Lavender vs. Blue

[Poultrybonkers]

Wow this has all been so informative! May I ask how all of you learned so much?

I only know because i have lavenders lol and blues

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Wow this has all been so informative! May I ask how all of you learned so much?

An educational background in science built a foundation of understanding for me, and a lot of lurking this section of BYC, reading reliable sources around the internet and in book form, and playing with the chicken calculator and reading some of the articles on that same site has helped to build on that foundation. Genetics is a topic I've always found fascinating so I haven't minded devoting a lot of my free time to reading up on it and learning more. Add to the mix chickens and you have my undivided attention!

I am always happy to help when I can, or learn if it's something beyond what I know and someone else is around who can fill in those gaps!

 

[3KillerBs]

The daughter of her I still have is a black frizzle, (dad was BCM)
I am hoping the BCM frizzle still has blue in her genes, I am going to breed a blue bird to my BCM/friz.

If she's black rather than blue or splash then she doesn't have any blue in her genes so the results should be the same as any other blue x black.

Wow this has all been so informative! May I ask how all of you learned so much?

I have a B.S. in Biology, but have learned all the chicken-specific stuff from the experienced people here.

I read along with this thread even when I don't understand it all and have to keep looking up what the gene codes mean: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-ask-anything-to-nicalandia-thread.1509343/

 

[Summerjade1357]

Yes, neither is sexlinked, so it does not matter which color is male or female. Lavender is recessive, so it will not show up on the first generation cross to a non-lavender bird that is not carrying the gene, either. So the Lavender bird works essentially like a Black bird on those BBS charts, except all offspring will carry a lavender gene.

How carrying a gene works is, because the gene is recessive, two copies are needed for it to express, one from the mother and one from the father. Since only one is received from the lavender parent, and not from the non-lavender parent, it does not express. But the bird still carries that gene from their lavender parent and thus has a 50-50 shot of passing it on to its own offspring.

It's worth noting that it's not advised to cross Blue and Lavender as it's very difficult to tell which birds have only Blue of those genes expressing, and which have both Blue and Lavender expressing. From what I understand, you just end up with birds that look like a paler Blue with bad lacing when both genes are expressing.

If I’m looking to add a blue rooster to my silkie breeding flock (I’m new to this) and I have black, and splash hens how do I ensure I get a blue rooster and not something split to lavender. I messaged a breeder and she said “Most of our flock is shades of blue. From lavender to dark blue almost black.Lavender is the self blue gene. Our rooster is self blue split "true" blue.”

So could I get a rooster from her and confidently breed to get, blue, black, and splash chicks from the parings ?

 

[Sally PB]

It's worth noting that it's not advised to cross Blue and Lavender as it's very difficult to tell which birds have only Blue of those genes expressing, and which have both Blue and Lavender expressing. From what I understand, you just end up with birds that look like a paler Blue with bad lacing when both genes are expressing.

I think my two blue Australorps are actually one blue, and one lavender. Both are pretty, but I'm glad I'm not breeding them for blue birds. The lavender, or lavender looking (?) one has poor quality feathers.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

If I’m looking to add a blue rooster to my silkie breeding flock (I’m new to this) and I have black, and splash hens how do I ensure I get a blue rooster and not something split to lavender. I messaged a breeder and she said “Most of our flock is shades of blue. From lavender to dark blue almost black.Lavender is the self blue gene. Our rooster is self blue split "true" blue.”

So could I get a rooster from her and confidently breed to get, blue, black, and splash chicks from the parings ?

You could, yes, but you might also end up with a lavender gene hanging around in there somewhere that could pop up later and cause you some headaches. I would personally avoid getting stock from anyone who admits to crossing Lavender (also known as 'Self Blue') into their Blues.

I think my two blue Australorps are actually one blue, and one lavender. Both are pretty, but I'm glad I'm not breeding them for blue birds. The lavender, or lavender looking (?) one has poor quality feathers.

@3KillerBs had something similar happen with one of her Australorps if I remember correctly. Makes me wonder if one of the hatcheries has lavender genes hiding out in their Blue Australorp stock.

 

[Sally PB]

@3KillerBs had something similar happen with one of her Australorps if I remember correctly. Makes me wonder if one of the hatcheries has lavender genes hiding out in their Blue Australorp stock.

Mine was from a small, local(ish) breeder, not one of "the big ones." Disappointing, but I'm not breeding these birds anyway.

 

[3KillerBs]

If I’m looking to add a blue rooster to my silkie breeding flock (I’m new to this) and I have black, and splash hens how do I ensure I get a blue rooster and not something split to lavender. I messaged a breeder and she said “Most of our flock is shades of blue. From lavender to dark blue almost black.Lavender is the self blue gene. Our rooster is self blue split "true" blue.”

So could I get a rooster from her and confidently breed to get, blue, black, and splash chicks from the parings ?

No. If she's mixing lavenders and blues you can't be confident about getting a blue that isn't also lavender or split for lavender.

@3KillerBs had something similar happen with one of her Australorps if I remember correctly. Makes me wonder if one of the hatcheries has lavender genes hiding out in their Blue Australorp stock.

No, I had a case of mistaken identity from a "Brown Egg Assortment". I'd thought that the chick was a pale-colored Blue Australorp but realized when she was older that she was a Lavender Orpington.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

No, I had a case of mistaken identity from a "Brown Egg Assortment". I'd thought that the chick was a pale-colored Blue Australorp but realized when she was older that she was a Lavender Orpington.

Ahhh, okay, my mistake!

 

[3KillerBs]

Ahhh, okay, my mistake!

No problem.

Just highlights how easy it is to confuse the two colors.

It was only really the mild case of shredded feathers that gave Silver's true identity away. She didn't *exactly* have lacing, but her color wasn't perfectly even so she *almost* had lacing -- at least as a juvenile.