Barred WTB Pullets-Breeder Reservation

WTB - Barred Specialty Line

Whiting True Blue Barred Specialty Line
Breeder Program & Reservations

Pullets $60 each Cockerels $15 each

Whiting True Blue chickens are known for laying blue eggs. Some WTB's also carry the barring gene, which creates the striped on "cuckoo" look on their feathers.

Our Whiting True Blue line carries the dominant blue egg gene and the barring feather pattern that makes them ideal for producing sex-linked hybrids.

Yes, it would be similar to using a Marans/Cream Legbar pairing, but there is the pea comb advantage with using a barred WTB hen. It takes a whole year off from waiting to see if your hen when backcrossed to a brown layer will lay a brown or green egg.

Important point:

Even though barring is a sex-linked gene, Whiting True Blues do NOT hatch sex-linked chicks on their own.

Why?

Because the parents must have opposite, specific combinations of the barring gene for the chicks to show predictable male/female differences at hatch. WTB's don't naturally come in those required combinations.

So why do some WTB chicks hatch barred?

Because some WTB chickens, male and female carry the barring gene, they can pass it to their chicks. This means a few chicks may hatch with barring - but this does not tell you their sex.

How to use barred WTB hens to make sex-linked chicks

If you hatch a Whiting True Blue that is barred AND female she becomes very useful for breeding sex-linked chicks.

Here's how:

1. Keep the barred WTB female.

She carries the barring gene on her Z chromosome (hens are ZW, so she has only one copy).

2. Breed her to a non-barred rooster of a specific feather colour

(for example: black, blue or wild type feather colour)

3. The results:

* Male chicks will have a head spot and hatch barred

* Female chicks will have no head spot and hatch non-barred

This makes it easy to tell the sex of the chicks at hatch just by looking at their down colour.

In short:

some WTB's carry the barring gene, so a few chicks may hatch with barred feathers.
WTB's themselves don't produce sex-linked chicks by default.
But a barred WTB hen paired with a non-barred rooster to produce true sex-liked chicks moving forward.

Advantages

Blue Egg Gene - strong inheritance, premium egg demand.

Pea Comb Advantage - With a 96% genetic link to the blue egg gene, the pea comb means after the first Olive Egger pairing (F1), you will know which hens inherited the blue egg gene based on comb type. No more 50/50 guessing what egg colour she will lay when backcrossing that hen back to a Marans. It will cut out a whole season of waiting for that egg colour.

Barring Gene - Enables easy chick sexing at hatch.

Marketing Advantage - Sell guaranteed pullets, increase profitability.

A breeders tool not found anywhere!

Using a Barred Whiting True Blue Cockerel in Breeding Programs

A barred Whiting True Blue cockerel can be used as a powerful stock-building tool in breeding programs that work with the barring gene.

When a barred WTB cockerel is paired with any barred hen—for example:

Barred Whiting True Blue
Barred Olive Egger
Barred Plymouth Rock
Cuckoo Marans

…the resulting offspring will be 100% barred, regardless of sex.

Why This Works

The barring gene is sex-linked and carried on the Z chromosome. When both parents are barred, each chick inherits the barring gene, resulting in uniform barred offspring.

This pairing does not produce sex-linked chicks at hatch. Instead, it is used intentionally to produce barred offspring for future breeding.

How This Supports Sex-Linked Breeding

Producing 100% barred offspring allows breeders to:

Retain barred pullets for future breeding
Increase consistency of barred expression
Build or refresh a barred female line
Prepare hens for future sex-linked crosses

Once these barred pullets mature, they can be paired with a gold-based rooster, which is the pairing that produces sex-linked chicks where sex can be identified at hatch by down color.

Two Practical Breeding Paths

Stock-Building Pairing

Barred WTB cockerel × Any barred hen

✔ 100% barred offspring
✔ Used to produce barred pullets for future generations

Sex-Linked Pairing

Barred hen × Gold-based rooster

✔ Sex-linked chicks
✔ Visual sex identification at hatch

Important Notes for Breeders

Barred × barred pairings are intended for genetic consistency and stock building, not immediate sex-linking
Sex-linked results occur only when a barred female is crossed to a gold-based male
Results depend on proper genetic pairing and breeding management

Why This Matters

This makes barred WTB cockerels a useful and intentional addition for breeders working with:

Sex-linked programs
Barred lines
Blue-egg or olive-egg projects

Breeder Request Form

First name

Last name

Phone

Intended Use of These Pullets

Quantity Requested

Barred Whiting True Blue pullets are $60 each. A $20 non-refundable deposit per pullet is required once your request is approved.

Preferred Release Dates

First Choice Release Date (required)

Second Choice Release Date (optional)

Cockerel Interest (Optional)

I am interested in adding cockerel(s)

If yes:

Number of cockerels requested

Cockerels are $15 each and are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. No deposit is required and availability is not guaranteed.

Important Acknowledgements

(All boxes must be checked to submit)

I understand that this is a request form only and does not guarantee availability.

I understand that barred pullets require a $20 non-refundable deposit per bird once my request is approved.

I understand that pullets are not secured until I receive a confirmation email and submit the deposit.

I understand that availability is limited and based on hatch success.

I understand that release dates are approximate and may shift slightly.

Additional Notes (Optional)