Author Topic: improving color on blue wheatens  (Read 2625 times)

DeWayne Edgin

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improving color on blue wheatens
« on: July 13, 2014, 07:13:09 PM »
I have searched the forum on this but haven`t found my answer. Am i correct in saying, to improve the blue wheatens wing and tail feathers you should breed them to a blue? Then keep the best chicks and keep breeding them back to blue wheaten? Will it also take 10 years to get them looking nice again, or should you do this every 10 years or so? Thanks.

Mike Gilbert

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Re: improving color on blue wheatens
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2014, 09:27:26 PM »
Before embarking on a long term breeding project, why not look around real hard to see if anyone already has wheatens or blue wheatens with the proper tail and wing color?   There have been photos posted here of nicely colored birds in these varieties, so somebody must have some.   

http://ameraucana.org/scrapbook_files/lfbluewheatenf.jpg

http://ameraucana.org/scrapbook_files/lfwheatenf.jpg
« Last Edit: July 13, 2014, 09:30:09 PM by Mike Gilbert »

DeWayne Edgin

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Re: improving color on blue wheatens
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2014, 09:42:38 PM »
I have some with the blue feathers on their wings and tails. I was hoping to use a dark blue cock with good lacing to try and get blue wheatens with lacing and darker blue feathers. My male that i had did have lacing on his breast but i was wondering if i could maybe get it on the hens.

Michael Newman

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Re: improving color on blue wheatens
« Reply #3 on: July 16, 2014, 04:54:29 PM »
Blue Wheaten and Blue are two completely different color bases, I wouldn't mix them.  To improve Blue Wheaten you could mate back to a Wheaten.  I have some Blue Wheatens that are pretty washed out (look like Splash Wheaten instead) and I intend to mate to a Wheaten to darken the Blue Wheaten color.