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Self
Blue and Andalusian Blue
by
Inga Ladd
March 27, 2003
Oh yes. You can
have both on the same bird. Breeders
who are dealing this mess call the blues Andalusian Blues and the
Splashes Andalusian Splash.
Lavender is another term for Self Blue.
|
Symbol |
Gene |
|
lav |
Self Blue or Lavender |
|
Bl |
Andalusian Blue |
A Silkie that is lav/lav (Homozygous Self Blue) and Bl/Bl (Splash) can be
called Self Blue Splash.
I've been
dealing with these colors for about two or three years now. What I'm getting
ready to describe is not based on detailed research but are my impressions -
which are shared by several other breeders dealing with the same genetic base.
On males
Self Blue Splash is an odd splotchy color that is neither Self Blue nor
Splash. You'll have a nice shade of
light blue as the background color and a few dark blue feathers at irregular
intervals on the coat. The Self Blue
Splash females are a little prettier.
They are less irregular looking than the Andalusian Splash females and
almost look speckled. Again, on the
Self Blue Splash females, the background color is light blue with darker
spots.
With
Andalusian Splash males and females, the background color is near white with
black and very dark blue feathers at irregular intervals in the coat.
A Self
Blue male and female should be an even shade of light blue all over.
It is a
long story but I believe that most show quality Blue flocks in the United
States and many show quality Black flocks now carry the Self Blue gene. I actually own a small handful of Splashes
that I am almost certain do not carry Self Blue. They are old birds and I hope to increase their numbers this
year.
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