How to breed english lavender orpingtons

[cwalter141]

I recently discovered that my lavender orpingtons (may not even be English heritage) have the shredded feather problem. I got them from a lady when they were 6 wks. She says she got the chicks from cackle hatchery.

My goal is to sell english lavender orpington chicks and hatching eggs.

I have been told i need to breed them to black. I am assuming this means i would need to build another coop and run, separating them and pairing the roo with black hens, and my hens with a black roo.
The genetics thing has my head hurting. I surely don't have the means to add another coop.

I am considering starting fresh. Buying a new lavender orpington flock.

I just wonder if i get a new flock will i end up with the same problem?
Where should i buy my english lavender orpingtons?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

If you want quality birds and you have access to them, you should get from a reputable breeder. Carolina Rare Chicks and Papa's Poultry both breed the English Lavender Orpingtons.
Several BYC members have them as well.
@ColtHandorf, @Faraday40 and @homeschoolin momma all breed the English Orps.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I have been told i need to breed them to black. I am assuming this means i would need to build another coop and run, separating them and pairing the roo with black hens, and my hens with a black roo.
The genetics thing has my head hurting. I surely don't have the means to add another coop.

That is correct. It is generally accepted that Lavender birds need to be bred back to Black in order to eliminate the feather fraying often seen in birds of that variety. Pairing your Lavender cockerel with quality Black English hens and vice versa will result in all visually Black offspring that carry a Lavender gene. This is called 'split'.

Many people do not do this because Lavenders are "worth" more money and producing birds that are black is viewed as a waste of time. This in my opinion is foolish and shows that most people who breed do it for the money and not the pleasure of producing stunning birds.

Technically you do not need two coops to do this. But it may be easier to chose another variety of English Orpington that doesn't require keeping multiple varieties to maintain color. Blue, Black, and Splash might interest you as you can get three colors in one breeding pen. The addition of Chocolate can give you Mauve birds as well.

I am considering starting fresh. Buying a new lavender orpington flock.

You will still need to breed them to Black Orpingtons to maintain good feather quality.

I just wonder if i get a new flock will i end up with the same problem?
Where should i buy my english lavender orpingtons?

As the 'shredder' gene is prevalent in most Lavender flocks, especially when people are breeding for quantity and not quality, it is an issue that you will see over and over. There are multiple sources for English-type Lavender Orpingtons; several breeders here have them, a few hatcheries that specialize in English Orpingtons, and there are Facebook groups devoted to English Orpingtons where you can find breeders that are working with them.

 

[Faraday40]

I recently discovered that my lavender orpingtons (may not even be English heritage) have the shredded feather problem. I got them from a lady when they were 6 wks. She says she got the chicks from cackle hatchery.

My goal is to sell english lavender orpington chicks and hatching eggs.

I have been told i need to breed them to black. I am assuming this means i would need to build another coop and run, separating them and pairing the roo with black hens, and my hens with a black roo.
The genetics thing has my head hurting. I surely don't have the means to add another coop.

I am considering starting fresh. Buying a new lavender orpington flock.

I just wonder if i get a new flock will i end up with the same problem?
Where should i buy my english lavender orpingtons?

Lavender genetics do require that you add black back into your flock. If you breed lavender to lavender then over generations you will get ratty-looking feathers.
Breeding a nice black orp with your lav will produce a 'split' (looks black but carries the lav gene). Breed that split to your lav and you'll get 50% lav and 50% splits. You may be able to find a blk/lav split and skip the first step.

 

[cwalter141]

That is correct. It is generally accepted that Lavender birds need to be bred back to Black in order to eliminate the feather fraying often seen in birds of that variety. Pairing your Lavender cockerel with quality Black English hens and vice versa will result in all visually Black offspring that carry a Lavender gene. This is called 'split'.

View attachment 2514092

Many people do not do this because Lavenders are "worth" more money and producing birds that are black is viewed as a waste of time. This in my opinion is foolish and shows that most people who breed do it for the money and not the pleasure of producing stunning birds.

Technically you do not need two coops to do this. But it may be easier to chose another variety of English Orpington that doesn't require keeping multiple varieties to maintain color. Blue, Black, and Splash might interest you as you can get three colors in one breeding pen. The addition of Chocolate can give you Mauve birds as well.



You will still need to breed them to Black Orpingtons to maintain good feather quality.



As the 'shredder' gene is prevalent in most Lavender flocks, especially when people are breeding for quantity and not quality, it is an issue that you will see over and over. There are multiple sources for English-type Lavender Orpingtons; several breeders here have them, a few hatcheries that specialize in English Orpingtons, and there are Facebook groups devoted to English Orpingtons where you can find breeders that are working with them.

I really appreciate this information. Thank you!