Lavender Ameraucana Breeders .... UNITE

[Caitlin_VT]

Hi Guys, I'm a newbie to lavender ameraucana's so new infact that I'm just getting my first hatch today!! Yippee
OK question, I have one little guy that has a black beak and some others that have yellowish beaks.
Just want to know which is desirable and will the other beaks change to black?
Is there a written lavender breed standard yet?
Thanks for the help

Are these from the eggs I sent you? I haven't noticed any that have hatched with anything other than dark beaks..? Keep an eye out and if the beak doesn't darken, don't use them.

 

[Csoldan]

No Caitlin, these are from the guy in KY that sent me 3 doz. The ones you sent just got put in the bator.
There are one or two that have half and half beaks.
Thanks for the feedback.
Cathy

 

[Caitlin_VT]

So part of the beak is dark & part is light? I bet they will darken up. But, I think, if they have just light beaks (which I haven't seen in my own birds) I don't think they will darken. But, I am no expert at this point! Just from my own observations.

 

[johnderosa1]

 

[Melabella]

I just hatched out 4 little lavender chicks from shipped eggs that had the wonkiest air cells. I went against my better judgment and set them anyway. I ordered these from a lavender breeder who is reputable. The eggs came shipped fairly well, but I was quite disappointed with their size, egg color and seeming quality of the eggs. Since I had paid handsomely for them, and I am a complete newbie, I decided to set them anyway, and have it be a learning experience. I have a Brinsea Mini advance and picked the best 7, and set them. out of the 7, 6 made it to lockdown, and as of this afternoon, 4 have hatched, and two I think must be late deaths, as when they went into lockdown they were all moving and squirming.

Questions are... do lavenders have egg color issues? If these weren't from a reputable breeder, I would have thought they weren't even Ameraucana eggs. I only have one black Ameraucana hen, and she lays such a nice true blue, large egg. These eggs were green, and also very very small. I am hoping these are truly LF bird, but then again, he only advertised LF. I am strictly a back yard hobby breeder building a second flock for eggs of breeds I have dreamt of owning. I have a beautiful black/lav split roo that supposedly is from some nice lines. He is a gentleman, and free ranges with the girls. I wanted some nice lav hens to cross him with. I did email the breeder, and asked why the eggs were so small, and about the color... but haven't heard back. I am happy these four little ones seem to be getting stronger, and I will hope for at least one hen. It was a lesson learned, and one where when you are doubtful about the eggs,, perhaps not setting them is the way to handle it. But, I do have 4 pretty new little chicks. I will see how they grow.

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!
MB

 

[Caitlin_VT]

I just hatched out 4 little lavender chicks from shipped eggs that had the wonkiest air cells. I went against my better judgment and set them anyway. I ordered these from a lavender breeder who is reputable. The eggs came shipped fairly well, but I was quite disappointed with their size, egg color and seeming quality of the eggs. Since I had paid handsomely for them, and I am a complete newbie, I decided to set them anyway, and have it be a learning experience. I have a Brinsea Mini advance and picked the best 7, and set them. out of the 7, 6 made it to lockdown, and as of this afternoon, 4 have hatched, and two I think must be late deaths, as when they went into lockdown they were all moving and squirming.

Questions are... do lavenders have egg color issues? If these weren't from a reputable breeder, I would have thought they weren't even Ameraucana eggs. I only have one black Ameraucana hen, and she lays such a nice true blue, large egg. These eggs were green, and also very very small. I am hoping these are truly LF bird, but then again, he only advertised LF. I am strictly a back yard hobby breeder building a second flock for eggs of breeds I have dreamt of owning. I have a beautiful black/lav split roo that supposedly is from some nice lines. He is a gentleman, and free ranges with the girls. I wanted some nice lav hens to cross him with. I did email the breeder, and asked why the eggs were so small, and about the color... but haven't heard back. I am happy these four little ones seem to be getting stronger, and I will hope for at least one hen. It was a lesson learned, and one where when you are doubtful about the eggs,, perhaps not setting them is the way to handle it. But, I do have 4 pretty new little chicks. I will see how they grow.

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!
MB

For the most part, I don't think this color tends to have major egg color issues. Sometimes I get eggs that have a greenish tint to them, but the majority are pretty blue. Also, my girls lay different size/shape eggs. Maybe they sent you pullet eggs?

Edited to ad, I really should purchase an egg chart from the ABC! Does anyone have an extra they would be willing to sell?

 

[Melabella]

For the most part, I don't think this color tends to have major egg color issues. Sometimes I get eggs that have a greenish tint to them, but the majority are pretty blue. Also, my girls lay different size/shape eggs. Maybe they sent you pullet eggs?

Edited to ad, I really should purchase an egg chart from the ABC! Does anyone have an extra they would be willing to sell?

Thank you for responding Caitlin VT! I know absolutely nothing of chickens, and learning as I go along. I appreciate all the information I can get my hands on. Do any resulting hens from these egg lay the same color egg? The woman told me that I bought my roo from that he hatched from a very deep blue egg. Does that mean the roo will pass this along? I realize this is probably a very complex question to answer. I am curious to see how this will play out, as I embark on my own little flock project.

Enjoy this beautiful day!
MB

 

[jerryse]

I just hatched out 4 little lavender chicks from shipped eggs that had the wonkiest air cells. I went against my better judgment and set them anyway. I ordered these from a lavender breeder who is reputable. The eggs came shipped fairly well, but I was quite disappointed with their size, egg color and seeming quality of the eggs. Since I had paid handsomely for them, and I am a complete newbie, I decided to set them anyway, and have it be a learning experience. I have a Brinsea Mini advance and picked the best 7, and set them. out of the 7, 6 made it to lockdown, and as of this afternoon, 4 have hatched, and two I think must be late deaths, as when they went into lockdown they were all moving and squirming.

Questions are... do lavenders have egg color issues? If these weren't from a reputable breeder, I would have thought they weren't even Ameraucana eggs. I only have one black Ameraucana hen, and she lays such a nice true blue, large egg. These eggs were green, and also very very small. I am hoping these are truly LF bird, but then again, he only advertised LF. I am strictly a back yard hobby breeder building a second flock for eggs of breeds I have dreamt of owning. I have a beautiful black/lav split roo that supposedly is from some nice lines. He is a gentleman, and free ranges with the girls. I wanted some nice lav hens to cross him with. I did email the breeder, and asked why the eggs were so small, and about the color... but haven't heard back. I am happy these four little ones seem to be getting stronger, and I will hope for at least one hen. It was a lesson learned, and one where when you are doubtful about the eggs,, perhaps not setting them is the way to handle it. But, I do have 4 pretty new little chicks. I will see how they grow.

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!
MB

Lavender can have greenish egg color and size issues . This has to do with how they were developed . You may have gotten pullet eggs . In spite of your doubts they hatched well for shipped . So the seller is doing something right . Each breeder has a priority in mind for improvements . Some breeders do not consider a green tint a high priority for elimination and some do . So here is some history on lavender from memory . Most lavender trace back to John Blehm who started with bantam first . He used lavender Old English game bantam and Belgian De Anvers lavender bantam over black Ameraucana bantam as a starting point . Since both breeds lay tinted eggs some brown pigment was there to give a green tint to the eggs . John then used the bantam lavender Ameraucana on black large fowl to start the large lavender . Continued breeding back to black in both lines has brought improvements . Harry Shaffer also developed large fowl lavender independently . He says he used a lavender EE to start his line . Some breeders have combined both lines . So depending when a breeder got his start and where he got them from can have a effect on what he had to work with . Add his choices to the mix and the results can vary a bit . Myself I got a cock bird from John to start my lavender large fowl . I used him over hens that improved egg color and egg size plus egg production . My choice for first improvements . I am now improving size . This is a step forward and backward also . The size came from a line prone to lay green tint eggs . So now I will select for size and egg color . I hope this helps you understand some of the issues you encountered . Lavender is still in the project stage . Yes there are people trying to cash in on a new color . They sometimes will breed anything lavender for the money . No continued effort for improvements from some of these people . Most of the fast $ people have no idea how to ship , feed , and handle for good hatching of shipped eggs . Since yours hatched better than average I would say your reputable breeder is a good one . Improvements still needed in his birds but most do need continued effort .

 

[johnderosa1]

For the most part, I don't think this color tends to have major egg color issues. Sometimes I get eggs that have a greenish tint to them, but the majority are pretty blue. Also, my girls lay different size/shape eggs. Maybe they sent you pullet eggs?

Edited to ad, I really should purchase an egg chart from the ABC! Does anyone have an extra they would be willing to sell?

My first generation lavs (see the pictures of my rooster a few posts up) came from a reputable breeder and the eggs are on the greenish side compared to my blues and blacks and are definitely on the smallish side. Overall i am happy with the trio I kept but they need work just like many others with bird size, egg color/size, eye color and feather quality. I am growing out some blacks from a line with excellent size, egg color/size and hope that the splits will help improve the issues I just mentioned. I am thrilled with the start I got and really appreciate all the work that was done to get them where they are.

 

[jerryse]

Oh I forgot to say I got into lavender about 7 years ago . So more work needed to be done at that time . With my breeding choices over that much I feel it is my line . The latest addition was some Paul Smith line in the fall of 2012 .