Blue Partridge Project

[RossAcres]

(Question at the end)
I'm posting this to keep track and keep y'all updated on this long project. You guys know, I raise Wyandotte bantams. I have partridge, white, and now black. I am wanting to make the UK's blue partridge. That is basically blue and partridge together. Here is a picture of what I want.

As you can see, it's a orangish light brown color with blue lacing. The problem is, in the UK and Australia, they breed their partridge A LOT lighter than we do in the US. So if I were to breed blue to partridge here, it's going to be a darker color. I need to find a way to either breed lighter partridge, or somehow find someone who breeds super light partridge.
Here is a picture of a US partridge.

As you can see, partridge is dark here.

One big question I have is how can I make blue? White to black makes paint. But Splash to black makes blue. How do I make splash? My end goal is a blue colored bird that can be put over partridge.

 

[AinaWGSD]

You need blue to make splash-it's caused by two copies of the blue gene. You can't get blue with just the colors you have now.

I'm wondering if the blue partridge pictured here are andalusian blue (blue/black/splash) or self blue (more commonly called lavender here in the US). Andalusian blue doesn't (i don't think) affect red pigments, only black. Whereas I thought I've read that lavender dilutes both black and red.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Looks like the lemon blue for cochins

 

[RossAcres]

You need blue to make splash-it's caused by two copies of the blue gene. You can't get blue with just the colors you have now.

I'm wondering if the blue partridge pictured here are andalusian blue (blue/black/splash) or self blue (more commonly called lavender here in the US). Andalusian blue doesn't (i don't think) affect red pigments, only black. Whereas I thought I've read that lavender dilutes both black and red.

How do I make splash?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

How do I make splash?

2 blue genes

 

[RossAcres]

2 blue genes

But I thought you need splash to get blue? How do I make splash if it takes blue? How do I get the blue?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

But I thought you need splash to get blue? How do I make splash if it takes blue? How do I get the blue?

You have to bring the color in.

@NatJ

 

[Amer]

The reason American Partridge is so much darker is because of the mahogany gene (and selection.) That color is known as red partridge as opposed to the UK gold partridge. Do you want blue red pencilled or blue gold partridge?
Splash is two copies of the blue gene (Bl/Bl)
Blue blue gives you 25 percent black (bl+/bl+), 50 percent blue (Bl/bl+), and 25 percent splash (Bl/Bl).
However, you don't need a splash, it's just that it will give you less "waste birds". Blue x black gives you 50 percent blue and fifty percent splash.
Blue x partridge gives you blues and blacks with mahogany leakage.
Mahogany is dominant so they will be mahogany but these will likely carry nonmahogany from the blue parent (though no guarantee.)
Breeding these blue birds to red partridge should give you some blue red partridge chicks but these blue red partridge must be bred together to get gold partridge (if you are lucky enough that both parents got the fifty percent chance of carrying nonmahogany.)

 

[NatJ]

But I thought you need splash to get blue? How do I make splash if it takes blue? How do I get the blue?

A chicken can have 2 blue genes (splash).
Or a chicken can have 1 blue gene and 1 not-blue gene (blue).
Or a chicken can 2 not-blue genes (black or any other non-blue color.)

All of your chickens have 2 not-blue genes. So they are "black" (the black in the partridge pattern, and the black that is hidden by the Dominant White gene for the white ones, and the actual visible black on the black ones.)

You need to get a chicken with at least one blue gene. You can get one that is blue (1 blue gene) or splash (2 blue genes).

Splash chickens can be bred together to create more splash chickens. They can be bred to other colors to create blue chickens.

Blue chickens can be bred together to create blue chickens, splash chickens, and chickens that are black or otherwise non-blue.

Blue chickens can be bred with splash chickens to create blue chickens and splash chickens.

Blue chickens can be bred to black chickens to create blue chickens and black chickens. Again, "black" here is really just not-blue. So your current partridge chickens are "black" for this purpose.

 

[Amer]

BTW if you cross black and white Wyandottes together you probably won't get paint because white Wyandottes are recessive rather than dominant white.
You simply don't know what you get from crossing black to recessive white.
White could be hiding blue if you're lucky. You simply don't know.