ISABELLE LEGHORNS IN USA!

[cjwaldon]

I'm really getting some nice golden cream coloring into my isabels. Leg color is just fantastic on the latest grow outs.

 

[GardenWren]

I'm really getting some nice golden cream coloring into my isabels. Leg color is just fantastic on the latest grow outs.

Gorgeous! When you have hatching eggs again, I'd love to get some from you. My Isabel rooster has decided to go on strike, I guess. I've done everything I know to do, including some Barry White tunes, but nothing's worked.

 

[drumstick diva]

What beautiful birds., I've never seen those before.

 

[cjwaldon]

Gorgeous! When you have hatching eggs again, I'd love to get some from you. My Isabel rooster has decided to go on strike, I guess. I've done everything I know to do, including some Barry White tunes, but nothing's worked.

Wait list for eggs from the Isabel x Isabel pen is 6 to 8 weeks. Wait list on the split x Isabel pen is a little over a week.

 

[GardenWren]

Honestly, at this point, I'd be happy with either. What do you charge for said groups?

 

[cjwaldon]

Honestly, at this point, I'd be happy with either. What do you charge for said groups?

I sent you a PM.

 

[ChicKat]

Here's a color management/chicken logistics question for anyone here and especially CJ Waldon.

How often does one need to breed back to non-lavender to keep the lavender colors vibrant? -- and a follow up -- you would want a brown that has all the characteristics such as those beautiful yellow legs, and white earlobes etc, (of course with good health, productivity and type) right?

 

[cjwaldon]

We are using the lavender gene to dilute the underlying colors. Lavender dilutes black to grey and red to cream. Black birds with two copies of the lavender gene are solid gray and are referred to as "lavender", such as lavender Orpingtons or lavender Ameraucanas. Brown birds with two copies of the lavender gene are grey with cream and are referred to as "Isabel", such as Isabel Leghorns. They are also sometimes referred to as "Isabel brown". The more vibrant the underlying line of birds is, the more vibrant the Isabel will be. I've read that lavender continues to dilute, that after a number of generations of breeding only lavender to lavender, your lavender birds will become almost white. Therefor breeders utilizing the lavender gene continue to cross back to the underlying color to keep the lavender color vibrant. I have no personal experience with the speed of dilution of breeding only isabels to isabels. I've been crossing back to base every other generation. I create splits, use those splits to create isabels, then take those isabels back to browns to create splits again.

 

[DMRippy]

We are using the lavender gene to dilute the underlying colors. Lavender dilutes black to grey and red to cream. Black birds with two copies of the lavender gene are solid gray and are referred to as "lavender", such as lavender Orpingtons or lavender Ameraucanas. Brown birds with two copies of the lavender gene are grey with cream and are referred to as "Isabel", such as Isabel Leghorns. They are also sometimes referred to as "Isabel brown". The more vibrant the underlying line of birds is, the more vibrant the Isabel will be. I've read that lavender continues to dilute, that after a number of generations of breeding only lavender to lavender, your lavender birds will become almost white. Therefor breeders utilizing the lavender gene continue to cross back to the underlying color to keep the lavender color vibrant. I have no personal experience with the speed of dilution of breeding only isabels to isabels. I've been crossing back to base every other generation. I create splits, use those splits to create isabels, then take those isabels back to browns to create splits again.

I don't think Lavender dilutes to almost white. Splash will do that after several generations.

The phrase is back to black but that always applies to any lavender. In this case back to browns. Breeding lavender to lavender is just not a good idea over any long period of time. You will get your best Isabelles from splits to splits. At the very least you should breed Split over lavender and every few years back to a pure brown. There are 2 good reason for this. 1 Lavender affects feather quality. The Lavender gene is a brittle feather gene and will cause breakage of the feathers and fretting (a mark that almost looks like a bruise in a line on the feathers). The 2nd and BIGGEST reason you keep going back to the base color is that bird is usually more to the TYPE of the breed. So going back to the base color (brown in this case) is to improve type and color so the lavender version will be the best it can be. Anyone that ever buys any of my lavender birds is REQUIRED to buy some splits. I never sell just one or the other and I ALWAYS run both splits and lavenders together to keep improving the over all bird.

I don't comment on here very much but I will say I see a LOT of birds with very poor type. The one thing I see over and over is wings pointing down and not held up high and tight to the body. If you don't have an SOP get one and follow the type of Leghorns. You can download OLD SOP and trust me the type is the same. There are usually illustrations. These are a PROJECT and everyone's birds need some work but those wings are KILLING ME! I know color is not quite right yet but getting that right is just going to take some time.

Candace this was in no way directed at you... just wanted to add to what you already said.

 

[cjwaldon]

Ooh, I think you're right. I'm confusing blue genetics with lavender genetics. Thank you for correcting me @DMRippy ! Your comments are feather quality are absolutely correct. I've been culling HARD to correct poor feather quality in my flock.