Color Genetics in Orpintons with Blue Rooster

[StefneyRSA]

What colors can I breed with a blue rooster?

I’m still building my Orpington flock and he’s young, so what color hens should I try to find for him?

Currently I have 3 hens for him: 1 x blue, 1 x blue splash, 1 x cuckoo. What color chicks will I be able to expect from them?
And what are the possible colors I could breed with him if I get more hens of different colors?

I’m trying to find a lavender hen, will I get anything special if I pair them or will I just get black?

 

[StefneyRSA]

Picture of my blue Bantam Orpington cockerel, his name is Louis.

The pullets/hens are blue, splash, and cuckoo. But he’ll be happy for one or two more girls to join his flock.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

What colors can I breed with a blue rooster?

I’m still building my Orpington flock and he’s young, so what color hens should I try to find for him?

Currently I have 3 hens for him: 1 x blue, 1 x blue splash, 1 x cuckoo. What color chicks will I be able to expect from them?
And what are the possible colors I could breed with him if I get more hens of different colors?

I’m trying to find a lavender hen, will I get anything special if I pair them or will I just get black?

bluexblue=blue, black, splash
bluexsplash=blue, splash
bluexcuckoo= I believe you get blue, black. sons are barred. @NatJ can help with this
bluexlavender=blue, black. all chicks will be recessive lavender

 

[wrathsfarm]

Just a tag along on what @eggsnatcher posted....

 

[StefneyRSA]

bluexblue=blue, black, splash
bluexsplash=blue, splash
bluexcuckoo= I believe you get blue, black. sons are barred. @NatJ can help with this
bluexlavender=blue, black. all chicks will be recessive lavender

Thank you! Is it possible to breed cuckoo or lavender pullets from a blue rooster? If I can find a split-lavender hen for example, will lavender chicks be possible?

I’m so new to this.

 

[NatJ]

bluexcuckoo= I believe you get blue, black. sons are barred. @NatJ can help with this

If the cuckoo is the mother, then yes you get sexlinks (barred males).

The blue gene works just as you said: blue x black = blue chicks and black chicks. The blue affects the areas that would be black, so the white barring doesn't change.

Thank you! Is it possible to breed cuckoo or lavender pullets from a blue rooster? If I can find a split-lavender hen for example, will lavender chicks be possible?

I’m so new to this.

Cuckoos have the barring gene. That is on the Z sex chromosome. A rooster has ZZ, so he inherits one from each parent, and gives one to each chick he sires. A hen has ZW. She inherits Z from her father and W from her mother, and she gives Z to her sons and W to her daughters.

To get a cuckoo hen, she must get barring (Z chromosome) from her father. She gets a W chromosome from her mother, but that cannot have the barring gene.

So if the rooster has no barring, then he will never produce barred or cuckoo daughters.

Lavender is recessive. So a chicken will only show lavender color if it inherits the lavender gene from both parents. If the blue rooster does not have the lavender gene, he will never produce chicks that show lavender. If the chicks inherit the lavender gene from their mother, they will carry that gene (and can give it to their own chicks), but will not show any visible effects from the gene.

 

[StefneyRSA]

If the cuckoo is the mother, then yes you get sexlinks (barred males).

The blue gene works just as you said: blue x black = blue chicks and black chicks. The blue affects the areas that would be black, so the white barring doesn't change.


Cuckoos have the barring gene. That is on the Z sex chromosome. A rooster has ZZ, so he inherits one from each parent, and gives one to each chick he sires. A hen has ZW. She inherits Z from her father and W from her mother, and she gives Z to her sons and W to her daughters.

To get a cuckoo hen, she must get barring (Z chromosome) from her father. She gets a W chromosome from her mother, but that cannot have the barring gene.

So if the rooster has no barring, then he will never produce barred or cuckoo daughters.

Lavender is recessive. So a chicken will only show lavender color if it inherits the lavender gene from both parents. If the blue rooster does not have the lavender gene, he will never produce chicks that show lavender. If the chicks inherit the lavender gene from their mother, they will carry that gene (and can give it to their own chicks), but will not show any visible effects from the gene.

Wow thank you so much for this explanation!!

This makes perfect sense.

One more question… can chickens breed with their own father/mother? Or do you need to breed unrelated pairs?

 

[NatJ]

One more question… can chickens breed with their own father/mother? Or do you need to breed unrelated pairs?

Chickens can breed with their relatives. They do not seem to care. The chicks are usually fine.