Lav Araucana with pink feathers???

[SarahIrl]

Was sold pure bred lav araucana eggs, and one chick (17 days old) is starting to grow pinkish coloured feathers at the base of it's neck. The other two: one is almost totally white and the other is a gorgeous lavender, really deeply coloured. The pinkish one has dark legs and black skin, so am really confused. Could this be an EE? As far as I understand an EE is an araucana cross. Hope not, as I only have the three, can buy in a roo if I need one (not sexed yet) but will find it very hard to find more pullets, and do not want to mess up a basic trio with buff eathering throwbacks. Argh, I'll take pics tomorrow and post on the bred/gender board, I think.

 

[SteveH]

It sounds like red leakage diluted by the lav gene . It shouldn't happen often if the breeder uses quality blacks under the lavender .

 

[SarahIrl]

So, do I breed black over these when they are old enough and go back to lav again then? Want to produce some really good strains here, as I don't have room for lots and lots of birds. My plan is to breed from these next year, basically, wait until they lay with rooster, hatch out eggs after they have been laying, say a month, sell them on and keep thie resulting chicks to do the same with next year... so new blood every year. Will keep a lav roo though. Just swop out the hens. Also have buff orps which if they are good looking birds (the guy I got the eggs from has show quality stock) will get an unrelated roo and keep them, mainly because they have a good broody reputation. I also have silver brahmas hatching, which I will treat like the lav araucanas, more a genetics program than keeping them for eggs/broodiness.

Can anyone recommend a good book on genetics for dummies?

 

[High Roost Ranch]

I personally like F.B. Hutt: Genetics of the Fowl. It's like a dang encyclopedia though, not on the level of Genetics for Dummies. But if you keep at it, you should get it. I added a link to just one of many places you can get the book.

http://www.nortoncreekpress.com/genetics_of_the_fowl.html

Brian Reeder has a book out as well. Can't recall the name right off hand. I have that one too. But Hutt's is far more in-depth.