Orpington chicken colour cross help please

[Jennyhen890]

Hello again everyone

I’m looking for some advice about colour mixing with Orpington chickens.

I have the following;

Lavender hens and cockerel,
Buff hens and cockerel,
Gold laced hens and cockerel.

Thinking of maybe adding a chocolate hen and a blue hen. I have lots of colour options available that I can add to my flock but don’t want to add any more cockerels. So working with just buff, lavender and gold laced cockerels in three different areas.

Would I get any nice colour combinations other than black (I don’t mind black as would like a black hen too but I see lots of crosses seem to produce mostly black). Also, are there any colour mixes that would produce chicks that are sexable at day old? Or am I dreaming

Or should I just stick to the buff, lavender and gold laced? Help! I’m so indecisive

I have read a lot of other posts on here but need more input please.

Thanks again everyone for your help

 

[Debbie292d]

Speaking of chocolate, here's a link that I use for my silkies but it's not going to have your lavender nor buff in it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rpington-color-genetics.1219858/post-19511066

Here's another thread about lavender that might be more useful to you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/lavender-orpington-breeding.1188448/

 

[Jennyhen890]

Speaking of chocolate, here's a link that I use for my silkies but it's not going to have your lavender nor buff in it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rpington-color-genetics.1219858/post-19511066

Here's another thread about lavender that might be more useful to you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/lavender-orpington-breeding.1188448/

Thank you Debbie, I shall have a read.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I wouldn't add chocolate or blue to any of those.

 

[Jennyhen890]

I wouldn't add chocolate or blue to any of those.

Hi Moonshiner, I haven’t gone for chocolate in the end but I did get a blue, white and black. Why wouldn’t you add the blue? Many thanks

 

[The Moonshiner]

Both Buff and Gold Laced patterns are a combination of several genes. Blue is just the dilute blue gene on black. That's crossing a simple pattern to a complicated one. It'll make something in-between. Just too much of a mixed pattern for my taste.
Lavender is a different dilute gene on black and its recessive. Once in it'll be hard to get out without time consuming test breeding.
Having blue and lavender in the same group gets complicated distinguishing what's what and a lot of buyers frown on buying from those crossed lines.