Blue Phoenix Project

[hensandchicks66]

Hello! I'm new to backyard chickens!

I am currently trying to create a Blue Phoenix. Does anyone know if this has been done before? My project consists of a half Blue Cochin, half Silver Phoenix Rooster. I know he has feathered feet and a bad tail but I believe that will go away in a generation or two. The rooster also has some flecks of gold on him. I will breed him to 2 purebred White Phoenix hens. They are all bantams. I am looking for someone who really knows chicken genetics to help me guess what the offspring will look like. I've uploaded pics of them on here.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Well, I'm not an expert on chicken genetics. However, I think that if you crossed your rooster to white Phoenix hens, you would get birds with lighter coloring. This is because you are breeding the rooster to white birds. White is a dilution of blue, so I would expect that breeding a blue bird to a white bird would create lighter blue birds (or splash). I expect that they would have foot feathering still. This is because the feather-footed gene is generally dominant, and less likely to be hidden. However, as I said before, I'm not a chicken genetics expert!

This sounds like an interesting experiment! Please keep us updated!

 

[hensandchicks66]

Thanks for the comment! I'm also fine with splash. If the feather feet don't go away then I have an unrelated White phoenix rooster I could breed the offspring to. Hoping this works!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Well, I'm not an expert on chicken genetics. However, I think that if you crossed your rooster to white Phoenix hens, you would get birds with lighter coloring. This is because you are breeding the rooster to white birds. White is a dilution of blue, so I would expect that breeding a blue bird to a white bird would create lighter blue birds (or splash). I expect that they would have foot feathering still. This is because the feather-footed gene is generally dominant, and less likely to be hidden. However, as I said before, I'm not a chicken genetics expert!

This sounds like an interesting experiment! Please keep us updated!

White is not a dilution of anything. It is the complete absense of pigment. It is essentially an off switch, and you cannot tell what genetic colours or patterns it has turned OFF.

Splash is two copies of the blue gene (blue IS a dilution gene).

The bird pictured does not appear to be blue, although he could have a very dark blue. but there is no way to know what you will get crossing him to a white. If you are wanting to breed a blue phoenix, I recommend crossing a pure silver or gold phoenix to a solid blue bird. As much as possible, avoid one with traits you will have to breed out.

 

[Oldhound]

If you go to the Post Phoenix Pictures Thread you will find many blue Phoenix. Boggy Bottom Bantams has some outstanding Purebred Blue Phoenix. Check it out

 

[hensandchicks66]

Thanks for the advice everyone and i'll check it out.

 

[hensandchicks66]

Sorry everyone. It's too hot. The hens aren't laying. I'm just going to try to buy some.

 

[wrayn2002]

Not an expert but have some similar thoughts. However, in reading, I found there is that blue dilution gene. The real problem, I think, is dealing with using either a gold or silver phoenix.
With the gold or silver duckwings, that seems to be a Partridge type pattern with genes for gold/silver. My understanding is that it is a gender related gene coming into play such that it'd be hard to get it done using roosters.

However, the hen only carries one such gene, so breeding blue roosters to a silver duckwing hen should give a percentage to choose from with less duckwing genetics.

Seems a person would have to pick the F1 offspring with the least duckwing characteristics and go from there, eventually getting the silver gene out of play in a few generations. Without the silver gene, the red would apparently be like a Partridge type. So I was thinking of a blue red partridge variant.
For pure blue, not sure what to do.