Self Blue (Lavender) Silkie Thread

[Smokin Silkies]

Here's my chick, its older now & I'll have to get a more recent pic of her probably tmr but anyways it shows the chipmunk striping.

Mines alot darker than hers though

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

That chick appears to be a partridge. The chipmunk stripes on lavenders is very, very pale.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Here's the same chick. I just took pics of her. She hatched on 12-7-10

Without flash

 

[jen5680]

I am guessing silver partridge??? Are they from your birds or eggs you bought??

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Eggs I bought....supposed to be pure Lavs or Split......

I have the absolute worst luck with Lavenders?!?! I don't understand! I don't think I'm meant to own them lol! I'm just going to bed, I'm depressed now

 

[rilly10]

My lavenders from my own birds hatch clear without chipmunk stripes, they are clear at hatch and clear as adults other than the roos have the transverse bars on their hackles as lavenders do. All of my lavenders now were bred either by Bren (my sg roo) or Lynette (trio), or are ones that I hatched from my own eggs. My two split hens are BLACK.

The only chicks I hatched with chipmunk stripes ended up being splits. Some appeared lav but were from blue lines (which I sold off since they may have been splash split lav and I want to know 100% at hatch). I am not saying I think this applies to all lavs, just my experience.

As clearly seen with Darling Farms chicks they can look different at hatch but be pure lavs!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The chipmunk stripes indicate e^b, which does not preclude a bird from being lavender. Most breeds tend to carry specific e-alleles; silkies are predominantly e^b. This is the allele that is necessary for partridge or grey, but a solid black or blue can be e^b. Buffs with darker skin and combs tend to be e^b, but they also tend to have some amount of black in their plumage, whereas wheaten-based birds have clearer plumage, but lighter skin and combs.

Browneyebuttafly's chick looks to be grey, which is e^b with silver and the pattern gene. The black pigment does appear to be diluted, and I suppose it COULD have a double dose of lav, but IMO, it looks more like blue than lavender.

 

[rilly10]

OK just snapped some pics....so I don't have any day olds but this is what I am hatching color wise...sorry they are SGs not silkies!

Week old:

6 week old (I think?):

Older chicks wing:

The tried and true way to tell if a bird is lav is by the feather shafts they should be dark like you see in the pic on the top and light on the underside.

I hope this helps!

 

[Smokin Silkies]

rilly: I had a pure lav hatch out from 2 Black/Lav splits I got from sonew last Spring(b4 they were killed by dogs). The coloring looks just like yours. When she hatched, she was a clear color and didn't have much down feathers. She's a beautiful lav color! I'm just bummed about this other chick with chipmunk stripes....it was the only one that hatched and now I'm not sure what I have when I was under the impression that the eggs were splits or pure lavs?

 

[rilly10]

Sorry to hear about the chicks you lost. It is so hard to loose them, especially the lavs for me. Don't give up though! I had a really rough start with lavs. I bought tons of eggs and NONE hatched. They would make it to lockdown and quit (other than the ones from Sonew) I also hatched ONE lav from Ultra1classic that was GORGEOUS but it died at three days old. It just never thrived. Then I got a hen but she was blue based so had to sell of her and all of the the chicks and start over.

If I were you I would try to get a nice split hen or even black and a nice lav roo. It is much easier to get roos. I have found the splits produce clearer lavs with less transverse lines, and also have a better hatch rate. Don't give up though!!!

The chick you have may be a split! It is a really nice looking chick!