Lavender and Chocolate Orpington

[GLchicken]

I don’t understand chicken color genetics. I have a lavender Orpington rooster and a chocolate Orpington hen. What will the chicks be? I also have a chocolate Orpington rooster.

 

[NatJ]

I have a lavender Orpington rooster and a chocolate Orpington hen. What will the chicks be?

Black, but all carrying the gene for lavender. The male chicks will also carry the gene for chocolate.

(When they grow up and have chicks of their own next year, you may get some lavender chicks and some chocolate chicks, depending partly on whether they mate with each other, with one of their parents, or with some other chickens.)

I also have a chocolate Orpington rooster.

Chocolate x chocolate = chocolate.

If both roosters are able to mate with the chocolate hen, you will be able to tell which rooster is the father of which chick: chocolate chicks have the chocolate father, black chicks have the lavender father.

I don’t understand chicken color genetics.

If you were to try to learn it all, it would take a lot of study! But it can sometimes be helpful to learn the particular bits that affect the chickens you have.

A particular bit that is relevant here:
A lavender orpington is a genetically a black orpington, with one different gene (lavender) that changes what the black looks like.

The same goes for chocolate-- a genetically black orpington, except for the chocolate gene changing what the black looks like.

 

[GLchicken]

Black, but all carrying the gene for lavender. The male chicks will also carry the gene for chocolate.

(When they grow up and have chicks of their own next year, you may get some lavender chicks and some chocolate chicks, depending partly on whether they mate with each other, with one of their parents, or with some other chickens.)



Chocolate x chocolate = chocolate.

If both roosters are able to mate with the chocolate hen, you will be able to tell which rooster is the father of which chick: chocolate chicks have the chocolate father, black chicks have the lavender father.



If you were to try to learn it all, it would take a lot of study! But it can sometimes be helpful to learn the particular bits that affect the chickens you have.

A particular bit that is relevant here:
A lavender orpington is a genetically a black orpington, with one different gene (lavender) that changes what the black looks like.

The same goes for chocolate-- a genetically black orpington, except for the chocolate gene changing what the black looks like.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge, much appreciated!!

 

[Ab1010]

I have a lavender rooster and will be breeding him to a buff orpington. What will this do? I was told to breed back to a black orpington to strengthen and darken the lavender because it apparently fades out over time?