Breed questions

[KeepClucking]

I’ve been raising chickens/ducks off and on over the years and have finally gotten some of my favorites. I have a lot of questions mainly regarding genetics and it’s very confusing to me. For this is the first time I’ve had a rooster. My fun flock consists of: 1 Lavender Orpington Roo
2 Whiting True Green Hens
3 Lavender Orpington Hens
3 BCM Hens
3 Buff Orpingtons ? Hens
I’ve finally had my first hatch from these girls and trying to determine what they will look like and egg color.

Do I have a Black/Split Lavender from my BCM girl?
Do I have an Easter egger from my x Whiting True Green girl?
I’m not understanding what a Lavender Maran is? Would that eventually be my black/split Lavender x back to Lavender Roo?
I’m hoping to post more photos of different chicks this week. Thank you all!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

As I understand it....lavender is recessive, so you need 2 lavender genes to produce the diluted black for lavender. /split simply means 1 gene present, so not showing lavender but carrying lavender.

Black/split Lavender bred to Lavender/Lavender would produce 50% black/lavender split black looking birds and 50% lavender/lavender lavender looking birds.

None of them are lavender as that is the yellow down/grey smoke down chick, in my experience.
Chick #1 is a mix. It has some red-brown bronzing on the face.
#2 looks look black, if from that breeding, then black/lavender carried.
#3 straight black marans chick.

I've not done the EE Whiting cross,, so have no experience there.

Interesting to see what others think from the photos.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

EDITED TO Add...just googled up a Whiting True Green, which is a brown/red bird.

I think chick #1 is your Whiting mix with the Lavender Marans rooster as that could give black with red bleed through.

Chick #2 your lavender split

Chick #3 straight black?

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

...and a Lavender Marans, of course, is simply a Marans breed that is colored the diluted grey called lavender by having 2 lavender genes.

LofMc

 

[KeepClucking]

...and a Lavender Marans, of course, is simply a Marans breed that is colored the diluted grey called lavender by having 2 lavender genes.

LofMc

Yes ty. The first 2 photos are the same chick. It’s cross is Whiting Green/Lavender Roo. I was just wondering if it would throw blue or green eggs still after the cross.
The last photo is what I’m thinking people call a Black/Lavender Split. So if she’s a pullet, if I cross her back to another Lavender Roo could I end up with a Lavender Maran? Her mother hen is a BCM x Lavender Orpington. This is so very interesting. Ty so much!

 

[KeepClucking]

I should have taken a better photo before this guy went to our friends farm this week. My girls below I was told are maybe some type of Orpington. Can anyone give a guess to what they are? Crossed w/ Lavender Orpington Roo. Also, can anyone please tell me what type of feather pattern this is on the cockerel? Thanks so much

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Yes ty. The first 2 photos are the same chick. It’s cross is Whiting Green/Lavender Roo. I was just wondering if it would throw blue or green eggs still after the cross.
The last photo is what I’m thinking people call a Black/Lavender Split. So if she’s a pullet, if I cross her back to another Lavender Roo could I end up with a Lavender Maran? Her mother hen is a BCM x Lavender Orpington. This is so very interesting. Ty so much!

As to your Whiting Greens/Lavender Roo crossing for egg color. THAT I am very confident on the genetics.

I looked up Whiting True Greens which were developed by Tom Whiting. According to my research, they are a newly established breed and apparently have solid blue gene genetics. Why does that matter you ask? Because to breed blue forward, you want to 2 blue genes.

The blue gene is dominant. That means many green layers are hybrids that only have 1 blue gene as they are the progeny of a blue layer over a brown layer producing offspring that lay green. Whitings are a breed meaning standardized genetics (though still in progress as it is an early breed). That means it *should* have 2 blue genes. To breed blue forward all the time, you want a parent that has 2 blue genes.

You have bred your Whiting True Green over a Marans.

The Marans, if you have a typical one, should have lovely dark brown genetics for the brown wash over the shell (actually hemoglobin wash, like paint). Crack open a brown egg, and you see white shell inside as the brown is literally hemoglobin paint on the outside.

Blue shell is produced by bile thrown into the calcite gland. The shell itself is blue. Crack open a blue egg, and you will see blue shell.

Brown wash over white shell (no blue shell gene) produces shades of brown. Brown wash over blue shell produces shades of green. No brown genes present, you have only blue shell.

Whiting has both blue genetics and brown genetics as it is stated a "green layer." As stated, it appears it is a true breed that will have 2 blue genes, and some brown wash genes, so its offspring will always get 1 blue gene. Your Marans should have lovely genes for brown wash (it is estimated about 13 genes cover brown wash). This should add to the brown wash genes in the Whiting.

That means the Whiting will bring green (created by blue shell with brown wash) to the Marans dark brown wash. The offspring should lay dark olive eggs.

In my olive egger breeding, I find the brown wash genetics breeds out very quickly, and I often get a lighter brown tone each generation, so lighter olive. I am working on my next generation of rooster (son of my Barnevelder) eagerly awaiting this batch of chicks to grow to see how much of the brown genes I recaptured.

You are smart to use a pure Marans rooster as he will always bring fresh brown wash genetics to the table. Likewise with the Whiting (if it is as I read and a true breed with 2 blue genes). The Whiting will always bring blue to the table.

However this F1 (1st generation) hybrid of olive eggers will NOT always breed blue forward since that would mean breeding forward you would get the blue gene only 50% of the time. 50% of the time you would not have any blue gene passed. No blue gene means no blue shell. Breeding these F1 back to the rooster will get 50% green and 50% brown, varying shades.

Very fun project near and dear to my heart. I used Cream Legbar (my blue layer) and Barnevelder (my brown layer). I'm now on F3 or F4 scrambling to keep all my genetics clean.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

If your penguin chick is a black/lavender split, breeding back to the lavender/lavender roo will give 50% black/lavender black chicks and 50% lavender/lavender lavender chicks.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I should have taken a better photo before this guy went to our friends farm this week. My girls below I was told are maybe some type of Orpington. Can anyone give a guess to what they are? Crossed w/ Lavender Orpington Roo. Also, can anyone please tell me what type of feather pattern this is on the cockerel? Thanks so much

I can't say they are or aren't Orpingtons. They don't have the classic Orpington tail, but many don't. I think they are Buff Columbian. Breeding to your lavender roo, I *think* will just get black chicks. Black is pretty dominant over most colorings.

Your cockeral photo is pretty blurry, but I think that is a cuckoo pattern you are talking about. It is the same barring gene, but with fast feather growth which prevents even striping.

LofMc

 

[KeepClucking]

I can't say they are or aren't Orpingtons. They don't have the classic Orpington tail, but many don't. I think they are Buff Columbian. Breeding to your lavender roo, I *think* will just get black chicks. Black is pretty dominant over most colorings.

Your cockeral photo is pretty blurry, but I think that is a cuckoo pattern you are talking about. It is the same barring gene, but with fast feather growth which prevents even striping.

LofMc

You are so much appreciated! I’m excited to see how he turns out!