Lavender-Based Leghorn Breeding & Improvement Discussion

[ChicKat]

New Thread --

We need this thread to discuss the challenges, successes and subtleties we encounter as we pursue these genetics. We're here to talk about all the facets of improving our stock.

The Moonshiner had just put up some beautiful Rose Comb Isabel picts and there are some questions I want to ask.

HaikuHeritage Farm has rounded up some Isabels and wants to go forward., and will post some picts.

Here are the picts. that the Moonshiner posted -- to save jumping to that thread I'll link in the picts. url

Really looking forward to what everyone has to say -- put their 2cents in - weigh in -- opine -- Y'all know the drill!

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Awesome! I hope this can be a place for us to discuss all of birds of any lavender/self-blue Leghorn variety as I suspect they all have a lot of genetics in common.

From what we all can tell, it seems that the lavender gene was introduced into Leghorns through Buddy Henry's efforts in Tennessee. He used a lavender Orpington over brown leghorns to get us there, and refined his flock with some of Don Schrider's gorgeous show quality browns.

It's proven to be a great foundation and honestly most of the Isabels I've seen floating around surpass the quality of most production hatchery leghorns.

My own little group, three pullets and a cockerel, all came out of a pair from @Tbird84 who got them a couple of generations and a couple owners removed, it seems, from Buddy's stock. Cackle hatchery also briefly sold the birds but had some issue with successfully shipping them and discontinued sales. The birds seem to have their stronghold in the Southeast where I and Tess and Buddy and others all are.

I have had my group (Fricassee and the Dumplings) for about a month and they are about 6 1/2 months old. They're large birds and calmer than I remember thinking Leghorns would be. I wouldn't call them particularly flighty which seems to be one of the primary things that scares people away from the breed. I'm really enjoying them so far.

So, without further ado some spam from the last couple of days while we were making some coop upgrades. (Thus the kennel in some shots.) As you'll see, there's definitely plenty of faults to overcome, but I think we've got some good material to work with. <3

 

[Tbird84]

They sure are filling in nicely, @HaikuHeritageFarm

 

[Tbird84]

I have found two other possible sources for Isabella Leghorns, but I think I am more of the mind to bring in high quality light browns so I can produce splits. I'm hoping to improve the feather quality issues that seem to come with the lavender territory.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I have a few lavender leghorn projects going. Everyone knows the old saying "don't count your chickens before they hatch" but here I have another one "don't count your breeders until winter is over" because winter is cruel here in Missouri and if you lose any birds it's always the most important ones.
That being said my projects involving the lavender genes as of now are lavenders (solid colored) cuckoo lavenders, lavender gold duckwing, lavender silver duckwing, cuckoo lavender gold duckwing and cuckoo lavender silver duckwing.
Hopefully I'll get some hatching of all those varieties next summer.
By late summer I should be moving to mottled lavenders. After that I've got a couple more ideas but I'll hold off on those till I get closer to getting chicks on the ground.
Lavender and lavender patterns are my favorite so I'll take them in every direction I can.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Lavender and lavender patterns are my favorite so I'll take them in every direction I can.

And there are so many options!!!

 

[The Moonshiner]

The rose comb birds were from many moons ago.
At the time there were some interest in a rose comb variety and some Isabella breeders were suggesting breeding to dark browns instead of light browns to enhance the straw colors in the Isabella pattern. The only dark browns I had were rose combs so I ran with it.
There ended up not being much interest in them and I really favored single combed birds myself so the rose comb isabellas fell to the wayside along with the few other rose comb varieties I had at the time.
As with most of my pics those were poor quality pics and some ragged looking birds at the time.
I do have some single comb Isabella pics from the same time period. Those birds did have flaws and I can look back now and remember how much improvement they really needed.
Those were some exciting days though.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

The rose comb birds were from many moons ago.
At the time there were some interest in a rose comb variety and some Isabella breeders were suggesting breeding to dark browns instead of light browns to enhance the straw colors in the Isabella pattern. The only dark browns I had were rose combs so I ran with it.
There ended up not being much interest in them and I really favored single combed birds myself so the rose comb isabellas fell to the wayside along with the few other rose comb varieties I had at the time.
As with most of my pics those were poor quality pics and some ragged looking birds at the time.
I do have some single comb Isabella pics from the same time period. Those birds did have flaws and I can look back now and remember how much improvement they really needed.
Those were some exciting days though.

I was going to comment on how dark lavender they appeared to be, was that because you used dark browns? What factors would influence the saturation level of the lavender itself, because the only difference between dark and light browns is the mahogany modifier, right? So that *shouldn't* impact the areas that would show up self blue, right?

Regardless, i do love rose combs. It's definitely my preference over straight combs all else being equal, but in general there seem to be better SC birds available of most varieties so it makes sense to start with those.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Light browns are e+ duckwing
Dark brown are eb partridge with mahogany.
The idea was that the mahogany would make the straw color darker giving more contrast.
I was taking advice from someone else with isabellas that was following suit of someone else that was supposed to be on top of the whole Isabella game.

 

[ChicKat]

At the time there were some interest in a rose comb variety and some Isabella breeders were suggesting breeding to dark browns instead of light browns to enhance the straw colors in the Isabella pattern. The only dark browns I had were rose combs so I ran with it.

AHA!!! That answers the question that popped into my mind. The neck-hackles and wing triangle of that male have a more intense saturation than most...and that 'sunset' color really appeals to me.

So I'm hearing a couple of things: --

• How to intensify the lavender,
• Mahogany is probably the source of a more vivid straw

Thanks guys -- I've learned stuff already and this thread is not even 24-hours old.