True Blue Whiting info please?

[Lady Hermione]

I discovered a breed I think I need

True blue whiting? Never heard of it until I was playing with the chick selector on McMurrays... Here they are.
https://m.www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/whiting_true_blue.html


They sound intriguing, almost exactly what I'm attempting to cross myself!

Blue eggs, hardy in cold or hot weather, exellent free ranging layer.

Anyone have info or tips to share to encourage, or discourage me from adding these beauties to my free ranging flock?

TIA

https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/4_week_old_whiting_true_blue.html

 

[dheltzel]

They are nothing but higher priced Easter Eggers, like you can get from any hatchery. In areas with harsh winters, the typical EE will probably do better because they usually have pea combs which don't frostbite like the single combed Whitings.

 

[CoChiChick]

So the only place I have seen them for sale is at McMurray's. Any other Hatcheries carry them now in 2019?

They're not called WTB, but Hoover's Hatchery has something called the Prairie Bluebell Egger and the Starlight Green Egger. Photos look the same as the WTB photos

 

[Newyorkrita]

They're not called WTB, but Hoover's Hatchery has something called the Prairie Bluebell Egger and the Starlight Green Egger. Photos look the same as the WTB photos

Hoovers seems to have re named them to better market. If you read the breed description it states that these were " created by crossing Araucanas and White Leghorns" which is what the Whiting True Blues were based on.

 

[Newyorkrita]

Oh, and I wanted to add that I didn't take such a closer look at the Hoover ones till it was pointed out that they should be the same thing. Then I started reading about the background of how they were created.

 

[IowaChickChick]

McMurray has the exclusive on the line from Dr. Tom Whiting on those breeds.

 

[Newyorkrita]

McMurray has the exclusive on the line from Dr. Tom Whiting on those breeds.

If McMurry has the exclusive then what is Hoovers selling? Really seems like the same thing under a different name.

 

[TayInTX]

I’m sorry if this is a dumb question but are the Whiting True Blues always homozygous for the blue egg gene?

 

[TayInTX]

Yep! WTB should be homozygous for the blue egg gene and breed true, producing 100% blue egg layers.

 

[PeepingK]

Well I know that this thread is dead now but I just wanted to come on and correct the people saying that WTBs are “overpriced Easter eggers”. They are NOT Easter eggers. Easter Eggers don’t have a double blue gene and can lay a variety of different coloured eggs. WTBs are their own breed and supposed to be homozygous, so they do lay true for blue eggs. I have one myself and she lays a beautiful bright blue egg without any green tint to it! If you want lots of good info on this breed check out Silver Homestead, they breed whiting true blues and their flock is all homozygous.