Physical characteristics of blue vs. blue splash??

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Hopefully this is in the right forum.

Can someone explain to me the difference between blue and blue splash? I realize the genetic difference, but I'm just confused on the physical appearance.

I've seen chickens listed as "blue" that look identical to the blue-splashes I bought from a breeder (and I trust her, since she had been doing it for a long time, and also bred black, blue, self-blue). My little blue splash pullet is nearly one solid color, with a couple of darker dots (maybe 3 on her entire body). Is that what makes her a blue splash? My cock is colored exactly like Speckledhen's gorgeous blue boy (darker on top, lighter under). Again, he is considered a splash.. I think he may also have a dot or two, but I'm not certain.

Anyway, any color explanation would help. This has been bugging me for a little while now, and I can't seem to make heads or tails of it.

Meghan

 

[Blisschick]

It can be hard to tell sometimes, because blue and splash have a "dosage effect". You can have light colored blues that look splash, and sometimes splash that are dark enough to look like a light blue. Some of the darker blues can have flecks of black in their feathers too, so that's not a true indicator of splash, but I have found it's more the rule than the exception that splash have the black flecks. It took me awhile to figure out if my blue Jersey hen was actually blue or dark splash, but I finally figured out that she's blue (I hope LOL). I found that it's easier to tell with roos, because splash roos will always be lighter, but sometimes it's hard to tell with the hens. I have a couple of EE hens that I'm still not really sure of, since they're not dark blue, but they're not obviously splash, either. I have them in a pen with a blue roo, so if I get any blacks, I'll know for sure if they're blue or splash.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm not sure that blue-splash is a correct term, but someone who really knows will have to tell me. I know blue and I know splash. Splash is pretty much a white bird with dark feathers "splashed" throughout, in my experience, like these below that I hatched. Suede is definitely blue.

 

[Blisschick]

That boy is going to be a handsome roo! He's gorgeous, Cyn!

 

[speckledhen]

The first one is already matured. I gave him to Kate and he grew up and went to live with his own women somewhere else because he got too big for her girls! The second one, a lady in Alabama bought from me, so I havent seen him since he was the age in the photo.