True Blue Whiting info please?

[BDRanch]

I may just try it. Ultimate goal? Auto-sexing, stout, pretty blue, blue-egg laying bird! That's not too much to ask, is it?

 

[Susieq2015]

I ordered some Whiting True Blues...soonest available was June 15th

 

[BDRanch]

Wow! MMM is going to sell out!

 

[dheltzel]

shortgrass, due to my health I was never able to hatch out enough birds to really hit a selling point. Folks do love blue birds, though, so I don't anticipate any issues selling as many as I could hatch. And everyone loves blue eggs, so it sure sounds like a win to me. My plans for the spring are in flux at the moment, so this project may have to wait until 2017

. And since the sex link part didn't work, I think I would work on blue and blue barred blue eggers. I love blue barred birds, they're so pretty. With my sex link project they've all been cockerels, so having blue barred pullets to keep would make me happy

x2 on the blue birds that lay blue eggs, which I suppose is the point of this thread. I sold a bunch of blue chicks last year, Ameraucanas, Sexlinks and Copper Marans. I have given up on the blue sexlinks for the same reasons you have, and am focusing my blue chick efforts on blue Ameraucanas (and blue Marans). Neither are great layers compared to the sexlinks, but the customer demand is for known breeds with the blue colors. The black sexlinks are fantastic layers also and easy to sex while still being awesomely pretty (especially in the sunlight when the irridescence shows), so they win the day over the blue sexlinks, and anyone insisting on a blue that lays blue eggs will have to take their chances with straight run blue Ams.

 

[Susieq2015]

Wow! MMM is going to sell out!

Thats what i was thinking. Ever in the pursuit of the bluest egg, im excited to try these! Plus i like the lean look. I hope 8 is enough...plus i ordered 1 male because my wierd chicken logic says maybe the males will have extra long "tassels" since the birds' maker specializes in fly tying feathers

 

[BDRanch]

I was thinking the same thing!
I'm going to see if I can get some directly from Dr Whiting -- about a four-hour drive from here. If so, I may see if he has any adults and get some eggs in the incubator.
I'll post if I have any luck!

 

[shortgrass]

I may just try it. Ultimate goal? Auto-sexing, stout, pretty blue, blue-egg laying bird! That's not too much to ask, is it?

Wow! MMM is going to sell out!

I was thinking the same thing!
I'm going to see if I can get some directly from Dr Whiting -- about a four-hour drive from here.  If so, I may see if he has any adults and get some eggs in the incubator. 
I'll post if I have any luck!

Lol oh now you are not going to be addicted to chickens just from coming on BYC ha-ha; that's just your excuse

It looks like I might not have a choice but take a drive too! I think we could put our brains together and compare notes, since it seems that our goals are the same, and it also seems that I lolligagged too long on my chick order lol


I got a "free exotic" from MMM, which ended up a Blue Andalusian... Along with my order of Black Australorps.. Lol they tricked me into a "Blue bird" experiment

So, I'm working in the blue birds first, and will incorporate the blue eggs once I get a stable cross of blues... I'm not concerned with auto sexing yet, but the legbars are a definite possibility there...

I'll be keeping tabs on the Whitings and may give Monarch a little wave myself come spring ha-ha

 

[dheltzel]

So, I'm working in the blue birds first, and will incorporate the blue eggs once I get a stable cross of blues... I'm not concerned with auto sexing yet, but the legbars are a definite possibility there...

I have never seen a "recipe" for an autosexing blue bird, I believe it is impossible, genetically. Autosexing is not a single trait that can be incorporated into a breed, but a combination of traits that must either be present or absent to get any amount of autosexing.

Even a blue sexlink has proven impossible in my experience, though this might be possible with the right parents and a keen eye. The best you can do (IMO) is to incorporate an early sexing trait like single combs, and select for early comb development in the males, then you can cull the males at just a few weeks. In that sense, Whiting Blues, Arkansas Blues, or something similar, will give you a good start.

 

[BDRanch]

You're right. I've been addicted for some time now. I've been reading BYC posts for a LONG time, but told myself .... don't you dare sign up ... it will only feed the addiction further... Oops. I've got a call in to Dr Whiting, and will ask him about the entire blue sex link idea. Mainly, what I'm after, is a pretty, autosexing bird that will lay a lovely blue egg. If the bird is blue, that's just another plus, but I'll take a pink bird if it will give me a good egg, and I know he's a she when she pips out of that egg!

 

[BDRanch]

@dheltzel ... how long do you suspect the early comb development idea would take?