Lavender Breeds

[hinkjc]

It is my understanding that original studies go back to quail, however the lavender gene is a mutation. The article discusses the gene in some length. I'll see if I can find the one that discusses the quail crosses that were performed to test this mutation.

http://jcs.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/51/1/25.pdf

 

[discombobulatedfarmer]

I am not getting this whole genetics thing.

I do understand that lavender is not a trait that was originally found in silkies and will not occur without a bird that carries the lavender gene. I have a black hen, a blue hen, and a splash roo. Unless one of them carries the gene, I will always get black, splash or blue. Am I correct in concluding I simply need to add a lavender roo and hen to my flock?

 

[tgrlily]

Quote:
Only if you wish to become more discombobulated!

If you get lavender silkies & breed them to lavender, you get all lavender.
If you breed lavender rooster over black hens, all the chicks carry lavender, but look black - called "split" in this case, black split to lavender.
Breed your lav rooster back to the splits, half of the chicks will be lavender, the other half split.

If you put a lavender pair in with your BBS flock, you won't know which chicks carry lav & which don't. Visually, you won't be able to tell. In successive generations, it'll get even more confusing. Silkies don't have real lacing, so that indicator is gone. Splash & lav look similar -- or lav can look bluish.

Just stick with black, split or lav if you want to make more lav... save yourself (& anyone who would buy chicks from you in the future) a headache.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
If Kazjaps cannot find the historical documentation, probably no one can.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

I think its such a pretty color!

 

[Timmy]

Quote:
Thank you that's a great article. Very informative, but It will take me at least a month to read and understand it.

 

[Timmy]

Quote:
If Kazjaps cannot find the historical documentation, probably no one can.

Ya that's kinda what I was thinking.

 

[Timmy]

Quote:
Only if you wish to become more discombobulated!

If you get lavender silkies & breed them to lavender, you get all lavender.
If you breed lavender rooster over black hens, all the chicks carry lavender, but look black - called "split" in this case, black split to lavender.
Breed your lav rooster back to the splits, half of the chicks will be lavender, the other half split.

If you put a lavender pair in with your BBS flock, you won't know which chicks carry lav & which don't. Visually, you won't be able to tell. In successive generations, it'll get even more confusing. Silkies don't have real lacing, so that indicator is gone. Splash & lav look similar -- or lav can look bluish.

Just stick with black, split or lav if you want to make more lav... save yourself (& anyone who would buy chicks from you in the future) a headache.

Tgrlily is 100% correct. The important things to remember are you need two copies of the gene for it to show as self blue and that unlike your andalusian blues it breeds true so there is no reason to breed back to black like you are now. If you want some keep them separated from your bbs flock.

 

[pinkwindsong]

ok Im confused. the birds that are show in the pics on post #5. can they be shown or not? if they an I would dearly love at least a trio...
)O(
Pink

 

[Timmy]

Quote:
I don't think the verity is recognized in orpingtons (I may be wrong about that), but they could be shown in the aov class. So yes you can show them. You just can't place higher than best of verity. If it's just the color you like it is recognized in several other breeds.