Lavender Ameraucanas

[FrankPrize]

I recently acquired 2 Lavender Ameraucana chicks from a breeder a couple roads down; one is a day older than the other and that’s already enough for a noticeable size difference between the two but that’s not what I’m supposed to be rambling on about LOL. They’re both feathering in on their wings and I’m trying to figure out whether one of them is actually a Lavender Cuckoo and not just a Lavender because I see what seems to be very minimal but existent barring on his feathers. I’ve seen pictures of their parents and they’re out of Paul Smith lines so they’ll probably grow out and be easy on the eyes anyway. I’m 99.9% sure that the one with the barring is a cockerel so I might as well asks now: I have a Blehm-lined black pullet, would it be wise to breed him to her?

 

[WhiteWyan]

It's a little early to be planning the progeny right? Little chick looks barely a week old. Just my 2c.

 

[LilJoe]

Both are Lavender. If they were Lavender Cuckoo they would have white spots on their heads. The white wing feathers are normal for lavenders, blues, and blacks. They should fall out after the first big molt.

 

[FrankPrize]

It's a little early to be planning the progeny right? Little chick looks barely a week old. Just my 2c.

I don’t plan on dispersing of my flock anytime soon and I got these birds from this specific line to breed from in the first place. I’m asking a hypothetical question and I think it is reasonable of me to plan ahead and ask questions anytime before taking a risk or doing something that may set me back a couple months or a year with these birds. I originally inquired about Lavenders but I genuinely think I was given a Cuckoo Lavender instead. My first question was me asking for clarification on whether or not it is barring that I’m seeing. My second question was whether or not I can breed that variety to another variety. I know and love the phrase “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” but they’re already in the brooder so...

 

[FrankPrize]

Thank you so much! I’ve only ever had Black and Brown Reds so you could say that I’m not entirely clueless but I’m not all the way there yet.

 

[Amer]

Both are lavender. Unfortunately, with the brittle feathers that are often found with the lavender gene, there is a lot of breakage, which makes lines.
In this picture you can see the lines. https://www.bing.com/images/search?...607988039690028914&selectedIndex=1&ajaxhist=0
Almost every lavender Ameraucana I've seen has that.
That's why I prefer blues over lavenders. Isabel birds aren't so bad. Those aren't in Ameraucanas though.

 

[Amer]

I don’t plan on dispersing of my flock anytime soon and I got these birds from this specific line to breed from in the first place. I’m asking a hypothetical question and I think it is reasonable of me to plan ahead and ask questions anytime before taking a risk or doing something that may set me back a couple months or a year with these birds. I originally inquired about Lavenders but I genuinely think I was given a Cuckoo Lavender instead. My first question was me asking for clarification on whether or not it is barring that I’m seeing. My second question was whether or not I can breed that variety to another variety. I know and love the phrase “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” but they’re already in the brooder so...

In the very impossible occurrence that it was a lavender cuckoo, you would just breed it with a lavender. Black isn't too bad to breed it too either. I'm pretty Paul Smith doesn't have any lavender cuckoos though, and I'm absolutely sure they would have a head spot if they were lavender cuckoo.
What makes you certain it is a cockerel?

 

[FrankPrize]

Both are lavender. Unfortunately, with the brittle feathers that are often found with the lavender gene, there is a lot of breakage, which makes lines.
In this picture you can see the lines. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=+ZwAxncs&id=D32CE133D28E14CD80B8260291724DA5848B1499&thid=OIP.-ZwAxncsg4t00k90S2GCWwHaFn&mediaurl=http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/5134_woostie.jpg&exph=768&expw=1012&q=lavender+Ameraucana&simid=607988039690028914&selectedIndex=1&ajaxhist=0
Almost every lavender Ameraucana I've seen has that.
That's why I prefer blues over lavenders. Isabel birds aren't so bad. Those aren't in Ameraucanas though.

Thank you so much for the explanation about the barring; I didn’t know if it was the result of low feather quality in Lavs or actual barring that I was seeing— that’s why I’m glad I have a black to breed back to.

 

[FrankPrize]

In the very impossible occurrence that it was a lavender cuckoo, you would just breed it with a lavender. Black isn't too bad to breed it too either. I'm pretty Paul Smith doesn't have any lavender cuckoos though, and I'm absolutely sure they would have a head spot if they were lavender cuckoo.
What makes you certain it is a cockerel?

Once again, thank you— I’ve never had or even seen a chick of a cuckoo variety so I didn’t know what they would look like; all I knew is that I was seeing lines in his feathers and that wasn’t something I was seeing on the Lavender birds I saw online or at fairs. I’m almost certain it’s a male because I’ve grown out so many chicks I’ve kinda just started picking up on behavioral and personality traits that’re more likely to be seen in males instead of females. Like, the one that I presume to be a male is more social and a bit more defensive of the brooder. I’ll stick my hand in the brooder to replace his water and he’ll start pecking and jumping at me the way cocks do when defending their territory. But what the heck do I know? It doesn’t help that most of my chick-knowledge comes from raising OEGB and the males are show-offs straight out of the egg LOL

 

[Amer]

Once again, thank you— I’ve never had or even seen a chick of a cuckoo variety so I didn’t know what they would look like; all I knew is that I was seeing lines in his feathers and that wasn’t something I was seeing on the Lavender birds I saw online or at fairs. I’m almost certain it’s a male because I’ve grown out so many chicks I’ve kinda just started picking up on behavioral and personality traits that’re more likely to be seen in males instead of females. Like, the one that I presume to be a male is more social and a bit more defensive of the brooder. I’ll stick my hand in the brooder to replace his water and he’ll start pecking and jumping at me the way cocks do when defending their territory. But what the heck do I know? It doesn’t help that most of my chick-knowledge comes from raising OEGB and the males are show-offs straight out of the egg LOL

Huh. My wheaten AM chicks never did that.