of Andalusian Blue being hormone related?), granted I use males that have stiff tail feathers, which may be why..The color is good on the roos though....I did have to add a LF Black to the Blues, since my Blue color was getting too light..
Bantam Blacks have nice leg color, although some breeders cross Partridge into them for good leg color...
Jerry
I think what I have found in the LF Blacks and the LF Blues is that I have a male line with the Blacks....when I use Black females with no black in the shanks I loose the green sheen on my males....when I use females with black on the shanks, I get great colored males. I am seeing some LF Blacks with white undercolor....no white on the wing tips ...yet.
I have a female line of Blues, I cant seem to get a good super star rooster....but my hens have great type and pretty dark blue-black distinct lacing ( I havent never heard of Andalusian Blue being hormone related?), granted I use males that have stiff tail feathers, which may be why..The color is good on the roos though....I did have to add a LF Black to the Blues, since my Blue color was getting too light..
Bantam Blacks have nice leg color, although some breeders cross Partridge into them for good leg color...
Jerry
encorepistol, thanks for the info!
From the pictures I've seen, Foley's birds have super type and color and just the new blood I need for my Gregg Catt line of BLRW's. From all their informative chatter on this thread I'm going to have to get some BW's from them too to improve my Blues!! Good excuse to get more chicks
- Thread starter
- #18
Woop! This has been great, I just got home and got to catch up on the info passed around.
I will take some more detailed pictures of the kids here and post them. My one roo does have the yellowest shanks of all. And I did notice a slight green tinge coming into his feathers. I only have 4 blues but am looking forward to enjoying the colors and the company. And with great advice like this it can only get better. Next year I will certainly try to buy from good breeders.
Rachael C- mother of all
I will take some more detailed pictures of the kids here and post them. My one roo does have the yellowest shanks of all. And I did notice a slight green tinge coming into his feathers. I only have 4 blues but am looking forward to enjoying the colors and the company. And with great advice like this it can only get better. Next year I will certainly try to buy from good breeders.
Rachael C- mother of all
- Nov 18, 2008
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"when I use Black females with no black in the shanks I loose the green sheen on my males"
The best Blues do not have a green sheen, blacks bred from these Blue often have the Matt Black gene, thus no green sheen.
"I am seeing some LF Blacks with white undercolour" These are pullet breeder males.
"I haven't ever heard of Andalusian Blue being hormone related?)" Good laced birds have the genome
Pg/Pg Co/Co Ml/Ml Bl/bl+ , birds without lacing are pg+/pg+ co+/co+ ml+/ml+ Bl/bl+ .
The female hormones will improve lacing on the former, and give a slight edging on the latter.
David
The best Blues do not have a green sheen, blacks bred from these Blue often have the Matt Black gene, thus no green sheen.
"I am seeing some LF Blacks with white undercolour" These are pullet breeder males.
"I haven't ever heard of Andalusian Blue being hormone related?)" Good laced birds have the genome
Pg/Pg Co/Co Ml/Ml Bl/bl+ , birds without lacing are pg+/pg+ co+/co+ ml+/ml+ Bl/bl+ .
The female hormones will improve lacing on the former, and give a slight edging on the latter.
David
This year I kept a few eggs from my blue hens which were very light blue and almost no lacing at all. Their shanks are dark blue with yellow bottoms of feet though and body type needs improvement. The chicks I did hatch have better leg color and lacing so far is awesome at least I think so anyway. I bred them to a splash laced red cockerel with good body type and correct leg color ( Foley offspring !!!). I sold the hens last weekend so I'll start over with these few new chicks and see where it goes from there. I need to take some pics but keeping up with all the chicks and rabbits along with cutting grass every couple days is a chore in itself.
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