- Jun 2, 2011
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Lavender can have greenish egg color and size issues . This has to do with how they were developed . You may have gotten pullet eggs . In spite of your doubts they hatched well for shipped . So the seller is doing something right . Each breeder has a priority in mind for improvements . Some breeders do not consider a green tint a high priority for elimination and some do . So here is some history on lavender from memory . Most lavender trace back to John Blehm who started with bantam first . He used lavender Old English game bantam and Belgian De Anvers lavender bantam over black Ameraucana bantam as a starting point . Since both breeds lay tinted eggs some brown pigment was there to give a green tint to the eggs . John then used the bantam lavender Ameraucana on black large fowl to start the large lavender . Continued breeding back to black in both lines has brought improvements . Harry Shaffer also developed large fowl lavender independently . He says he used a lavender EE to start his line . Some breeders have combined both lines . So depending when a breeder got his start and where he got them from can have a effect on what he had to work with . Add his choices to the mix and the results can vary a bit . Myself I got a cock bird from John to start my lavender large fowl . I used him over hens that improved egg color and egg size plus egg production . My choice for first improvements . I am now improving size . This is a step forward and backward also . The size came from a line prone to lay green tint eggs . So now I will select for size and egg color . I hope this helps you understand some of the issues you encountered . Lavender is still in the project stage . Yes there are people trying to cash in on a new color . They sometimes will breed anything lavender for the money . No continued effort for improvements from some of these people . Most of the fast $ people have no idea how to ship , feed , and handle for good hatching of shipped eggs . Since yours hatched better than average I would say your reputable breeder is a good one . Improvements still needed in his birds but most do need continued effort .
Thank you for this very informative post. I have learned so much in just a few short days from the sharing of information to a newbie like myself. It is very helpful to learn as one goes along. I didn't realize how new the formation of this color is, and how few experts there are with them. I think it is wonderful that there is a place that people can learn from experienced chicken owners and breeders for the improvement of this color of Ameraucana. You mention feeding, I feel that this is perhaps far overlooked. We work with racehorses for a living, and I am always amazed at how people cut corners when feeding their growing horses. Nutrition is such an important factor in the building blocks of success.
Thank you again for answering and educating me. It is much appreciated.
MB