Lavender Ameraucana Breeders .... UNITE

[fowlman01]

Raven, I hear you. I'm in your boat. I'm not assigned to any club either. The breeder I got my starters from calls them"self blues". I have been posting my birds on this forum for a while calling them Lavenders and not once got corrected by anybody with way more experience then I have.

The way I view it, its not about the name but about the breed. What ever they need to be called to get them excepted be it self blues or Lavenders I can care less. I just want them to be excepted by the Apa or whatever its called.

It doesnt look as if there will be any problem for Self Blue AM's being accepted by the APA and the APA doesn't care what anyone calls them .....other than how the are described in the APA Standard. They will be called Self Blue in the Standard.....call them anything you like online or anywhere else. Self Blue and Lavender are one in the same.

Walt

 

[Ravynscroft]

do you have a pic of a true self blue with out any leakage? I would like to see one that is correct. that way I can see what I'm looking at, I'm not claiming to be a professional by anymeans. thats why I'm here.

I'm no expert either, lol... I learn every day and will continue to each day...

I merely spoke up considering that the source of that cockerel and your chicks was ultimately myself... my conscience and the value of my reputation for being open and honest means more to me than not admitting to an honest mistake...

I don't have current pics right now, but you can read through this thread and gain a lot from it... yes, that's a lot, but research is a must... also look into Self Blue OEGB's for good examples on the feather color...

 

[CRYSTALCREEK]

I will try to tackle the question regarding the split feathers that look like you took a scissors to them....

I have found my lavenders to have a much softer, more delicate feather than any pure blacks I have raised. I believe they are more susceptible to what is known as mechanical damage as a result. Mechanical damage can occur when a bird damages their feathers by repeated contact with something such as wire fencing or caging fabric, which splits the feathers and the damage remains until the bird molts and grows new feathers. If the mechanical cause of the damaged feathers is not corrected, the new feathers that grow in after a molt will soon be damaged also.

In my situation, a common place I see mechanical damage is on the saddle area of the hens and pullets, where the feathers are damaged by the male during breeding. You can see this type of damage in the picture below....


When this female was separated from the male, her feathers did molt and were replaced by gorgeous feathering in the saddle area where previously frayed feathers had been.

Now, I have read that there is a gene present in some lavenders that is responsible for brittle feathers. I do not believe I have dealt with it here.

Regarding the bird you asked about....be sure, first of all, that you aren't seeing mechanical damage. If you think your bird has an issue, and you have others to work with, the easy answer is to eliminate it from your genepool.

Some think the answer to preventing feather issues with lavenders is to breed the lavenders back to black. And with the good blacks available out there, what can it hurt?

 

[BarnGoddess01]

My 5 at 6 weeks old .... (eggs from Skeffling Lavender Farm in Canada who originally purchased stock from John Blehm)











If they mature even a quarter as nice as the CRYSTALCREEK lavenders, I will be thrilled. (Your birds are GORGEOUS!)

 

[Shaffer]

Hello! We are looking for any breeders of Lavender Ameraucana in the Virginia area, we currently raise and show b/b/s but have recently gotten a very nice lav roo and looking to start a breeder flock of lavenders as well.....any help would be appreciated

You already have what you need just breed him to the black hens. You will probably have to do that anyways to improve on the Lavenders APA qualities. There is no hurry or fast fix for this color. In two years you will have pure lavenders and hopefully they have improved.

 

[ChickNmamma]

A while back somebody posted a picture chart for breeding Blues. At that time I said I wished there was a chart like that for the Lavenders. Well, I was messing around with that chart today (to put in the number of Blue genes on the birds and I thought - Why don't I make one for the Lavenders?

So here it is:


Hopefully this helps somebody understand Lavenders and Splits.

 

[4theluvofpeeps]

Podgal,

I too have been breeding Lav Ameraucana's. I don't seem to have the bad fretting (even with free ranging) that seems to be prevailing. My roo produces 100% Lav
When Bred to my Lavenders. & 50% Lav when bred to a blue. They have nice beards & have very nice blue/green eggs. I live in Alliance, OH. I don't show, but I think that these are pretty nice.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Anyone ever buy chicks from Once in a Blue Moon Farmstead in Leoma TN? I think the breeders name is Lindsay Helton. Wondering about her quality.
Thank you

Haven't bought from her, but have talked with her and seen many pics of her birds... doesn't strike me as dishonest at all... she had been on the main Am thread a while back...

In other words, I would buy from her, lol...

 

[jerryse]

Try trimming the vent feathers to see if that helps . Some lines are fluffier than others . Not a common problem but it happens . Here is a quick way to tell how fluffy your birds are . You should be able to see the drumstick . If you see mostly the scaled portion of the leg then they are fluffy . Trim both sexes .

 

[FowlStuff]

I'm unfortunately going to be driving for an hour, but would like to ask then... what is the difference between Lavender and Self Blue?

Quote: By me about a year ago...on another forum

Quote: From the Dutch bantam book translated to english.
Lavender

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