Lavender Orpington project ....

[guest21]

I have been doing a little bit of reading. From what I understand if I pair my lav roo with my black hen I will get 50% black and 50% 'splits' then if I pair my lav roo with the split hens I will get 25% lavs. My question is what exactly does a split look like?

 

[CuckooOrpington]

I have been doing a little bit of reading. From what I understand if I pair my lav roo with my black hen I will get 50% black and 50% 'splits' then if I pair my lav roo with the split hens I will get 25% lavs. My question is what exactly does a split look like?

A split is a black split to the lavender gene so they will appear to be plain black physically, but carry the lavender gene.

 

[guest21]

A split is a black split to the lavender gene so they will appear to be plain black physically, but carry the lavender gene.

So I wont actually know what ones have the gene till they give me lav babies?

 

[CuckooOrpington]

So I wont actually know what ones have the gene till they give me lav babies?

Yes, blacks and black split to lavender chicks are identical.

 

[WVduckchick]

Yes, blacks and black split to lavender chicks are identical.

Well, they "look" identical

 

[Shannon bo]

Joining in...

 

[CyndiD]

 
Yes, blacks and black split to lavender chicks are identical. 

Well, they "look" identical 

so, when purchasing, we just have to pray that the seller is being honest &/or knowledgeable, correct?

 

[WVduckchick]

so, when purchasing, we just have to pray that the seller is being honest &/or knowledgeable, correct?

Yep! Only way to be sure is to breed it with a lavender and check the offspring. Lavenders must have 2 copies of the gene to show the color. A split carries only one copy, so bred to another lavender, the only way to get lavender offspring is for the split to give its copy too.

 

[shadow82399]

What is the best way to tell the difference between the male and female lavenders? I was given 5 chicks in late April, one has been crowing, one looks very much like a hen, but the other three look somewhere in the middle!

 

[WVduckchick]

What is the best way to tell the difference between the male and female lavenders? I was given 5 chicks in late April, one has been crowing, one looks very much like a hen, but the other three look somewhere in the middle!

Can you post some pics? I'd think by that age, we could make a good guess.

It's not scientific at all, but I think the males have a more football shaped head and the females more round. The theory has worked on mine so far.