Hidden Lavender Silkies

[Teresaann24]

So a few years back I got some chickens from a breeder who had his whites mixed with some Lavenders for a project. All the ones I got were white no coloring on them at all. I started breeding them and began getting weird colors that were for sure NOT white at hatch. At adult as they feathered in The colors they hatched were gone and they were pure white but on some mostly the roo's you could see under the top feathers there was a soft blueish tint. I'v kept the breeding stock I keep getting these chicks from and keep hatching chicks of this color but feather out all white. I am getting some Lav in May and wondered about putting one or two of my white hens who has mothered these chicks. Would they still come out hidden Lavender?

Some pics

I will get some pictures of one of the roo's I kept and some of his coloring if I can get it to show on camera.

ETA: Also Why I am asking this is when selling eggs from this pen should I sell them as white/hidden lavender?

 

[trisha19]

I would just say " these were a project pen and I was not getting the colors I was hoping for" when selling eggs. I would not say poss. lav or lav crosses. It just gets peoples hopes up and then people think they have lav. when they really don't. And it can be heart breaking. If you want and have the time and desire to test breed ( the lav. and the older hens you have) go for it, but when selling chick or eggs be honest. You will also have to keep very close records so you know what you are producing. Alot of people out there will buy "mutt" silkie eggs and chicks.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

There is a line of whites that have a smokiness to them...especially the males. Here is a pic of one that I had a couple of years ago that I thought for sure was a lavender but was not.

 

[robin416]

This is what finally happens with line breeding the whites that have the color that you have.

They are always males and produce white chicks when bred with an unrelated white hen.

 

[Teresaann24]

Quote:
he looks just like mine!

 

[Teresaann24]

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That's what I mean I have never sold from this pen because I was not sure what to tell people. I didn't want people to get white silkie eggs and when they hatch look like this and be upset they didn't get what they paid for.

 

[tgrlily]

I think they're cool.

Could you do a test breeding to see if they actually carry lavender?

Most of my white silkie chicks hatch out so smokey colored that I can't tell them from splash unless I actually watched them hatch. I was told that a silver gene causes that.

 

[Teresaann24]

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I plan on doing some test hatches this year so far two years now this happens from this pen from every hatching. lets say I hatch 20 eggs at least 9-10 of them will be this blue color. Even the OS from these two hen's hatch out blue chicks.

 

[FrenchToast]

Quote:
So is this a good thing or bad thing to have?
If you cross a hen that produces these colored smokey chicks
with an unrelated white roo will it help in eliminating the smokey colored chicks? Or should you just not breed the whites that carry this smokey coloring?

I hatched some of these out myself They are very pretty birds but some are not pure white. But otherwise very nice birds.

Thanks

 

[FrenchToast]

Quote:
So is this a good thing or bad thing to have?
If you cross a hen that produces these colored smokey chicks
with an unrelated white roo will it help in eliminating the smokey colored chicks? Or should you just not breed the whites that carry this smokey coloring?

I hatched some of these out myself They are very pretty birds but some are not pure white. But otherwise very nice birds.

Thanks

Anyone? What lines carry this trait?

Thanks