Practical Poultry Forum - cuckoo blue or black

terri

Member
Sinbinner
Online

The chooks are in charge.

Posts: 324
long melford, suffolk
Gender: female

cuckoo blue or black
Feb 7^th, 2010 at 7:06pm

I think i have been thinking totally the wrong way. i assumed that there were blue/lavender cuckoo and black cuckoo as in pekins/silkies. when mating blue cuckoo male to black split hen and black hen i thought the difference was black or blue but after reading another tread it made me think it could be boys are blue girls are black. help i'm all confused. Undecided

Back to top

The chooks are in charge you start off with two,they make you get more, then wait on them hand and foot.

IP Logged

Hen-Gen Member Sinbinner Offline Live slow, die old. Posts: 1737 Island of Fetlar, Shetland Gender:	Re: cuckoo blue or black Reply #1 - Feb 7^th, 2010 at 7:19pm Hi terri, Cuckoo is a patterning gene. So it can exist in several colours according to what colour genes are present. Most cuckoo birds are Black Cuckoo. But they also exist as Blue Cuckoo, Lavender Cuckoo, Lemon Cuckoo, Chocolate Cuckoo and Dun Cuckoo.
Back to top	IP Logged

Woodburner Member Offline I Love Practical Poultry Posts: 784 Rural Essex Gender:	Re: cuckoo blue or black Reply #2 - Feb 7^th, 2010 at 11:56pm Barring (cuckoo) is sexlinked, but blue, black and lavender aren't, so any difference between the sexes will be to do with barring not those colours. Cuckoo male over black hens doesn't give sexlinked chicks, it has to be non barred male over barred female.
Back to top	I fought the weeds and the weeds won! IP Logged

terri

Member
Sinbinner
Online

The chooks are in charge.

Posts: 324
long melford, suffolk
Gender: female

Re: cuckoo blue or black
Reply #3 - Feb 8^th, 2010 at 8:23am

thanks so i was on the right track to begin with. it's just that over the weekend i had to split 20 silkie chcks as they needed more room(6 weeks), from a blue cuckoo boy/ black hen /black split hen and i watch them for two hours and took out any that had large combs and any that were starting fights and all the blue cuckoo went into the suspect boy pen and what were left were all black cuckoo which i think my be girls. which made me think i'd got it all wrong. i know i can't deffinately sex them for quite a white but going on previous hatches those who have been starting fights have always been boys. terri

Back to top

The chooks are in charge you start off with two,they make you get more, then wait on them hand and foot.

IP Logged

Iwannabemargo Member Sinbinner Online Still devious............. ................. Posts: 6535 Sunny Cornwall Gender:	Re: cuckoo blue or black Reply #4 - Feb 8^th, 2010 at 3:27pm are you sure they are Blue Cuckoo ? The only reason I ask is that with some breeds I know line the Marans the cuckoo males are much lighter than the females ( double dose of the bvarring gene I think ) 'Margo
Back to top	I would chart my weight loss but I hate dissapointment ! IP Logged

terri

Member
Sinbinner
Online

The chooks are in charge.

Posts: 324
long melford, suffolk
Gender: female

Re: cuckoo blue or black
Reply #5 - Feb 8^th, 2010 at 4:51pm

i assumed they were blue, but now you said that i'm not so sure. these are the cuckoo chick i asked about here last may (cuckoo silkies. page four genetic) i hatched 4 that turn out as two blue cuckoo looking hens, i black hen and one blue but looks lavender cock. it is this cock i have put with a black split hen and a black hen. as i don't know his parents or understand genetic yet, i'm a little confused but as the parent hens are not cuckoo would it be a double dose barring.this is mo the cockrel and his two sisters terri

Back to top

The chooks are in charge you start off with two,they make you get more, then wait on them hand and foot.

IP Logged

Magpie Board Mod Sinbinner Offline Lakenvelder bantams! Posts: 1955 Norfolk Gender:	Re: cuckoo blue or black Reply #6 - Feb 8^th, 2010 at 6:26pm I'm afraid I'm confused - what do you mean "black split hen" ?
Back to top	Bantam Lakenvelder, Vorwerk and Dutch, large fowl Appenzeller Spitzhauben and Sussex, and now Fayoumi IP Logged

terri Member Sinbinner Online The chooks are in charge. Posts: 324 long melford, suffolk Gender:	Re: cuckoo blue or black Reply #7 - Feb 8^th, 2010 at 6:51pm black split hen - black mother / blue father is that not how it works.
Back to top	The chooks are in charge you start off with two,they make you get more, then wait on them hand and foot. IP Logged

Magpie

Board Mod
Sinbinner

Offline

Lakenvelder bantams!

Posts: 1955
Norfolk
Gender: male

Re: cuckoo blue or black
Reply #8 - Feb 8^th, 2010 at 8:52pm

If a bird carries blue, it is blue. If you have a black bird with a blue father then it is just a black bird and cannot be used to produce more blue birds unless its mate is blue or splash.

No copy of the blue gene = black
1 copy of the blue gene = blue
2 copies of the blue gene = splash (which look white).

black x black = 100% black
black x blue = 50% blue, 50% black
blue x blue = 50% blue, 25% black, 25% splash
black x splash = 100% blue
blue x splash = 50% blue, 50% splash
splash x splash = 100 % splash

It does not matter which sex is which colour. hth.

Back to top

Bantam Lakenvelder, Vorwerk and Dutch, large fowl Appenzeller Spitzhauben and Sussex, and now Fayoumi

IP Logged

terri Member Sinbinner Online The chooks are in charge. Posts: 324 long melford, suffolk Gender:	Re: cuckoo blue or black Reply #9 - Feb 9^th, 2010 at 8:24am so i'm still confused as to wether they are blue or double dose cuckoo, proberbly blue i think.i don't know. i need a headache pill.
Back to top	The chooks are in charge you start off with two,they make you get more, then wait on them hand and foot. IP Logged

eggboxx

Member
Offline

I Love PP!

Posts: 990
London
Gender: male

Re: cuckoo blue or black
Reply #10 - Feb 9^th, 2010 at 11:10am

they could have been split black if they were from a lavender parent
are your hens cuckoo?? or pure black ??
if they are cuckoo like the pullets and your male looks like the boys you hatched
then i would think it is the double cuckoo gene in the males making them look paler and not blue

i would think it very unlucky to have all one sex one colour and theother sex another colouor

Back to top

IP Logged

terri Member Sinbinner Online The chooks are in charge. Posts: 324 long melford, suffolk Gender:	Re: cuckoo blue or black Reply #11 - Feb 9^th, 2010 at 11:30am the hens are black and dad is very light blue cuckoo. what you said about the split lavender, is where i was going wrong i thought it applied to blues as well.
Back to top	The chooks are in charge you start off with two,they make you get more, then wait on them hand and foot. IP Logged

	Welcome, Guest. Please Login
	Don't Forget To Visit The NEW Poultry Store Here