Splash Leghorns

[krazycow6]

Can they be bred? I was just wondering. I love the way mediterranean roosters look, and I also love the splash coloring. Thanks

 

[NellaBean]

I'm not sure genetics wise, but I plan on keeping a blue andalusian with white leghorns....curious to see how they come out. My splash is a female, and I have no male leghorns, so out of luck that way.

What about exchequer leghorns? They look "splashed".

 

[speckledhen]

Splash comes from breeding two blues or a splash with a blue. I've never heard of blue or splash Leghorns, but I have seen Mottled ones. Check out this page for several varieties.
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/Leghorns/BRKLeghorns.html

 

[Krys109uk]

You could make splash (or blue) leghorns easily enough.

 

[speckledhen]

Krys, could you use a blue Andalusian to make one? They have a similar body type, I think.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

I know they exist in bantam, I think chickedee silkies or something like that in CA breeds them. I think there is a person working on LF blue leghorns here in the US. You could make them with blue andalusians but the leg color would be a bit of a pain.

If you were to get a splash andalusian male and mate him to some nice black leghorn hens you should get all blues with sexlinked leg color where the males would have lighter legs (either white or yellow). Breed on of those males to black leghorn hens and just keep the blues and keep breeding back to black leghorns until you get the right type and leg color. Once you get that right breed blues together and get splash.

 

[Krys109uk]

I'm not sure how noticeable the sex likage from Id would be because Blue Andalusians are extended black at the e-locus. I think in the first cross all the offspring would probably have blue (or black if a blue rather than splash was used) legs & white skin because blue Andalusians are extended black with white skin & black leghorns are eb (brown) blacks with yellow skin.

 

[chookster77]

Many strains of White Leghorn carry the blue gene (and often the barred gene, too-- sometimes both). Crossing within the same breed (Black Leghorn X White Leghorn) might be advantageous in the long run...

Andalusians do (or SHOULD) have a distinctive body type apart from Leghorns. This may be problematic when the two breeds are mixed together-- if the breeder is concerned about breeding back to standard, that is.

Side note: Many strains of Andalusians in the US are ER (Birchen based).

All this said, my thinking is LF Blue/Splash Leghorns would be rather superfluous and just lead to more cases of breed confusion amongst novice fanciers. If a person merely likes the basic Mediterranean class look, then I would think it would be much simpler to find a nice Andalusian to fit the bill.

TC

 

[tadkerson]

You will need to find a male exchequer and a few female exchequer leghorns.

Male exchequer leghorn X with 10 leghorn females.

If you can pick up the leghorns from different places. My leghorns have segregated blue, barring and mottling. Hopefully some of the females will carry blue or be splash.

All the F1 chicks will be white or white with black patches.

When the F1 birds get older, check for birds that have blue and not black peppering or blue in a feather. Select for birds that have blue anywhere in their feathers.

Back cross the F1 female birds that have blue in their feathers with a male exchequer or F1 male bird that has blue in its feathers with the female exchequers.

Blue birds should segregate in the offspring from the back cross.

That is if any of the leghorns carry blue. You may net get any blue.

While you are at it you can make some blue exchequers.


Tim

 

[Krys109uk]

Side note: Many strains of Andalusians in the US are ER (Birchen based).

That's interesting. I've wondered how they get lacing tidy lacing on non E birds & still maintain the blue ground colour. Are they heavily melanised?

I think for the most part this topic is hypothetical.

If one can stick within the breed it always makes type easier. I can see using white leghorns would be a better way to go apart from the probem of knowing whether the bird did indeed carry blue? A first cross would only give another white bird; so it would take two crosses to find out whether he bird carried blue. It may be common in US for the whites to carry blue. I've only bred leghorns in UK Mine were black, barred & silver.
With the blue andalusians, FMP said, one would only need to pick up the blue gene from the andalusian then one would just keep breeding back to blacks until type was correct.

I suppose there are many ways to skin a cat.