The lav gene is recessive so a chicken must have 2 copies in order for it to look lav. There's no way to tell the difference (visually) between a pure black orp & a blk/lav split orp.I'm trying to wrap my head around the genetics...lol I'm a horse/dog professional so I'm trying to pick up on chickens and there are soooo many breeds out there it's hard to know where to start. Where does a lavender splash come into play? My pullet is mostly white with some darker feathers and a dark head, slate legs... Where is a good resource for photos/genetics?
Thank you sooo much!
Black x Lav = blk/lav splits. those chicks will all LOOK black but have one copy of the lav gene.
Lav x Lav = all lav (since both parents have 2 copies of the lav gene)
Blk/Lav split x Lav = 50% lav & 50% blk/lav splits
Blk/Lav split x Blk/Lav split = 50% blk/lav splits, 25% lav, and 25% pure black.... problem is that you can't tell which are black & which are splits until you mate them & see the the offspring.
The reason why breeders add a black (or black/lav split) is to keep decent feather quality. If one always breeds lavs to lavs for several generations, the line can get feather issues.