The lone blue Orpington pullet

[tazcat70]

Hmmm Cyn, I didn't even notice until you pointed it out. She does have a long tail. I was looking at the all the poof, but even with the long tail she still had the best body of all the others. Sad, I know. Maybe this winter I will hatch out some more and try for even better.

Thanks for your input.

 

[hinkjc]

If one breeds blue to blue one is able to select for the shade of blue one is wanting.

I'm not sure I understand this. Breeding blue to blue makes splash.

Taz, I've seen girls with tails like that, which tends to fall out in their first moult and come in nicer when they finish out. It is less common with orps, but it happens. She looks like she has nice lacing.

I think the other one is a splash. I believe I've read somewhere that the whiter splashes are from breeding the lighter birds and they gradually get very light, almost white. I would think the "blue splash" is more ideal in a blue breeding program and would avoid the washed out look. Maybe someone who breeds blues could advise on how that works.​

 

[Krys109uk]

I'm not sure I understand this. Breeding blue to blue makes splash.

As I understand it, when breeding for blue the approx 25% splash & 25% black are by-products.

As I understood it the theory was to do with the melanisers.
If one wants to breed the best blacks it is best to breed black to black. Blacks from blue X blue would not have as many melanisers as a proper exhibition black line.
For blues one wouldn't want as many melanisers in the line as one would want for exhibition blacks.

In order to be able to select for the correct shade of blue for ones breed one has to be able to see the shade of blue in the parents. Breeding any other combination is leaving shade to pot luck.​

 

[tazcat70]

So does it mean that I have a dark splash or a blue? It would make sense if she was a dark splash, since when I hatched chicks the majority were blue and I "should" have had 50% black and 50% blue based on the hens I have and the way the genes work.

 

[Krys109uk]

So does it mean that I have a dark splash or a blue? It would make sense if she was a dark splash, since when I hatched chicks the majority were blue and I "should" have had 50% black and 50% blue based on the hens I have and the way the genes work.

If you bred black to blue then there can be no splashes.

If you hatched huge numbers of chicks from that mating th numbers would eventually even out at about 50-50. Things don't always work out that evenly in smaller numbers.​

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
This is my girl I hatched out on 4/30/09-she has been laying for 3 weeks--I love her fluffy butt!!!!

 

[tazcat70]

Krys, With the hens I had I figured it should be 50/50. I had a splash, a black, and 2 blues (one of them being this girl with the black spots. My rooster is black.

Sonew, she is very pretty. I keep expecting mine to start laying at any time, but I have heard that these big orps are slower to start.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
Mine had RED RED wattles and combs for 5-6 weeks before she layed her tiny brown egg! now they are a few ounces bigger-but she lays almost every day