Lavender Gene Questions

[Towbird75]

OK so forgive me I am very new to posting on BYC..Shoot Im not sure I even know the difference between a forum or a thread old school I guess. Lol OK so here's my situation had a Wyandotte hen that got killed by a predator while free ranging. Don't worry I learned from that and they are in the coop till I can get a chicken yard fenced in. We hatched out her egg that we had left kind of keeping her legacy alive since she had gotten killed under our watch. Well she left us a very very special present her chick turned out to be a Lavender about 3 days old right now. The roo in this pair is by all appearance a standard Buff orphington. That's how I ordered him. And I'm highly confused how he would have the lavender gene. I can't find anywhere a buff carrying the gene and looking standard but it happened. I guess my question is if the chick is a hen can she be safely mated back to the buff? And would the pair produce 50% or more like 75% lavender. We stumbled across the lavender by chance and I've been somewhat obsessed with figuring this out. I've read everywhere and I don't see an answer to our situation. Thank you for any information you may have.

 

[Sneebsey]

If the chick is Lavender, both parents had to have carried lavender as it is a recessive gene. A pullet who is Lavender mated to a cockerel who is carrying but not expressing Lavender will produce 50% Lavender chicks. One year of backcross would not hurt and is often used to cement certain genetics in a line, as you're planning with Lavender. It's important that you outcross next time in order to increase genetic diversity. Remember that if this chick is indeed Lavender (do you have any pictures?) a cross to a bird that does not carry Lavender will produce 100% split offspring, which will carry Lavender, enhancing the probability of it appearing later on.

What colour variety of Wyandotte was the mother?

 

[Towbird75]

Blue Wyandotte

 

[Towbird75]

Those are the pics of the lavender unless I am sadly mistaken.. I haven't been home yet to see it for myself but it has the light yellow chest dark head and the Grey and yellow feet. The hen was a blue wyandotte.

 

[Sneebsey]

I requested the photo as blue and splash chicks can often express very similarly to Lavender in chick down.

As she grows in her true feathers, it will be fairly easy to identify if it is Blue or Lavender that is diluting her colour, as Lavender will also have an effect on any gold feathers (which should be plentiful due to the buff), diluting them to cream. The darker colour on the face hints toward blue, rather than lavender, but either way, cute chick, and I'm intrigued to see how s/he turns out.

 

[Towbird75]

Ohhhhhhhh I see.... I understand even more now to. I didn't know the blues would appear that way as chick's, only time will truly tell. I think we've become addicted I plan on building another coop to do some breeding. Theres something about hatching out your own chicks.I have the buff roo a RIR and Dark cornish. This should be fun. I'll post pics to my profile later once I figure out how to better use the site.. Thank you so very much for taking the time to answer and I hope you have a great morning.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Hate to say it but that does look like a blue chick.
When crossing a blue with a buff the chicks would be black or blue so it defiantly fits (being blue) with what would come from that cross.
Hatching a lavender from a blue X buff cross is possible but unlikely. Like mentioned lavender is recessive so it would have to come from two chickens that are or carry lavender.
In your case I would say chances would be very slim that it would happen.
With the hen someone would of had to cross a lavender wyandotte into a BBS line. As mentioned lavender in a BBS line gets confusing in identifying some of the offspring so most breeders wouldn't cross those colors. It could happen and the lavender gene could very easy get carried along and stay sight unseen in the blue chicken.
The buff would also be a color most wouldn't cross lavender into. If someone crosses lavender into buff the buff would be wouldn't hold up and the offspring would have to be crossed back to buff for a generation or two or you'd have to hatch a ton of chicks to get back to a pure buff looking chicken.
It could be done but it would be a lot of breeding and luck.
So for both of your chickens to have gotten lavender bred into them and then producing a lavender would be possible but not as likely as them producing a blue chick which would be what would be expected out of 50% of that crosses offspring.
I would expect that chick to mature as a blue with buff leakage.

 

[Towbird75]

Thank you moonshiner that explains a lot also. I just got a Lil over excited hoping for a lavender I guess.. I mean I know I can buy them but producing them unexpectedly would have been a pleasent surprise.
This is our other Lil fella from a red star sexlink and buff orph. We have two others that were easily identified as blue wyandotte. It's neat letting them mix and see what we get. Like a bawx of chawclates lol