Into The Meadows
Silverudd
One of my main breeding pens & "tools" that I use to make hybrid birds are Silverudd. They lay a light green egg with many being speckled and heavily bloomed. The same hen that lays a plain egg one day, often throws speckles the next day. It is important to note that NOT all eggs are speckled, but that does not mean offspring won't produce eggs with speckles. Our roosters came from a heavily speckled egg & passes that on to offspring. I use a blue rooster over blue, black and splash hens and strive for the heavy splash plumage in my flock. These birds are a work in progress for all breeders and it is not uncommon to have "cull" traits within a hatch. Chasing the proposed SOP is up to you individually. My rooster is tested homozygous but the hens are untested. There is a major lack of genetic diversity with many lines coming back to the same breeders. My goal is speckled eggs from beautiful birds. While mindful of the SOP, I do not cull out for simple issues that can be corrected through further breeding. These birds are not hefty like Marans or an Orpington & I recommend a dedicated pen for them versus using them under roosters that are significantly larger.
Meadows Blue/ICB
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It is important to note that this is NOT a hatchery breed and rather a project to work towards speckled blue /teal eggs. An ICB is made when using a Silverudd rooster over a Legbar hen. This is considered a first generation ICB. I have continued the cycle and am now breeding ICB x ICB mix to get to the brightest blues/teals & speckles- all while having a nice thick bloom. These birds show significant Silverudd traits with varying plumage. Your eggs may be first generation blue with the offspring laying speckled or they may include more vibrant teal or blue speckled eggs- it is dependent on the generation. Consider the mint color of a Silverudd egg with an extra layer of blue coating it. Again, this is a project breed I have worked on for a few years now. Why? I was sick of pale, muted blue eggs. I like vibrancy and the "wow" factor.
Marans
Marans are yet another pen & useful tool to gain rainbow colors. I use a "Purple Crosshatch" rooster over my flock of hens that are predominantly BCM from Crosshatch as well. It is important to note that Crosshatch farm has had a closed line for years. She has worked to get to where she is and I choose to carry that on, versus muddying up the line. Some are matte, some are heavy bloomed and some are speckled. While I don't chase SOP, I am mindful in my selection of birds that I choose to breed. Marans lay large eggs and are much larger birds than Silverudd. Be considerate of that when building your flock and breeding pens. You can use a good quality Marans to breed your own Olive eggers by putting the rooster over any true blue laying hen. Meaning do not use a tractor supply blue laying bird and expect an exact outcome. Use a known blue breed from a well worked line to establish your own olives. Bloom is also something that can be passed on to future generations. These are all things to consider when choosing your "keepers" from your hatch. My goal is large, dark and heavy bloomed eggs above all else.
Frizzles
My Frizzle hens have been moved under my heavy bloom Marans rooster to create speckled olives. I now have a pen that is a Frizzle rooster that is an ICB himself that will go over numerous breeds of hens. This allows me to create frizzled chickens that lay a rainbow of colors & speckles. Your eggs will come from both of those pens. It is important to note that the frizzle gene is 50/50- this means the birds you hatch have a 50% chance of being frizzled. It is also important to note that upon hatching, if you have both hens and roosters- choose one or the other to work with. The hen can go under any rooster and create frizzles. The rooster can do the same over any hens. But DO NOT breed frizzle x frizzle. It produces chicks that have weak feathering that breaks off and is not what you want.