splash? anti splash? ???

[johnskoi]

https://youtu.be/0LhlERpGoDM

hellos! i've been raisng silkies and showgirls for abour seven years now ... excuse the groaning, i'm getting older and just don't realize how much noise i make when i change positions - lol)... the few that i've held onto until maturity start out as BLUE, so i know that they are not a true splash... beautiful birds (imo), but i would really like to know the PROPER color!!
tia, john

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Can't view your video, it says please sign in.

 

[drumstick diva]

no video says private

 

[Ravynscroft]

 

[johnskoi]

i don't know why it said private???

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I call them dark splash. I have a bantam cochin whose darker like that. I still believe it's called a splash.

 

[johnskoi]

thank you...

few questions regarding genetics on these guys...

my understanding (right, wrong, or in need of a tweak) has always been that splash hatch out white and they 'go splash' as they mature... i'm wondering how the dark splash fit in here with the whole blue/black/splash scenario? i'm pretty sure that my dark splash (gonna refer to the gene as DS for now)) always hatch out blue ... i do have paint in the mix, but this DS gene originated from one of my original 4 silkie chicks (all roos, lol -- in hindsight, twas a GOOD thing) (about 4 - 6 wks old, iirc)- the one who went DS was blue -- the breeder was amazed when we talked about it way back when --- she's a well respected lady and has quite a few champions under her belt --- at that time, she wasn't playing with paints...

i didn't bring the paint gene into the picture myself for my first 2 yrs of keeping silkies/sg's.. and had a few random chicks mature to DS -- i did not (and still don't for the most part) isolate colors the way i should, but i think gene is probably recessive... and i'm VERY happy that it's popping back up -- i may have to isolate a few (all of them, lol)to test this theory out ...and i'm super happy that it's in my showgirls

also wondering if it may play out the way lavenders do...(which i honestly don't fully 'get')

i tend to ramble -- sorry bout that ...

dark splash -- got it!

punnet squares, anyone??

 

[Ravynscroft]

John, she could be dark splash or blue, either way what is going on is an incomplete expression of the dilute gene (Bl)... I've seen it in many breeds, usually it's only a couple or a few patches of feathers like that though and not quite as prolific as your hen, lol... your regular splash is even on the darker side already, IMO, mine tend to be much lighter based like this one on the left...

But back to the darker color with your even darker patches, I see it more commonly in my Calls, like this blue bibbed girl on the left...

See the super dark/black patches? Kinda similar to yours...

Anyways, I heard one way to tell blue from splash was by the color of their underfluff, blue is blue and white/very light is splash... I couldn't see your hens' clearly in the vid though...

The definitive way to tell if she is splash or blue is to isolate her once she is laying with a solid black cockbird... if any chicks from that mating hatch out black, then she is blue... if they all hatch out blue, then she is splash...

Hope this helps...

 

[johnskoi]

John, she could be dark splash or blue, either way what is going on is an incomplete expression of the dilute gene (Bl)... I've seen it in many breeds, usually it's only a couple or a few patches of feathers like that though and not quite as prolific as your hen, lol... your regular splash is even on the darker side already, IMO, mine tend to be much lighter based like this one on the left...



But back to the darker color with your even darker patches, I see it more commonly in my Calls, like this blue bibbed girl on the left...



See the super dark/black patches? Kinda similar to yours...

Anyways, I heard one way to tell blue from splash was by the color of their underfluff, blue is blue and white/very light is splash... I couldn't see your hens' clearly in the vid though...

The definitive way to tell if she is splash or blue is to isolate her once she is laying with a solid black cockbird... if any chicks from that mating hatch out black, then she is blue... if they all hatch out blue, then she is splash...

Hope this helps...

thank you, Jen...

...following for the most part ... (my head is starting to hurt a little...lol)

... while i have birds that most non-chicken people would call black (as simple as it is, i may need help there as well -- i think i may have to get eggs from someone with a dedicated black strain - i would like to get some high quality black birds to strengthen my black birds (not for another year at best) ... if i do this pairing sooner, i WILL have more questions

-- still not comfy bringing anything new in...
i will grab a few underfluff pics tonight or tomorrow -- i may post more pics of more birds as well and i'll definitely appreciate the feedback

for now, i think the most practical way would be to keep all of these DS in one pen and see what hatches... if the DS is recesive, the chicks should all be DS, right?

 

[Ravynscroft]

thank you, Jen...

...following for the most part ... (my head is starting to hurt a little...lol)

... while i have birds that most non-chicken people would call black (as simple as it is, i may need help there as well -- i think i may have to get eggs from someone with a dedicated black  strain - i would like to get some high quality black birds to strengthen my black birds (not for another year at best)  ... if i do this pairing sooner, i WILL have more questions   -- still not comfy bringing anything new in...  
i will grab a few underfluff pics tonight or tomorrow -- i may post more pics of more birds as well and i'll definitely appreciate the feedback  

for now, i think the most practical way would be to keep all of these DS in one pen and see what hatches... if the DS is recesive, the chicks should all be DS, right?

I completely understand your reticence to bring in new stock, in any way... I'd be severely gunshy of that too if I were in your shoes...

Sometimes it's hard to tell the blacks from the dark blues, yes... look at the 'osprey feathers' to tell the difference... those are the few tattered hard feathers in their wings... you *should* be able to see in those if they are black or dark blue...

Ah, I missed that, didn't realize you had a male DS... yes, if it's recessive then all chicks should be essentially identical... if it's a variation of blue, then you should get blues, blacks and splashes... if it's truly a dark splash, then you should get all splash... whether they will be identical to those or in varying shades will have to be seen... whichever way it is, breeding them only together should give you more answers...