Author Topic: Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens  (Read 11557 times)

Paul

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« on: November 11, 2008, 09:51:23 AM »
 Each year we get chick orders for all blue wheatens and all blues.  A poultry fancier needs to know that mating blue to blue will produce blue, black and splash chicks.  Fifty % blue, 25% black and 25% splash on the average will be produced.  A splash is actually a pure blue, carrying only blue genes.  A splash is a yellowish-white chick at hatching and will develop white feathers with blue and/or black speckles or spots.  Presently there is an agreement with several ABC members, to help get splash a recognized variety in the Ameraucana breed.  
  Splash is a good source to produce some very good blues.  Splash mated to splash produces only splash, because splash is pure.  Splash mated to black produces only blue, because the black parent is only carrying black genes and the splash parent carrying blue genes.  This creates an offspring with both blue and black genes, which makes a blue chick.  Many of our best blues have been produced from a splash and black mating.  They are not sex-linked genes, so it doesn\'t matter whether the male or female is splash.  Our best blue cockerel from the 2005 hatch is out of a splash pullet which Matthew calls \"Spotie\".  Some of the best blue pullets from the 2005 hatch are out of a splash cockerel.  Splash mated to blue will produce 50% splash and 50% blue chicks on the average, because the blue parent is carrying both blue and black genes and the splash carrying only blue genes.  When the blue parent donates a blue gene to the blue gene donated from the splash parent, a splash chick is hatched.  When the blue parent donates a black gene to the blue gene donated from the splash parent a blue chick is hatched.
  The most used way to produce blue chicks is from a blue to black mating which results in 50% blue and 50% black chicks on the average.  We have used every combination mentioned above to produce our blues, except blue to splash.  The 2006 hatching will have some chicks from blue wheatens mated to splash wheatens.
  Wheatens, blue wheatens and splash wheatens will produce the same results as blacks, blues and splash.  Wheaten takes the place of blacks.  Blue wheaten takes blues place and splash wheaten replaces splash.  The problem with wheatens is they are all the same color at hatching.  Blues, blacks and splashes are easily recognizable at hatching by the different color of their down.  The wheaten, blue wheaten and splash wheaten have to start developing some feathers before they can be identified by a variety.  This makes it difficult to sell only blue wheaten or only wheaten chicks if the different breeding combination are used which produce more than one variety of wheatens.  Presently we have wheaten to wheaten; wheaten to blue wheaten; blue wheaten to wheaten; blue wheaten to blue wheaten; blue wheaten to splash wheaten; splash wheaten to blue wheaten and splash wheaten to wheaten combinations in our breeding pens.
  A conclusion, after having bred Ameraucanas for seven years, is \"If you want to raise good blues, then you are going to have to raise blacks also!\"  The same thing applies to blue wheatens and wheatens.
  Hope this helps those desiring to raise blue and blue wheatens.
Paul Smith

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2008, 12:08:09 PM »
Thank you paul,  grin.. this sounds like almost a repeat of our telephone conversation.. thank you for putting it in writing.. and we still want to be on your chick call list for February!!

Tinkers aka Barb
A.

verycherry

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2008, 02:15:41 PM »
Paul, thank you for explaining the way the wheaten/blue wheaten works.  I didn\'t realize the genetics worked the same as the black/blue/splash, which I believe I understand.  

Do you have a website?  Also, I\'ve never seen a splash wheaten.  I\'ll do a search on the web and see if I can find a good pic, but if you have one, I\'d love to see it.

Sherry

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2008, 09:25:54 PM »
So do splash wheaten hens have the same coloration as wheaten hens with the exception of the normally blue or black tail feathers and primary wings feathers being white? And do the the splash wheaten cocks have splash coloration on their breasts instead of blue or black?

Jeff

Paul

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2008, 10:03:17 AM »
The only difference in the three wheaten varieties females is black, blue and white in their tail and wing primaries.   Wheatens have black.  Blue wheatens have blue and splash wheatens have white.

The males are totally different.  A splash wheaten male is red, white and blue-Mike Gilbert calls them the \"patriotic chicken\".  Barbara Campbell has some photos of some on the forum.

This was written about 2 years ago.  Angela moved it from the ABC Sharing Place before it was lost.
Paul Smith

Blue Egg Acres

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2008, 10:47:45 AM »
A splash wheaten cockerel.

Paul

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2008, 12:27:14 PM »
I went through some pictures and found a picture of a splash wheaten cockerel and pullet.










Paul Smith

verycherry

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2008, 12:33:07 PM »
Oh, I didn\'t see the last post before.  I think this is the color I\'d like to get into.

I\'m going to post another topic along these lines, so I don\'t highjack yours.

I\'d like some advise.

Paul

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2010, 09:20:45 AM »
Just wanted to bring this to the top.

Paul
Paul Smith

Bearpaw

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2010, 03:17:50 PM »
Hi Paul,

Too bad they are not recognized by the A.P.A. as a variety.
They are very pretty birds.
Bearpaw

Paul

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #10 on: October 01, 2010, 09:26:53 AM »
Wanted to keep them together.  Don\'t know how this happened when it was moved from the ABC Sharing Place.
Paul Smith

far149

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #11 on: December 08, 2011, 08:17:33 PM »
I was reading recently in another breed\'s forum about splash breeding and it raised question in my mind about Ameraucanas. I don\'t recall the breed I was reading about but someone there cautioned against too frequent breeding of splash to splash. This person said this tended to wash out the \"blue/black\" in the offspring after several generations. Has anyone experienced this in Ameraucanas or is it even a concern?

What are we looking at as the color standard for our splashes? Or are we not to that point yet in having the color recognized?
Aaron
Rhoton Hill Farms

John

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #12 on: December 08, 2011, 10:02:59 PM »
Quote
someone there cautioned against too frequent breeding of splash to splash.

Aaron,
I don\'t have experience with it, but I don\'t think it is so or maybe that is not what they meant.  It seem to me that splash to splash would be the way to get good splash birds, just like breeding black to black to get good black birds.
Maybe they were talking about the best matings to produce good blues.

far149

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #13 on: December 08, 2011, 11:30:18 PM »
John:

I finally remembered where I read the comments about splash breeding. It was on the Cochin club\'s forum. Below are quotes from two different individuals about Cochins.

\"I talked to the judge at Crossroads about the placing of Splash birds trying to understand. I know the lighter colored birds did not place as well as the darker ones. He comment was that the color was just too light/washed out on some birds of good type.\"

Second quote: \"The SOP for Splash is Slaty blue and white that has a faint bluish gray tinge. The undercolor s/be slaty blue and sooty white.

If you keep breeding Splash to Splash, you will wash out the Slaty Blue. Hence the recommendation to breed back to Blue or Black as needed. I would make sure if breeding back to Black that it is a B/B/S Black, and not a (regular) Black.\"

It seems to me that you would be correct, John. I don\'t think good colored splash birds mated to each other would have washed out (light colored) progeny.
Aaron
Rhoton Hill Farms

Cloverleaf Farm

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Breeding Blues and Blue Wheatens
« Reply #14 on: December 09, 2011, 01:40:11 AM »
I too have read that several times, that if you breed splash to splash the offspring will get lighter, and for better color on the splashes they should be bred to blue...