Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

ok so due to some mishaps with some predators I am left with a lovely Mottled Java Roo (the one no one picked..he is hansome!) and no hens. I have some really nice Delaware hens and no roo to match. I am curious as to what to expect from the cross feather wise? Thanks

I'm guessing your mottled java is black based and was a yellow and black chick when he was hatched....if so you will likely get all black offspring for the first generation.
The ER covers up all the white and the columbian restriction of the delawares....there may be some faint barring on the boys, because delawares can carry barring, and only the boys would get that gene from mom. but i wouldn't be surprised if the barring was also masked.
everyone will be split for mottled, so the next generation - if you breed siblings or back to dad should show mottling again.

Thanks WLLady, I am going to give it a go...I like both in terms of freezer birds and egg production.

Oooh, that sounds interesting, we will of course need pictures :)

I've found if I cross my exchequer leghorn with a white leghorn all the offspring are white some might have a small spot. Crossing the offspring gives me all white chicks with one with the occasional spot. Out of numerous chicks I have only gotten one chick black as a chick that looks like it may have some white spots as it matures but still nothing like the exchequer colouring. I have given it up as a lost cause, takes too long to get back to the proper colour.

Your white leghorn probably carries dominant white that is covering everything up kenya.

WLLady wrote: ↑

Fri May 12, 2017 2:50 pm

Your white leghorn probably carries dominant white that is covering everything up kenya.

If so how do I get back to the exchequer?

From the parents you hatch kids. From those kids you need to hatch at least 512 birds, conservatively to get yourself a pair that will give you ex leghorn back.

Or: If you take your f1s and breed back to the ex parent you will get some mottled back, but you will need 64 or so kids. And from those candidate kids (black and any mottling) half will be split for the genes that could carry white. So you would need several pairs set up and then their kids should give you some ex back, but will still produce white. You will need approx 64 birds in each offspring generation.

To up your chances keep breeding the F2s back to the original ex founder....if they are still alive....ideally you will actually want a different bird, because of the other genes and inbreeding but if you are stuck....well....better than nothing....and that will help increase the odds of getting the ex colour pattern back faster with fewer birds.

Holy cow! I'll have leghorns coming out the wizoo.

Yep. Find a great auction near you lol