English Orpington BBS and Laced genetics questions

[Egzermalda]

I agree she is splash not lavender mottled. She definitely has the lacing on her blue feathers. The feathers could be that way from a rooster even. However, @ColtHandorf breeds English Orpingtons and would know.

I hope so. I would rather than have a Splash with funky feathers, than have Mottled and/or Lavender genes mixed in with my BBS and Laced genes.

 

[Egzermalda]

SplashView attachment 3387753 (google)
Lavender mottledView attachment 3387754

I think (and hope) she is Splash (with some funky feathers) rather than mottled Lavender with shredder. Although the breeder does have Mottled Lavender, so it could be in this hens genetics.

 

[Amer]

Perhaps some "tail shredder" genes from the Lavender Mottled snuck into her gene pool a few generations back?

Maybe

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Congrats! EOs are so awesome!

On #7, She's not Splash, she's Lavender Mottled. The feather shredding gene is responsible for her saddle and tail feather quality.
Since you're not breeding for Lavender, her offspring may not show it, but it's important to be careful about. It's hard to breed out.

I agree with @Amer that she’s splash. I’ve seen multiple varieties with those slightly shreddy feathers.

 

[3KillerBs]

@3KillerBs , you've had to determine Lavender vs Blue before in your flock, what is your perspective on this one?

Well, Silver had always been pale with minimal lacing -- I really shouldn't have kept her at all when I was choosing my keepers and my for-sales from that batch -- but she was so very, very pretty.

It was the shredding that gave her away. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/could-she-be-a-lavender-orpington-after-all.1541295/

I had been suspicious when she was a chick, but the verdict then was "poorly-colored blue". Turned out people were wrong.

One way I can be sure that I'm breeding blues if I ever buy another hatchery assortment is to keep only the darkest no matter how pretty the pale ones are.

Quick question, and I don't mean to derail the thread...

My two Blue Australorps have some feathers that are shredded looking. One, especially bad. Does this mean they are actually lavender, or just poor feather quality?

My takeaway from the experience is this: if they're a good, deep color with well-marked lacing then they're definitely blue. If pale with poor lacing then consider them suspicious.

In well-selected breeder birds, an Orpington *ought* to be notably round and fluffy while an Australorp *ought* to have a different look that I can only describe as "more athletic". But hatchery birds for either can be too far off-type to judge them that way.

 

[Egzermalda]

The seller/breeder just dropped off my new (FIRST!) Rooster and 3 ladies. These will be added to the other 3 Orps (SL, Blue and Splash) and the Golden Comet. They got some Ivermectin, just because, and will spend a few days in the rabbit coop. The Splash is much younger and has similar Shreddy tail feathers like the one I already have. She got a bit dirty and wet on the trip here. The rooster has already been living with the 2 Silver Laced hens.

 

[Egzermalda]

BTW, the Splash EO we have been discussing has partially white ear lobes. They are symetrical and don't seem to bother her and have been slowly getting more white. Just not a show quality Orp, I guess. I still think she is lovely.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Orpington Lacing is the same genotype as Wyandotte lacing.

Orpington lacing is actually different that Wyandottes. Their tails are laced, while Wyandottes are not. So it’s actually the same genotype that Sebrights have.

 

[Egzermalda]

Orpington lacing is actually different that Wyandottes. Their tails are laced, while Wyandottes are not. So it’s actually the same genotype that Sebrights have.

Cool! But the inheritance works the same way with all lacing? I had not noticed that.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Yes. If you okay with the genetic calculator it’ll be the same. In a funk tonight (had to put my almost 15 year old dog to sleep) or I’d explain more and show pics of Laced to non-laced birds, but you can see some of the in the Fairy Tail Farms thread of mine on here.