Blue or Lavender?

[EmmaRainboe]

The shade of blue can vary from one bird to another, even within the same breed.
Lavender have to come from other lavenders or black split to lavender birds. Blue follows blue/black/splash and does breed true.
I am sure you have seen these charts before:
View attachment 2429393View attachment 2429394

Ah yes, these charts have been my best friends as I begin to dip my toes in the very basics of genetics. I was not aware that blue could vary so heavily from bird to bird. Thank you so much! The two EE's were sold to me as lavender orps.... pullets too.... Once I recieved them the lady insisted they were girls and would not take them back even though they were obviously boys. I had given her the benfit of the doubt that she meant lavender EE's not orps... but clearly they weren'y lavender at all! Thank you again!

 

[EmmaRainboe]

\Blue follows blue/black/splash and does breed true.
\

I thought "breeding true" meant all the offspring would be the same as the parents, like if you cross lav x lav you will get lavender offspring, but does it actually mean the offspring can be the same as the parents, and not necissarily that they all will be? Like how if you cross blue x blue you will get 50% blue, 25% Splash, and 25% black, is that still considered breeding true? It was my understanding it was not. Sorry if I'm asking really stupid and obvious questions

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I thought "breeding true" meant all the offspring would be the same as the parents, like if you cross lav x lav you will get lavender offspring, but does it actually mean the offspring can be the same as the parents, and not necissarily that they all will be? Like how if you cross blue x blue you will get 50% blue, 25% Splash, and 25% black, is that still considered breeding true? It was my understanding it was not. Sorry if I'm asking really stupid and obvious questions

Maybe just semantics, but I understand breeding true, means you know and get what you expect from a breeding. You are not asking stupid questions, these are good and relevant questions. I studied genetics in school, but that was YEARS ago and a lot of this is still new to me as well. I do not find the "kippen" chicken genetics calculator intimidating anymore, used to make my head spin!

Many people confuse blue and lavender, which is called "self" blue, which makes it even more confusing! Even some breeders call their lighter blue birds lavenders, when gentically they are not.
I am currently trying to learn the difference between dominant and recessive white birds, talk about confusing!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I was sold "lavender" silkie eggs, that all ended up being splash!

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Maybe just semantics, but I understand breeding true, means you know and get what you expect from a breeding. You are not asking stupid questions, these are good and relevant questions. I studied genetics in school, but that was YEARS ago and a lot of this is still new to me as well. I do not find the "kippen" chicken genetics calculator intimidating anymore, used to make my head spin!

Many people confuse blue and lavender, which is called "self" blue, which makes it even more confusing! Even some breeders call their lighter blue birds lavenders, when gentically they are not.
I am currently trying to learn the difference between dominant and recessive white birds, talk about confusing!

Thank You so much!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Lavender is homozygous- requires two genes to express. Both lavender and blue dilute black but lavender is recessive and blue is dominant and stacks.

A black bird with one copy of lavender is black. Two copies make lavender.

A black bird with one copy of blue is blue. Two copies of gene makes splash. It stacks in potency of diluting black.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Also blue birds are laced, lavender are not. Lavender color is consistent and blue can have a wide range of tone. Pigeon to slate is the range for the standard with pigeon blue being more desired. Breed birds close to the standard tone of blue to beget more offspring of correct tone. A light blue bred to dark blue will beget everything in between but two birds of near the same color narrows the resulting color in offspring. Over generations blue to blue mating will lighten the color. To darken it up breed to black. You don't know what shade of blue is hiding under splash. If your flock is consistent tone then the splash should breed same- behave like the majority of blues in flock in respect to what it throws for blue tone in offspring. Again, black will always darken blue tone.

The first pic here is spot on, last pic about as dark of slate you'd want to go. Random google images for tone of blue reference.

This one being red with blue lacing.

This birds lacing isn't complete but you see much darker slate tone would start to compete with lacing.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Definitely blues.

Lavenders are much paler and more uniform in color.

 

[AgnesGray]

Before in a local Facebook foul group I was told these Easter Eggers were Lavender, now I'm being told they are blue. Which is it? Sorry if this is a really obvious question, but everyone is telling me different things I find people on BYC have better and more correct information. Thanks in Advance! The pictures make them look different colors but the light gray is the same, the rooster has really dark spots though (saddles, hackles, wing spots, etc..), does that mean blue? But the pullet looks more "lavendery" and the main body feathers are the same color on both. If you need better picters, or pictures of them side by side, let me know. But I won't be able to get more until tomorrow. Again, sorry if this is an obvious question.View attachment 2429371View attachment 2429372

That boy looks a lot like mine that I've been trying to figure out what he is. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/blue-langshan-or-blue-cochin.1431712/ Do you know his origin by chance? I'd be curious to know where he came from and maybe it would help figure my guy out.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

That boy looks a lot like mine that I've been trying to figure out what he is. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/blue-langshan-or-blue-cochin.1431712/ Do you know his origin by chance? I'd be curious to know where he came from and maybe it would help figure my guy out.

He is an easter egger, that is all I know I'm afriad. I bought him, his sister, and another guy, as three lavender orpington pullets. I was suspicious when I recieved them that they were boys but the lady insisted they were girls... should have gone with my gut. They are also very clearly not lavender orpingtons. His sister from the same batch is an obvious EE so I can figure out what he is, unfortunatly I don't know what their parents are.