BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[lpatelski]

All of my chicks are hatched in an incubator. I do have some trouble with Betty and double yolkers. She is usually very fertile. I do have some chick's that develop and do not pip. This is a malposition problem. Most likely due to the humidity being incorrect. I only have one humidifier on the 18+ day eggs. The other hatcher just has water sitting in the base.

 

[holm25]

My Buckeyes just keep growing!

 

[lpatelski]

Okay I just could not resist an evening photo shoot.

This is the lavender gene diluting the normal colors, black to blue and red to buff.










the more developed feathering

 

[Kev]

Okay I just could not resist an evening photo shoot.

This is the lavender gene diluting the normal colors, black to blue and red to buff.

That's not lavender.

Lavender dilutes all colors to a "pastel" shade. No dark colors like that. A specific color is diluted to exactly the same shade all over the bird- so if there are black/darker flecks or if the hackles/saddles are a shade darker than the body on a solid blue roo it is not lavender.

An excellent example of how lavender works is comparing the difference between mille fleur and porcelain d'uccles- they have all exactly the same color/pattern genes, except porcelains also have lavender.

lastly, lavender is a recessive gene. The chances of getting a lavender colored chick in a cross is extremely unlikely unless both breeds or parent stock are known to carry lavender.

 

[lpatelski]

Is this lavender?

 

[Kev]

Is this lavender?

Not lavender.

One of the cornish x cockerels picked out from the feed store last fall feathered out white but developed sort of an off white- pale greyish shade all over. He also had tiny random little black flecks.. does that sound like what you're seeing on your birds? Unfortunately did not take pictures of the cockerel.. too late now as a recent warm spell killed him...

I'm not sure exactly what it is, apparently it is known to happen in some birds not pure for dominant white... that cockerel proved that idea by producing half white and half barred chicks.

Genetic surprises are known to pop up of production stock white leghorns and cornish breeder stock. Smoky being apparently the best known example, as far as I know, it is not available to the hobby. From pictures though, it seems our birds don't have the smoky gene..

just now saw the new picture in the original post, that looks like a normal blue, possibly dun to me.

Various diluter genes have been deliberately thrown in white leghorn/cornish stock, for making crisper white feathers and cleaner yellow legs and skin. Barring is the most common addition and is almost universal- my cx roo proved to have it by throwing barred chicks.. however silver, recessive white, mottle, blue, etc are also more or less commonly present. My rooster did not have blue as he did not throw any blue chicks.. will see about mottling etc in the second or later generations.

 

[Kev]

the more developed feathering

Using that pic as an example- lavender would have diluted the brown areas on his wings to a straw-yellow color with a 'warm' shade and all the blue areas would be exactly the same shade. The secondaries are showing a lighter grey shade at the tips and it gradually darkens down the feather... also the tail are showing some feathers visibly darker than other tail feathers. That never happens with lavender. basically, lavender does an "extremely even job" all over the bird.

 

[Kev]

My bird. He made me do a double take.. so light and could have passed for lavender silver duckwing, however he has some clues it is not lavender- dark red streaks on a few feathers on back close to the neck and the tail feathers have variable shading. The 'straw' color on his wings is also not quite the right shade and does not have the 'warm glow'.. a little 'hard'.



Lavender bantam cockerel, a project of mine from years ago. Notice how even the color is. No flecks or darker areas.




Birds below are not mine... Isabel legorns, which are lavender red duckwings:



Isabel brahma- lavender added to a buff brahma:



Lavender, either dark or partridge brahma?


comparsion between porcelain d'uccle and regular mille- the only difference between the two is the porcelain also has lavender:

 

[bluejean55girl]

I must report that our dad (hellbender) will be indisposed  for the near future and will not be able to visit the threads he enjoys so much on this site.

                    Jason

any idea just how long? How's your mother doing? Sorry if I'm too nosey. Sending special guardian angels that multiply as needed.

 

[hellbender]

any idea just how long? How's your mother doing? Sorry if I'm too nosey. Sending special guardian angels that multiply as needed.

Thanks for the Guardian Angels. Mom has been gone for many years now.

Jason

ETA: I'm thinking of putting up an avatar of my own until dad gets back...any objections?