Q: November 15, 2009

Hi Ann,

Just to let you know the birds I got from you have produced some beautiful birds. They are really nice and I need advice on how to breed them for this next year. The red cockerel you sent was beautiful and his daughters are also beautiful from the white splash and the blue pullet. How do I cross them for this next year? Do I breed father to daughter or do I pick a half brother, or do I try to get another cockerel from you to cross on them? Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Hope you and your birds are doing great and hope you had a wonderful year.

Thanks,
John H.
Oklahoma



A:

Hi John,

Now comes the fun part . . . investing time in your own breeding program and watching your birds get better each year! The following is a link to an excellent introductory article on various mating systems that was published in BackYard Poultry magazine: http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/1/1-2/Craig_Russell.html

And when you need any new breeding stock just let me know, I will be here.

Sincerely,

Ann Charles
SkyBlueEgg 



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Q: November 14, 2009

Ann,

What would you recommend reading to learn more about chicken genetics?

Does a recessive dwarf have dominant or recessive dwarf genes, or both?

Heather H.
Limestone, Tennessee



A: 

Hi Heather,

There are several dwarfing genes involved with poultry. Some are dominant, some recessive and some are sex-linked making it very complex to figure out what you are dealing with. As an inexpensive start, you need to get a copy of B. F. Hutt's "Genetics of the Fowl", and also Brian Reeder's, "Color Forms of the Domestic Fowl". You will be learning from both books for years. I still am.
Genetics of the Fowl: The Classic Guide to Chicken Genetics and Poultry Breeding by Frederick B. Hutt (Paperback - May 13, 2003) (look for this on the web for about $15 - Amazon's price is way too high)
An Introduction to Color Forms of the Domestic Fowl: A Look at Color Varieties and How They Are Made by Brian Reeder (Paperback - Feb 13, 2006) Buy new: $32.95 $26.19 (I paid $18.95 new for this book.)

Hope that helps.

Ann Charles
SkyBlueEgg


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Q:

Dear SkyBlueEgg,
I've been admiring your birds for some time now. I occasionally check your eBay auctions for eggs. How blue do they get? I'm having a hard time finding pure blue eggs. I've already hatched birds from green and brown eggs, but I want to focus more on blue.

Thanks,
Cassandra

A:

Cassandra,
In my experience, true Araucana eggs are not really 'blue'. A good colored egg is more of a teal color. As they fade they will look bluer just because they are lighter in color. You might want to take a look at the Araucana egg color chart that is sold on eBay.
I try to breed for depth of color in my eggs as well as bluer color. An Araucana egg is pure in color as long as the inside color of the egg matches the outside color. At the top right of this page is a picture of my WORST colored egg layer (who is also one of my best Araucana hens overall - no body's perfect) and the egg color from one of her daughters. It just shows how quickly you can clean up an egg's color if you work at it through selective breeding. I did not breed the hen with the poor egg color . . . but she did come from an old established flock as a day-old chick. Take a good look at the second picture also which shows the inside and outside of the same hen's egg. As a breeder I would prefer to have to clean up the brown on the outside of the egg than to start with no depth of color in the egg at all. 
Most important to me is that they have good DEPTH of color in their eggs and hold on to that good color as long into the laying process as possible.
Another thing . . . Araucana egg color is tough to photograph. They ALWAYS look much bluer to the eye than they look once a picture is taken. Not sure why. I hope that helps.

Ann Charles
SkyBlueEgg



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