Lavender Orpington project ....

[youngbiddy]

What an absolutely fabulous thread! I love the English-type Orps, they look just like a teapot with a fluffy butt and feet. I hope the Lavender Orps I've got in the bator end up half as gorgeous as the ones shown on this thread!

 

[rancher hicks]

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Ok explain this to me? Please. I've got Lavs and Blk and I now have one Blue chick of unknown sex. Of course you know I have the whites and buff too.

What can I do to get more Blue?

 

[rancher hicks]

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Kathy,
They are lovely. I wonder though about the breeding issues. It seems a lot of folks are having trouble with consistent fertility in the english orps.

Here is the latest hatch.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/21675_32511hatch_and_chicks_001.jpg
The Lavenders definitely cha-chinger offspring. They are all piled up in a corner trying to make a pyramid of poof! They are as dumb as their daddy! And before anyone yells, it isn't because they are too hot or too cold. They just aren't super smart. Pretty to look at but dumb! LOL! Hopefully none of these will try to drown themselves. That is their father's favorite trick.

Comments I'm reading alot in the PP mag is the fertiliy issue in show birds. Plus the productivity loss. Not to mention the Dual Purpose nature of the breed. I'm not so sure that what I'd like in my orpingtons is the loss of it's true purpose. This is also the issue with Delawares and many of the heritage dual purpose breeds. You can't eat pretty.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

But you've also got to consider...do you want birds that look like Austalorps or Orpingtons that look like true Orpingtons? For people that are only after productivity, they should get birds from a hatchery or people breeding only for the color and not the type. I'm not saying that people should not breed for any other style, the English style is what tickles my fancy. You can see a definite conformational difference between an Australorp and an Orpington with the English style Orpington. A larger bird is always going to lay fewer eggs than a bird bred for production (which invariably will be somewhat smaller than the bird bred for type).

 

[kathyinmo]

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Ok explain this to me? Please. I've got Lavs and Blk and I now have one Blue chick of unknown sex. Of course you know I have the whites and buff too.

What can I do to get more Blue?

When breeding with the BL gene, the following colors are achieved:
Blue x Blue = 50% Blue, 25% Black and 25% Splash;
Blue x Splash = 50% Blue and 50% Splash;
Blue x Black = 50% Blue and 50% Black;
Splash x Black = 100% Blue;
Splash x Splash = 100% Splash;
Black x Black = 100% Black.

Lavender x Lavender = 100% Lavender
Lavender x Black = 100% splits (each bird carries one copy of Black and one copy of Lavender). Appearance is black.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

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Ok explain this to me? Please. I've got Lavs and Blk and I now have one Blue chick of unknown sex. Of course you know I have the whites and buff too.

What can I do to get more Blue?

Blue Gene for Orps:

blue x blue = 25% black, 50% blue, 25% splash
black x blue = 50% black, 50% blue
black x splash = 100% blue
blue x splash = 50% blue, 50% splash
splash x splash = 100% splash

blue gene for Orpingtons:

black has 0 blue genes
blue has 1 blue gene
splash has 2 blue genes

Your lav and black are just going to make the lavender gene or split black lav that carry a lavender gene. White and buff have nothing to do with this color (lav or blue)

I guess we posted around the same time Kathy!!!

 

[tgrlily]

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The ideal thing to strive for is both type AND productivity in a heritage breed, regardless whether it's a new color or not. Some prefer true English type, some more American type & some in between. My Black Orpingtons and Lavender Project Orpingtons are extremely productive. I only have 6 girls -- I get at least 1 egg a day from the 2 lavenders -- most days both lay. I get 2 to 4 eggs a day from the blacks. Today I got 6 eggs , which is not a surprise.

The Australorp was developed from the Orpington in Australia -- hence the name Austral orp ---no big surprise that there are similarities. Good quality Orpingtons can definitely be as productive as their poor quality "cousins" from hatcheries. Most hatchery Orps don't even LOOK like Orpingtons.

I read this post earlier:
I think yours are beautiful Kathy!! Something i'd like to strive for. Seeing as this is a project there is alot of inconsistency right now. Once there is a standard then we will know what the APA looks for, and how to get it. However to each their own and I love my birds that I got from Sarah!!! I've noticed alot of birds tend to look washed out. I like a little definition in the coloring. Gives them depth.

There is an APA standard for Orpingtons. The only thing not yet accepted is the color.

 

[scbatz33]

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Ok explain this to me? Please. I've got Lavs and Blk and I now have one Blue chick of unknown sex. Of course you know I have the whites and buff too.

What can I do to get more Blue?

If you want blue, You'll need to get some splash birds for you black. Your black over blue will net you blues and blacks about 50 50

 

[scbatz33]

I have very good production on my orps. The big black - englishy ones and the more leggy thinner ones. I'm working on melting the two so that the bird falls somewhere in between the two "looks" Will it be apa standard? I don't know til I get there. Do I have some non-lav birds that fit the bill? Yes. So I'm still crossing.

I think once the lav color gets produced on better body types then we will see a change in the standard to include the color. It's just not there yet.

Personally I don't get why some people are so rabid about this breed. If you like a look, then you like that look. Why do we all have to like the exact same thing? And before anyone says different, just check some of the comments and closed posts on orps. If "you" like english, great. If "you" like american swell. If "you " want Heritage, go for it. But why must one "team" be so quick to dog the other?

Unless you are actively showing birds, breed what you like. Personally, I think some of the examples of the lav color I see on here are garbage. People are just breeding to make a quick buck on the "lavender" fad. They are putting no thought or purpose into the breedings. But, that's my opinion. I don't search those people out and harass them. Tell them their birds are no good. Or, that what they like isn't "right".

What folks need to do is just chill. To each his own. One man's trash is another man's treasurer and all that. Or as Thumper said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't' say anything at all".

 

[Tuffoldhen]

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