Thank you so much for the reply. Self blue it islavender and self blue are the same thing. lavender is the name of the gene, but the name of the variety of cochin is 'self blue'...
it's a recessive gene that requires both parents to carry, which causes a uniform dilution of black resulting in a solid light grey colored bird. yours are self blue/lavender. here in the US, the APA has stated that it will not recognize the name Lavender, since they already have the same color listed as Self Blue. In other countries the corresponding breed organizations refer to it as Lavender. so it would depend on your local poultry association/breed organization's choice of wording. in South Africa, it may well be referred to as Lavender. I don't know since i haven't researched that myself. (Lavender would be my choice of wording, because the word "blue" used in 2 different names can get confusing for some, but I'm only 1 person with an opinion.)
blue is a dominant gene that also dilutes black, but only requires only 1 parent to carry it. a single copy of the gene results in a dark grey bird with darker lacing. 2 copies of the gene results in a splash, which is a light grey/white bird with some darker markings here and there.
