Blue vs. Lavender

[Iceblink]

Umm, this may be a dumb question, but why aren't they called 'grey?' I know it's the same term for gray dogs being called 'blue,' but does anybody know how it started and why it still is?

 

[KayP]

Good question.

 

[klf73]

gray is a whole different color. I have a gray silkie, it looks nothing like my lav(self-blue) ameraucana color wise. It isnt' called gray because it isn't gray, it is more blue, which is why they are probably called self-blue, but unlike blue the self-blue breeds true when bred. Whereas if you breed 2 blue you will get blue, splash, and I believe you may get some black

 

[KayP]

Are there grey chickens? Anyone have pics?

 

[KayP]

Hey, I just got out of the brooder. Woo hoo.

Good they only count quantity of posts, not quality, or I might be culled.

 

[jkpnelly]

I have a pair of splits. I figured I could breed them to blues and see what I get. I want a whole flock of purple chickens.

 

[LilPeeps]

Greys are partridges with the silver gene. Basically, they're the same as a partridge, but instead of golds and browns, they have silver.

Grey

Compare with a partridge

 

[SusanJoM]

Quote:
Whoa, I forgot about that. I hatched out a batch of silkies that gave me one partridge and some cuckoos, but now I'm wondering if there might also be a grey in there. Is there an easy way to distinguish between a cuckoo and a grey?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Cuckoo are uniformly "coloured" over their entire body. Greys are not. The head is darker, the hackles lighter.

Cuckoo feathers are barred: horizontally striped.

Grey feathers are pencilled: sort of like lacing.

Cuckoo and grey really don't look anything alike except for the colours present.

 

[SusanJoM]

Quote:
Thanks, Sonoran.
Susan