I've started in OEG bantams,can i breed for the color blue or does it have to be inherited?

Craig, Blue is recessive in OEG(and other breeds) and requires one Blue parent--just one. For instance to breed Blue Reds, you must breed a Blue Red (either sex) to a Black Breasted Red (the opposite color). Offspring may be expected to be 50/50 each variety. 2 Blue Reds bred together will produce Splash and few Blue Reds and BBReds. For Blue birds, Black is the variety it is crossed with. These birds have very dark hackle, almost black, and a blue body. I don't breed this color, but I think first generation is all Blacks, then the next generation produces all Blues. Then you start over. Just remember, without one blue parent--no blue chicks. CJR

Part of what the above person wrote is correct in breeding for blues.You must breed a blue to a black .A good book that covers breeding of various coloursin oe games is OE Games by Dave Sherril Jr.
Blue to blue produces 25% black,50% blue and25% splash
(if you continue to breed blue to blue it will fade)
blue to splash produces 50%blue,50%splash
and black to splash is said to produce 100% blues.
so you must first breed blue to blue and keep all chicks ,even ones that are not blue and try breeding your blacks and splashs back in on your blues.Have fun!!!!

I'm in troble then,I don't have blacks yet. I have splash,and I will have some silvers when eggs hatch . I have a trio of lemon blues being shipped in. I guess I need to get the book. Thanks for all your help guys,and it's going to be fun and interesting.

Who has some blacks for sale???????????????

What happens if I breed black to blue or splash to splash?

To CMOONEY, Hi I've been breeding pure breed Black old English for about 4 years. Last year one of my hens strted throwing The most beautiful blue babies you have ever seen. Not splashy or anything A pure slate or lighter smooth blue. Anyway I kept them and I'm breeding them back to each other in hopes of getting more blues, also I'm hoping that the blacks produce more blue, but, since this has only happened 1 time in four years I'm not sure. I will have some Black OEG in about two weeks to hatch if you would like to start there. You can let me know. Mama Gozzard

blue is a very unique color as you can keep one variety of one breed and still have three different colors in your flock-

Blues are made by breeding black to white chickins. Then breeding the blues. If you already have blues breed blues to blues and you will get a lot of blues.

I can see where some of the confusion is coming from. Everyone is basically right about the genetics of blue, but blue is considered the dominant trait because we see the phenotype in the hybrid. In genetics the recessive trait is called recessive because it is masked by the dominant trait in the hybrid or heterozygote. The confusion seems to be coming from the fact that blue (Bl) allele isn't really dominant, but is a trait we call codominant or additive in genetics. The phenotype (what the bird looks like) of the hybrid is intermediate between the two parental types (mostly white parent and black parent). On a black genetic background BlBl birds are mostly white, Blbl birds are gray, and blbl birds are black.

I have gotten Bl out of dominant white White Leghorns, but crossing a white bird to a black bird will not usually give you a gray bird. You have to cross a splash white (BlBl) to a black bird (blbl) to get all gray birds (Blbl).

Birdface Breeding splash to splash will result in 100% splash. Gtjones if you got a blue from black to black then you dont have pure blacks, you have blue blacks... Blue black is a genotype versus phenotype. Phenotype is what you see and it matches the genes, in genotype you see one thing but there are genes for something else present as well. When you breed blues to blues you get 25% black. these are "blue black" and they will breed blues from time time though they will generally breed black. Look for some tell tale signs of blue blacks, Notice leg color it tends to be more gray than black, notice the feathers in a good light in a reflective light, if it is a blue black you can actually see two shades of black on one feather, in the form of the lacing that you would expect on a blue.this is usually seen on the breast feathers or on the back..also the eyes tend to be lighter than the expected dark brown. Occassionally you will see a lighter under color in the fluff.
I hope this helps......