Will they all be blue?

[Stacy]

[b]Hi everyone. Today my irn's laid their very first egg. This is their first together as a pair. Blueberry is a blue/lacewing cock. And Bonnie is a blue hen. Could somebody please tell me what colour the young ones could be. Would they all be blue? Thank you.
Stacy.[/b]

[Jim]

Hi Stacy,

It's not clear from your post whether the male is a visual pallid (lacewing) or is split for pallid. No problem, though. We can figure it out for both combinations.

Blue pallid male x blue female:

Males:
100% Blue split for pallid

Females:
100% Blue pallid

Blue male split for pallid x blue female:

Males:
50% Blue
50% Blue split for pallid

Females:
50% Blue
50% Blue pallid

Blue is a recessive mutation so if both parents are visually blue they have to have two copies of the blue gene and will consequently always pass along the blue gene to their offspring.

Jim

[Stacy]

Hi Jim. Yes both birds are visiual blue. And the cock bird is split for pallid. But you did answer my question. They will all be the colour blue. I told the hen to choose the silver male. But never mind. Thanks.
Stacy.

[Jim]

Sounds like your birds listen about as well as mine...

If your hen had listened and chose the silver (grey cinnamon) you'd have quite a few more possibilities. At least you still have a shot at a blue pallid.

Jim

[Stacy]

It is a shame she did not listen. Because now the other two have paired up and they are both silver...lol.....such is life. I think I will split them before next season and swap them around.

[Jim]

You're probably going to end up with all silvers from that pair unless both of them are single factor for the grey gene, in which case 1 in 4 birds will be a blue cinnamon.

Jim