Blue Silver?

[Russ Blair]

Alright I have more questions to those with a better understanding of genetics than myself. Which I might add I have been studying the basics in links posted above. Now last year I made my first cross with a silver cock over Blue hens and I only kept 2 pullets with the Blue phenotype I was after. Now this year I put a Silver cockerel over them and have just started hatching them. Now I should be getting chicks out of this cross with Black,Blue,Silver and Blue Silver phenotype correct? The first and only chick so far hatch looking like a Blue chick with no chipmunk stripes what so ever. Also out of the F2 chicks I should be keeping the chicks with Silver phenotype correct? Then I would take the F2 with correct phenotype and breed them together correct? Thanks for the help and advise

[Mike Gilbert]

I didn't see this before.   Sounds like you have a handle on it Russ. 

[Russ Blair]

Thanks Mike I thought so just wanted to make sure 😃😃

[Russ Blair]

Sweet just pulled 2 Blue Silver chicks out of the incubator with correct phenotype. One looks like a black chick so out of 4 eggs I have 2 keepers http://s1083.photobucket.com/user/Russell_Blair/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps75iaerxp.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[Max Strawn]

Hey Russ, how's this project coming along?

[Russ Blair]

Sorry Max haven't been on much due to settling my Mothers estate, Hatching and Work. I have hatched a hundred or so. Unfortunately I believe one or more of the pullet I used are hiding autosomal red. I am only guessing at this point and have to individually test mate to pure silvers. I came to this conclusion due to red feathers on male progeny in the wings and back. I have gotten a couple without it so I am hopeful that not all the pullets were hiding it. I will also test mate the cockerel I used in hopes of verifying he is not part of the blame. If it was simple it wouldn't be fun lol.

[Max Strawn]

Are yours bantam or large fowl? I did a search for them and came across this pic from Debbie Mock. There is just something about blues that gets my attention.

[The Malcolms]

Those are beautiful!
Are blue silver and silver blue the same thing?  Just wondering what the difference is...

[Mike Gilbert]

Those are beautiful!
Are blue silver and silver blue the same thing?  Just wondering what the difference is...

No, not the same thing.   Silver blue is birchen with one dose of Bl added, so ER based.    Blue silver is silver with one dose of Bl added, so e+ based.

[John W Blehm]

Those are beautiful!
Are blue silver and silver blue the same thing?  Just wondering what the difference is...

No, not the same thing.   Silver blue is birchen with one dose of Bl added, so ER based.    Blue silver is silver with one dose of Bl added, so e+ based.

Note that the last word in the variety name is basically the main variety with the preceding word(s) describing how it is different from that main or base variety.  There are probably exceptions to this, but that is the way I understand it.
Examples would be wheaten, with blue wheaten and splash wheaten.  Basically all 3 are the wheaten pattern with black changed to blue or splash on the two. 
In the blue silver variety, silver refers to the silver (duckwing) pattern as opposed to the color silver/white.  With silver blue I assume silver means the color silver/white, since it is describing how the blue variety is modified.
A new variety that I've been working on is lavender silver.  It is the silver pattern with black replaced with lavender and salmon breasts, on females, replaced with light pink.

[Andrew Johnson]

I am sure I am not the only one, but I would love to see some pics on how each of your projects are going.

[Russ Blair]

Here is a picture of the Blue Silver cockerel I used this year Max. At least I hope, I struggle with posting pictures on this forum. Mine are Large Fowl, I may start some Bantam after I get these straightened out.

http://s1083.photobucket.com/user/Russell_Blair/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsc9ujokzb.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[Russ Blair]

Here's the only Blue Silver Pullet I had last year. Which I culled her due to red feathers showing up in the only splash silver chick I hatched this year.

http://s1083.photobucket.com/user/Russell_Blair/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsviwzdtsc.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[John W Blehm]

Here is a picture of the Blue Silver cockerel I used this year Max. At least I hope, I struggle with posting pictures on this forum. Mine are Large Fowl, I may start some Bantam after I get these straightened out.

http://s1083.photobucket.com/user/Russell_Blair/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsc9ujokzb.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

From what I can see he lacks a blue breast, so would not be for exhibition and depending on what else you have probably not good to breed from.
The Light Chest on Silver Cockerels topic relates to this. 

[Russ Blair]

Thanks for the info John. He was a F2 offspring and the only cockerel that didn't end up with red leakage. I agree his chest should be darker. It actually is a light blue, but should be darker like his tail wing bow. Out of around 70 or so I hatched that year only got 3 with correct phenotype. I hatched a lot more F3 this year so hopefully I will get some better ones. I should of crossed back to pure silver. But I didn't want to lose the improvements the cross brought in. So I bred F2 together and it seems a few of the silver pullets were hiding autosomal red I think. I will post some pictures of this years chicks when I get some more time. I am always looking for feed back from people with more knowledge than myself