What does "splash" mean?

[IamRainey]

I've got a blue or a black (can't remember) splash Orpington. Her body is a soft grey. Her neck is a charcoal grey 3-4 shades darker. She also has pencil-thin darker markings outlining her body feathers.

Splash sounds to me like it should be all over her body in random patches. Not one clearly delineated area. Is this something I'm making up?

Doesn't really matter. She's a happy member of the flock. But I'm just curious to understand.

 

[Pyxis]

Well, she can't be blue or black and also splash. Blue, black, and splash are all separate colors. If you post a picture we can tell you which she is.

 

[staceyj]

She sounds beautiful!

I was under the impression that splash is spotting, and outlining is different.
Yours sounds more like “lace” ...

Please post a pic!

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Pics would be spectacular!

 

[BlueBaby]

I was raising the B/B/S Australorp's before that are very similar to the Orp's. My rooster was a splash, and I still have the picture to show you what a "splash" is. The 2 pullets near him are a blue and a splash:

 

[IamRainey]

I guess I was confused on 2 counts because I thought MPC was offering me a blue splash or a black splash Orp. And I didn't provide a very good description because my mental image was off as well. I thought her body color was much lighter.

Here is Ophelia. I think in the attachments there's a pic with the angle where you can see the difference between her neck and her body coloring:

And here is her "lavender" Orp buddy, Violet, as well. ...tho there's nothing that looks "lavender" to me about her.

I am very confused about how to add pix. Sometimes I can do and sometimes I can't. Rarely can I get them to fit where I want them to....

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Genetically splash means the bird carries 2 copies of the Blue gene.

When one copy is present the bird is blue gray, and is called Blue.

The blue gene is a diluter of black pigment, so one copy makes the black feathers gray (blue), and 2 copies wash out the black almost altogether, often with "splashes" of blue gray here and there. Sometimes some rusty red will bleed through as well, depending upon what other genes are at play.

The confusion comes from the fact that when you cross birds that carry the blue gene the results can vary depending upon how many copies of the gene the parents carry. So a pen of "blue orps" could contain and/or produce black, blue or splash individuals

Here are what you get if you cross 2 blue birds:

• Blue rooster X Blue hen = 50% Blue chicks, 25% Black chicks, 25% Splash chicks

And here are the other possibilities:

• Blue X Black = 50% Blue, 50% Black
• Blue X Splash = 50% Blue, 50% Splash
• Black X Black = 100% Black
• Splash X Splash = 100% Splash
• Splash X Black = 100% Blue

 

[lilmillefleur]

Ophelia is a lovely Blue

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Just noticed your photos....your Ophelia carries one copy of the blue gene, and also likely carries the Colombian gene which creates the dark head and neck as well as the Pattern and Melanotic genes, which create the lacing.

She'd be considered blue or might be referred to as blue laced... in any case she's a looker!

Here are some examples of Splash birds from the interwebs:

 

[lilmillefleur]

I'm no expert but how can a blue bird be melanotic (more blue) than it already is?
Just wondering