What would I need for Lemon Blue's?

[FLGatorsDucky]

We would like to start a small project flock and are looking into the possibility of breeding for lemon blue in cochins. We would love if someone could point us in a direction. What birds should we start our flock with? I did read through some of the other lemon blue project threads but I got a little lost in the terminology and abbreviations.

 

[mibirder]

True Lemon Blues are the result of mating a blue based bird carrying the gold gene with a Brown Red (gold birchen) bird. The real key is to produce gold laced blue breast feathering.

The reason I say true Lemon Blue is that some alleged Lemon Blues are really Blue x Buff crosses. These will lack the gold laced feathering. The gold laced feathering comes from the birchen genetic make-up.

The most productive mating is to use a (blue) Splash carrying pure gold with a Brown Red which should produce 100% Lemon Blues assuming the Splash is pure for the gold gene.

Blue x Brown Red = 50% Brown Red 50% Lemon Blue
Lemon Blue x Lemon Blue = 25% Brown Red 50% Lemon Blue 25% Lemon Splash

If you use a Splash Rooster that is gold and Silver carrier, the %s of Lemon Blues drops considerably because 50% of the offspring will get the dominate Silver gene and therefore be either pure Silver Blue females or Silver Blue males carrying both gold and silver. I think the % of Lemon Blues from these matings is something like 12.5% which means pretty low odds of getting the Lemon Blues desired.

The task is to find good quality Brown Reds and a blue based bird that carries the gold allele pair. Unfortunately it's near/is impossible to identify the gold carrier blues from silver/gold or Silver pair carrier by sight.

I know - clear as mud.

Dave

 

[SierraView]

 

[nicalandia]

The task is to find good quality Brown Reds and a blue based bird that carries the gold allele pair. Unfortunately it's near/is impossible to identify the gold carrier blues from silver/gold or Silver pair carrier by sight.
I know - clear as mud.
Dave

Not only that, one need to find both birds lacking autosomal red, which will enhance the red shoulders on the boys...

to me below roo has the perfect tone of gold, Blue will further dilute the gold tone and make even colored Lemon blues..




below brown reds have autosomal red and are too red enhanced to work with..