Silver vs Blue vs Self Blue vs Lavender?

[RuffIedFeathers]

I see a lot of these terms used when describing Ameracaunas. It's tough to tell the difference in pictures. I gather that silver and blue are slightly different (not sure how?) and self blue is the same as lavender? Please correct me. Photos and specific examples would be really helpful! Thank you!

 

[Amer]

First you should know there are base patterns like solid black or wildtype duckwing. These can be diluted by other genes like blue and lavender. (The red parts can be diluted by silver.)
Silver is short for silver duckwing. It is duckwing based. Duckwing is the wild type color, but silver duckwing also has the silver gene. Silver looks nothing like the others.

(google)
Blue is black based. It is incomplete dominant. Blue x blue=black blue splash. See the lacing? Blue is laced.

(google)
Lavender is black based. It is one even, pale shade. It is recessive. The feathers often look a bit worse for the wear, like someone used the bird to scrub a sidewalk.

(google)
Self blue is a word that was probably inspired by the devil. It means one even shade of blue. In the Standard of Perfection it’s supposed to be assumed that it means lavender by some unspoken code, but in reality the term “self” blue more accurately portray a blue without lacing, which is possible:

(google)
THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO THINK THIS WHICH IS TECHNICALLY CORRECT

THEY WANT YOU TO THINK THIS

Anyways the term “self blue” usually brings confusion and chaos wherever it goes rather than helping people like words should.

 

[eira_barbara]

"Self blue" will be like that because "self [adjective]" is an old animal fancy term for an animal that is solid [adjective], without any white markings or other patterning. I imagine that in chickens, lavender got "self blue" in contrast to blue because lavender is never laced but blue usually is to some extent, and they both look sort of vaguely bluish.

Of course, feather patterning isn't the same kind of thing in mammals as it is in birds, and the closest equivalent in a mammal would probably be something like "blue agouti" or "blue sable," but that's why you'll have the confusion.

Is that "blue without lacing" a known BBS bird, then?

 

[Amer]

"Self blue" will be like that because "self [adjective]" is an old animal fancy term for an animal that is solid [adjective], without any white markings or other patterning. I imagine that in chickens, lavender got "self blue" in contrast to blue because lavender is never laced but blue usually is to some extent, and they both look sort of vaguely bluish.

Of course, feather patterning isn't the same kind of thing in mammals as it is in birds, and the closest equivalent in a mammal would probably be something like "blue agouti" or "blue sable," but that's why you'll have the confusion.

Is that "blue without lacing" a known BBS bird, then?

Yes. I can tell. The lacing is caused by certain genes that this blue doesn’t have.

 

[Amer]

Take British Blue Wyandottes, for instance. They don’t have the modifiers that make them laced.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

The feathers often look a bit worse for the wear, like someone used the bird to scrub a sidewalk.