Difference Between Lavender and Blue Colors? (Orpingtons)

[Miss Sue]

oh, look at her brother! He looks cool---and so different. Thanks, Tiffany. I will post a pic this weekend.

Susan

 

[sara]

I would say lavender is my favorite chicken color right not. I've ordered a special little gift, well I should say gifts to myself that are due to arrive next Thursday or Friday. I'd be glad to post pictures of them when they arrive to show you what lavender looks like!

 

[Miss Sue]

Sara, that would be great to see those lavender chicks!

Today my chickens are very bedraggled from the rainy weather. They should be photo-ready by tomorrow, when it's supposed to dry out.

Susan

 

[hinkjc]

I just love the color too. Here is a pic of my lavender orp I posted a while ago..

And some updated pics as he grows out..

Jody

 

[Buckguy20]

So what work is being done on the lavender colors. ( I love your lavender hen) What standard breeds? What crosses are being used to get to this color? I am very interested in doing something like this. I tried developing a blue chicken (no black) experimenting with Blue Andalusians but I got tired of the black always cropping up. What breeds do I need to work on this color?
Thanks Monty




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[cherndon712]

WOW Jody!! That's the most beautiful (yes, I said BEAUTIFUL) roo I've seen for a while!! Will is sitting here laughing at me for calling a chicken beautiful...Guess he just doesn't get it! I would LOVE a whole MESS of lavender chicks, but I think they're hard to come by?

 

[Kev]

Very nice to know people are working on lavender standard size birds! That bird is just beyond beautiful.

I'll have to talk to some of you later, would love to introduce lavender into standard Naked Necks(breed I am trying to work on).

Keep up the wonderful work! I keep going back to look at that lavender bird.... so beautiful.

 

[hinkjc]

Thanks for your comments on my Lester. He is growing into quite a big guy and attempting his first crows. He is being temporarily housed with some young buff orps right now until he is mature enough for breeding and it warms up more to put him with his girls.

As for what work is being done...we are working to create the breed. Lav Orps, as far as I know, cannot even be found in the US. I want to change that. I was fortunate enough to get this bird and will start this program in spring and work year round until I have them established. I figure a couple years minimum, but it will be worth the efforts in the end. He's a great rooster and lives up to the orp personality, so it will be lots of fun as well.

In order to work on lavender, you need birds with the lav gene. The blue gene is different and doesn't breed true like lav does. I think that's where most get frustrated because they start out with blues, which cannot give lavender offspring (only blue, black or splash).

Good luck to all of those working on this fun, rare color.

Jody

 

[sara]

Wow, Lester is really getting more and more beautiful! You are so lucky to have him, keep posting pics of him as he grows, he is such eye candy

 

[Miss Sue]

Here are some photos of my Blue Orpington hen, Fuzzy. She is the sister of the splash roo in Tiffany's picture. I think her color is neat; she's a pretty light gray, with a few black feathers here and there. She has hazel-colored eyes; her other brother's eyes are almost black.

Fuzzy is a friendly hen, but she would rather hang out than be picked up or petted. We handled her a lot as a chick, and while she tolerates handling fine, she'd just rather be on the ground on her own 2 feet.

When Fuzzy was one of four chickens, she was a free spirit and often the first to try new things. Now that she is one of two hens, she is the one in charge. But she's a pretty benevolent boss, now that the pecking order thing settled down. She is always looking for a good snack. She didn't lay until she was 26 weeks old or so, but she now lays nice light brown medium-sized eggs.

Susan