Could She Be a Lavender Orpington After All?

[3KillerBs]

Back in November and December I was trying to ID chicks from an "assorted brown layers" package and was suspicious of a particular girl, now a 10-month pullet named "Silver".

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/lavender-orpington-vs-blue-australorp.1499775/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/blue-splash-or-lavender.1504071/

She was determined to be a Blue Australorp rather than a Lavender Orpington based primarily on the faint lacing on her feathers.

Photo from December:

I've noticed over the summer that her feathers have gotten quite ragged -- which I *thought* was a trait associated with Lavender.

I could possibly get close-up photos off the roost tonight, but they'll be taken by camera flash and not in a natural stance.

 

[JedJackson]

The shredded feathering says it all. She is a lavender Orpington. Unusual to have that color with lacing but now we know it is possible.

 

[3KillerBs]

The shredded feathering says it all. She is a lavender Orpington. Unusual to have that color with lacing but now we know it is possible.

There doesn't seem to be any lacing in her adult plumage.

I kept Silver for her beauty and she has shown some tendency to brood, but I'll have to keep her out of my breeding program.

She's a laid-back, well-mannered girl.

 

[JedJackson]

There doesn't seem to be any lacing in her adult plumage.

I kept Silver for her beauty and she has shown some tendency to brood, but I'll have to keep her out of my breeding program.

She's a laid-back, well-mannered girl.

She's a beaut!

 

[3KillerBs]

She's a beaut!

Oh yes!

That's why I kept her -- even though I know that the Blue Australorps should be dark and well-laced rather than pale.

About half my birds are breeding prospects, the others are a mixed-color layer flock. I'll probably reduce the number of mixed layers as I work with my BA's and the impending Silver-Laced Australorp(ish) project.

 

[JedJackson]

Ooh, I like the idea of silver laced Australorps. I like the lighter build and egg laying capacity of Austras.

 

[3KillerBs]

Ooh, I like the idea of silver laced Australorps. I like the lighter build and egg laying capacity of Austras.

A while back I asked about Silver-Laced birds suited for the heat and discovered that there really aren't any so I came up with the idea of a small breeding project towards a more heat-tolerant bird with that color pattern.

The only luck I had with my May Ideal order was that the snake that ate 7 out of 12 chicks did leave me the single-combed SLW I was hoping for -- because that *should* save me a generation breeding out the rose comb.

 

[JedJackson]

A while back I asked about Silver-Laced birds suited for the heat and discovered that there really aren't any so I came up with the idea of a small breeding project towards a more heat-tolerant bird with that color pattern.

The only luck I had with my May Ideal order was that the snake that ate 7 out of 12 chicks did leave me the single-combed SLW I was hoping for -- because that *should* save me a generation breeding out the rose comb.

It sounds like a tough project for sure. Wyandottes got their pattern from dark Brahmas crossed with spangled Hamburgs, I believe, but it probably took a long, long time.

 

[3KillerBs]

It sounds like a tough project for sure. Wyandottes got their pattern from dark Brahmas crossed with spangled Hamburgs, I believe, but it probably took a long, long time.

I ran the genetics past the experts. The laced pattern is a simple recessive.

The *quality* of the lacing might not be good in the early generations, but I should have laced crossbreeds to work with in the F2s.

My plan -- and I'll start a breeding project thread once my SLW girls are laying -- is to breed the BA rooster to the SLW girls, breed the F1s to each other, select the most promising of those, breed them back to the BAs, then repeat until I get something that looks pretty-close to an Australorp and has the same heat-tolerance, easy-going temperament, laying capabilities, etc.

 

[JedJackson]

I ran the genetics past the experts. The laced pattern is a simple recessive.

The *quality* of the lacing might not be good in the early generations, but I should have laced crossbreeds to work with in the F2s.

My plan -- and I'll start a breeding project thread once my SLW girls are laying -- is to breed the BA rooster to the SLW girls, breed the F1s to each other, select the most promising of those, breed them back to the BAs, then repeat until I get something that looks pretty-close to an Australorp and has the same heat-tolerance, easy-going temperament, laying capabilities, etc.

Sounds like a good plan. I hope you get great results.