Final Hatch Analysis with Pics!!!

[Poulets De Cajun]

Here is the final hatch analysis for my lavender splits. And considering the fragilness of the lavender variety of Silkie, I feel EXTREMELY luck to have gotten the two to hatch.

Number of Lavender Split Eggs originally set - 9
Number clear at day fourteen - 3
Number left fertile - 6
Total hatched - 2
Total in shell deaths - 4

The in shell deaths did not develop to full term. It looks like they died half way through. I cracked them open today and the yolk was all there, and the embryo's were half developed.

Here are some pictures of the Lavender Splits. Now they look like partridge because I crossed Lavenders with Black. These are carrying the lavender gene, along with who knows what else. So after they grow up, I will breed these back to a lavender bird, and theoretically I should get 50% pure lavender and 50% "mutt" or Splits as they are now called.

I have another 21 eggs to go back into the bator this evening. I am currently cleaning the bator in preparation and the eggs will be set soon!

 

[Mrs MIA]

How adorable!!!

I can't wait to see what the next generation has in store for you.

 

[ChickenWisperer]

Way to go on getting your babies!

You must be proud of those little chicks! They are adorable.

I know how frustrating it is to find out that some died in the shell. After my 1st hatch, all but 1 of my 12 Cuckoo Morans eggs died in the shell. About 2/3 of those 11 made it almost all the way to full development.

Good luck with your next batch!

 

[steffpeck]

They are so cute!! Congratulations!

 

[SGM]

Congratulations on the two cuties!!! Good luck with your breeding program!!!!

 

[hinkjc]

Are you sure your lavender silkie is lavender and not grey? I'm not sure about silkies, but when lavender is bred to black, the typical outcome is black (visually black carrying a lav gene). I think I read greys produce a partridge looking chick. They are really cute!

Jody

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Yes. I am sure...

And #1 it depends on what is under the lavender color, and #2 it depends on what is under the black color.

Lavender works like white, takes two copies to "cover" everything else. In the early development of the Lavender Silkies, whites were crossed with lavenders to improve type. And as we all know, or should know, white is a "coat" that covers all kinds of different genes. This lead to the chipmunk stripes commonly found in very young lavender chicks.

When you cross lavender silkies with black silkies, theoretically you should get 50% visually black birds carrying the lavender genes, and 50% "mutt" or split mixes that appear like the chicks I have hatched above. It just so happened, unfortunately, this time that the 50% of visually black birds died during early development. I can still use these chicks to produce lavenders when breeding back, only i'll get a percentage of "mutts" and a percentage of lavenders. Hopefully I'll have some gene carriers that are black in this next hatch.

If you go to this thread, I am pictured with the ORIGINAL creator of the lavender silkies, as well as two of the leading lavender silkie breeders. I've been lucky enough to be able to learn everything I know of lavenders "direct from the horses mouth" so to speak.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=92212&p=4

As well, there isn't any mistaking a lavender silkie for a gray. Gray is DISTINCTLY different from lavender, and looks more like a partiridge with silver hackles. This is my Lavender rooster.

And this is my lavender cockeral...

The only way that these chicks are going to NOT be lavender gene carriers is IF the hens held on to some semen from a rooster they had previously been with. However there was at least two maybe three weeks between the time that I took them from the previous rooster, and put them with my lavender rooster. Hopefully I'll have some eggs out of this next batch that hatch and I'll be able to compare them.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Christopher, do you have any photos of greys you could share? I have a lavender roo, but I think I have a grey pullet, and I'd like to compare.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Yes. These are a grays that are raised by a member of the ASBC... You can see they are darker than lavenders and the hackles are silver instead of gold (as in a partridge.)

 

[erin0415]

Just realized how close you were to me after looking at the the link of your last show. I was wanting to go to the state fair to see the poultry show, but it is awfully close to the hatch date of 2nd group of my staggered hatches of silkies. i don't think I could stand to be away overnight when they might be hatching. I'm just 2 hours north of you.