Lavender Ameraucana Breeders .... UNITE

[jajeanpierre]

Interesting. I would love to know too. I can imagine one problem you'd have if the black is a black/blue split and introducing to your Lavs. I'm no expert though. Would love to know more

You can't get a black bird that also carries the blue gene. Blue always expresses. One blue gene gives you a blue. Two blue genes give you a splash. No blue genes give you a black bird (if it is from blue/black/splash breeding). The breeder of my Ameraucanas said I could breed one of the black chicks I've ordered for this year to my lavender from last year. Now, that could be problematic in that I would have to be VERY careful not to allow that lavender split (which is black) to breed to my blue or splash birds.

 

[carcar80]

Soo.. (If anyone has the patience lol).. Without knowing what kind of stock your own birds come from, how would you know what color genes they carry? Feel free to give me a link to "color for dummies" thread.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Soo.. (If anyone has the patience lol).. Without knowing what kind of stock your own birds come from, how would you know what color genes they carry? Feel free to give me a link to "color for dummies" thread.

That's part of the reason, I think, that everyone is so fussy on this list about what is and what is not an Ameraucana. You have to be meticulous with your breeding records or you--or worse, some innocent person many generations later--could end up with a bit of a surprise.

The only way you can know for sure if a bird carries recessives unless you are positive of the pedigree is to test breed for the trait.

 

[carcar80]

That's part of the reason, I think, that everyone is so fussy on this list about what is and what is not an Ameraucana.  You have to be meticulous with your breeding records or you--or worse, some innocent person many generations later--could end up with a bit of a surprise.


The only way  you can know for sure if a bird carries recessives unless you are positive of the pedigree is to test breed for the trait.

Okay. Thank you. And what is considered a large enough "test"? As in number of offspring.. (Or span of time/hatches)

 

[jajeanpierre]

Okay. Thank you. And what is considered a large enough "test"? As in number of offspring.. (Or span of time/hatches)

I don't know--I've never been involved in test breeding other than holding the hand of a very famous Collie breeder who had a recessive blindness in her lines and had the courage to test breed for it. I would think if the trait you are breeding for is a true recessive with no modifiers that mitigate its expression, 10 offspring should turn up the gene if it's there. If test breeding a black for the recessive lavender gene, I would think if the black is carrying it, lavender is likely to turn up at least once in 10. Statistically, you should end up with 5 lavenders if breeding a black split (to lavender) with a lavender. But, that's not always how it works, and you could have 100 chicks that were black and the black parent might still be carrying the recessive lavender gene.

 

[DMRippy]

Just my 2 cents

I personally would NOT use a Black from a BBS mating in my lavs. Black are breed differently than BBS. BBS birds carry different gene REALLY. They SHOULD carry some edging or lacing as blues are required to have. NOW having said that I KNOW that most blues don't have much of that but still I would not use them in my Lavenders Am..... just me. I have blacks because they have the BEST TYPE.

One more thing to keep in mind..... I have seen Blues so dark everyone though they were BLACK and boy that would open a can of worms in Lavs......

 

[jajeanpierre]

Just my 2 cents

I personally would NOT use a Black from a BBS mating in my lavs. Black are breed differently than BBS. BBS birds carry different gene REALLY. They SHOULD carry some edging or lacing as blues are required to have. NOW having said that I KNOW that most blues don't have much of that but still I would not use them in my Lavenders Am..... just me. I have blacks because they have the BEST TYPE.

One more thing to keep in mind..... I have seen Blues so dark everyone though they were BLACK and boy that would open a can of worms in Lavs......

I know a lot of people who feel the same way. After I posted my question here, of could I use a black I had bought for a bbs breeding program for my lavender I asked the breeder, Paul Smith, who bred the lavender I also have. He said I could use the black on the lavender.

I'm going to have to do some more research, maybe with another breed. What breed has really fabulous lavenders and has consistently had them?

Thanks.

 

[nkkennedy]

My Bantum Lavendaer Ameraucana Lola

 

[johnderosa1]

Just my 2 cents

I personally would NOT use a Black from a BBS mating in my lavs. Black are breed differently than BBS. BBS birds carry different gene REALLY. They SHOULD carry some edging or lacing as blues are required to have. NOW having said that I KNOW that most blues don't have much of that but still I would not use them in my Lavenders Am..... just me. I have blacks because they have the BEST TYPE.

One more thing to keep in mind..... I have seen Blues so dark everyone though they were BLACK and boy that would open a can of worms in Lavs......

Donna, I hear what you are saying but not so sure what to think... blue is dominant over black so if it the bird is truly black it wouldn't be carrying the blue gene(s). Am I wrong here? Is the lacing carried by the blue gene(s) or is carried in the black or both. My guess is that it is carried by the blue. I would love to hear from some of the others with experience. I would also like to hear from some others on the "gold" question from before. I know my blacks (at least my rooster) has some gold (birchen?) in his background (leakage) but doubt it would be possible to know what lurks behind a pure black bird.... whether it is from a BBS or Black pen. Crosses get made all the time and if BBS was originally based on something different than straight blacks my guess is they would be pretty homogenized by now. Finally, I would love to hear a little more about blues being so dark they are truly indistinguishable from pure blacks... That would really be a problem, if possible. I would love to have some additional experts weigh in here. Is there a way to link this to the ameraucana thread?? We might get some additional insight there.

 

[Fancy Favie]

I'm glad I found this forum I am Buying some lavender chicks from John Blehm this spring and am looking forward to adding the color to my flock, I was wondering if anyone else here has ordered chicks from him Thanks