Blue or Lavender?

[EmmaRainboe]

Before in a local Facebook foul group I was told these Easter Eggers were Lavender, now I'm being told they are blue. Which is it? Sorry if this is a really obvious question, but everyone is telling me different things I find people on BYC have better and more correct information. Thanks in Advance! The pictures make them look different colors but the light gray is the same, the rooster has really dark spots though (saddles, hackles, wing spots, etc..), does that mean blue? But the pullet looks more "lavendery" and the main body feathers are the same color on both. If you need better picters, or pictures of them side by side, let me know. But I won't be able to get more until tomorrow. Again, sorry if this is an obvious question.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Also blue birds are laced, lavender are not. Lavender color is consistent and blue can have a wide range of tone. Pigeon to slate is the range for the standard with pigeon blue being more desired. Breed birds close to the standard tone of blue to beget more offspring of correct tone. A light blue bred to dark blue will beget everything in between but two birds of near the same color narrows the resulting color in offspring. Over generations blue to blue mating will lighten the color. To darken it up breed to black. You don't know what shade of blue is hiding under splash. If your flock is consistent tone then the splash should breed same- behave like the majority of blues in flock in respect to what it throws for blue tone in offspring. Again, black will always darken blue tone.

The first pic here is spot on, last pic about as dark of slate you'd want to go. Random google images for tone of blue reference.

This one being red with blue lacing.

This birds lacing isn't complete but you see much darker slate tone would start to compete with lacing.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

They are blue! Lavender (self blue) is a pale silvery color.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Typical also for blue colored birds to have darker hackles. Photo of my blue birchen marans for comparison:

 

[FuzzyCritters]

Definitely blue. Lavenders should be lighter and have a more consistent shade.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Lavender is homozygous- requires two genes to express. Both lavender and blue dilute black but lavender is recessive and blue is dominant and stacks.

A black bird with one copy of lavender is black. Two copies make lavender.

A black bird with one copy of blue is blue. Two copies of gene makes splash. It stacks in potency of diluting black.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

That boy looks a lot like mine that I've been trying to figure out what he is. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/blue-langshan-or-blue-cochin.1431712/ Do you know his origin by chance? I'd be curious to know where he came from and maybe it would help figure my guy out.

He is an easter egger, that is all I know I'm afriad. I bought him, his sister, and another guy, as three lavender orpington pullets. I was suspicious when I recieved them that they were boys but the lady insisted they were girls... should have gone with my gut. They are also very clearly not lavender orpingtons. His sister from the same batch is an obvious EE so I can figure out what he is, unfortunatly I don't know what their parents are.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Found these photos of lavender (self blue) EE on the internet for comparison.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Typical also for blue colored birds to have darker hackles. Photo of my blue birchen marans for comparison:
View attachment 2429377

Thank you so much! The thing that confused me personally was that I have two blue cochin/brahma bantams and they are much much darker than the birds in question. Both blue and lavender are deluting correct? Except lavender is only present when homozygous, and blue doesn't breed true correct? So would the blue appear much lighter on some birds than others? Am I understanding things right?

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Definitely blue. Lavenders should be lighter and have a more consistent shade.

Thank you! Still learning!