Lavender/self blue?

[apc]

How is the color made? I bought my cousin blue orphington eggs and then saw lavender ones. So how does lavender come about? what colors are used to make it? (mostly looking at orphingtons)Im sure its been posted on here but i couldnt find anything.

 

[speckledhen]

You can't make blue. The bird must carry the blue gene. Blue is genetically black. One copy of the blue gene and the bird is blue. Two copies of the blue gene and the bird is splash. That's the simple version.
Blue x Blue = blue, black or splash
Blue x Black = blues and/or blacks
Black x Splash = all blue chicks
Blue x Splash = blue and/or splash
Splash x splash = all splash
Black x Black = all black



Lavender, same thing as Self Blue, is a different gene entirely. Lavender breeds true, unlike blue.

 

[RAREROO]

I think the OP was asking how to breed Lavender ( self blue) , not Andalusian blue.

With lavender, you have to breed it in from a bird that is alreadly lavender, you can't just make it.

Lavender is a recessive gene, so idealy you would need black Orps from your Blue to Blue breeding, and then try to get a few lavender Orps, or a roo, then

Breed lav to black which will give all split lavender chicks ( meaning they will look solid black but will carry one copy of the lav gene)

Then you can either cross those chicks together which would give about 25% lavenders, 50% splits lavenders(black but carrying one copy of the lave gene), and 25% blacks, ( But you won't be able to tell the split lavs from the pure black that are produced ) so you would just need to breed the 25% of pure lavenders together, and they will breed true at that point.

OR

You can cross those Spilt Lavender F1s back to the original lavender parent and that will give 50% lavender and 50% splits.

Once you get lavender and are able to breed lavender to lavender, it will breed true and produce 100% lavenders.

Hope that helps.

 

[speckledhen]

I misunderstood the question, I think. Sorry! Saw Blue Orpington and my brain latched onto that. Well, the answer is sort of the same--can't make lavender. The gene must be present.