Introducing a new breed for color

[Brian Wood]

I'm wondering if I can use my lavender orpington roo to add the lavender gene to my cochin flock has anyone done something similar

 

[keesmom]

Do you have any black Cochins?

Crossing lavender to black will result in all black chicks that carry one lavender gene. Cross those pullets back to their lavender father. That will give you half lavender, half black (carrying lav) chicks.

 

[Brian Wood]

Do you have any black Cochins?

Crossing lavender to black will result in all black chicks that carry one lavender gene. Cross those pullets back to their lavender father. That will give you half lavender, half black (carrying lav) chicks.

I just got 2 black pullets would I be able to eventually breed out the orpington traits and get to a lavender cochin flock

 

[keesmom]

It can be done. Luckily you want the feathered feet since that's a highly heritable trait. It will take longer to consistently get yellow skin and better Cochin type.

 

[Sneebsey]

Personally, I wouldn't cross back to the Orpington father as that would just be cementing Orpington traits in the offspring. What I would do is start with at least two trios of Lav Orp to black cochin, then work toward type year on year.
Year 1: Lav orp to black cochin
Year 2: breed the offspring together for Lavender project cochins
Year 3: Lav project cochins to black cochin
Year 4: breed offspring together for Lav 3/4 cochin
Year 5: 3/4 cochin to black cochin

Keep breeding in this way until you have birds that are correct for cochin type, with Lavender. At this point you can then start breeding Lavender cochin to Lavender cochin and call them as such.

The reason you would need to cross the offspring together every other year is to ensure that you are maintaining the Lavender genes, as it is a recessive gene. All your offspring from Lav to Black will be black, but they will all be carrying lavender unseen, you want to ensure that you're only breeding Lavender (2 copies) birds to black so that you know 100% that your offspring will be split for the gene.

Hope this helps.