What color is this?

[SharW75]

And we have a lavender/porcelain one! I'm thinking the dark one is the random cochin egg I put in. The last one has pipped and should be out later this evening.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Well, the first chick that's hatched is either blue or black. Hmmm. Could it be the random egg I threw in, or...?

If I understand correctly, lavender is a recessive gene, so theoretically the chicks from two lavender parents have to be lavender. But does the mille fleur gene affect this in any way?

I belive no it wont affect it. @NatJ is really good with genes.

 

[NatJ]

Well, the first chick that's hatched is either blue or black. Hmmm. Could it be the random egg I threw in, or...?

If I understand correctly, lavender is a recessive gene, so theoretically the chicks from two lavender parents have to be lavender. But does the mille fleur gene affect this in any way?

Both parents are showing lavender, so all their chicks should show lavender too.

The other genes should not affect how the lavender gene works. All the chicks will show lavender, which will turn black to a light gray shade and will turn red/gold colors to pale yellow, while having no effect on white.

As regards the other genes involved:
A solid lavender chicken has the genes to be black all over, and the lavender gene turns that to a light gray color.

A lavender mottled chicken has the genes to be black all over, with the mottling gene making white dots on the black, and the lavender gene turning all the black to a light gray color.

Mille Fleur is Buff Columbian for the base color/pattern, with the mottling gene making the white feather tips and black dots.

Porcelain is Mille Fleur, but with the lavender gene turning the black to light gray and the gold to a pale yellow color.

Ignoring the lavender part for a moment, solid black is mostly dominant over Buff Columbian. There are several genes involved, but if you cross them you usually get chickens that are mostly black with a bit of gold or silver leakage.

Not-mottled is dominant over mottling.
Solid black x mottled = solid black
Solid black x Mille Fleur = black with a bit of leakage but no mottling.
Black with white mottling x Mille Fleur = black with white mottling, probably with with some leakage too.

And when you do have lavender with those other colors, it dilutes them to pastel shades, which makes it a bit harder to tell what base colors you are working with-- they are all pretty, just a bit harder to figure out and make accurate predictions.

I don't know if your hen is lavender mottled, or if she is porcelain. If you really care, you could do some test-matings to find out, but it may not be important enough to bother.

And we have a lavender/porcelain one! I'm thinking the dark one is the random cochin egg I put in.

I think you are right about the dark one.

 

[SharW75]

Both parents are showing lavender, so all their chicks should show lavender too.

The other genes should not affect how the lavender gene works. All the chicks will show lavender, which will turn black to a light gray shade and will turn red/gold colors to pale yellow, while having no effect on white.

As regards the other genes involved:
A solid lavender chicken has the genes to be black all over, and the lavender gene turns that to a light gray color.

A lavender mottled chicken has the genes to be black all over, with the mottling gene making white dots on the black, and the lavender gene turning all the black to a light gray color.

Mille Fleur is Buff Columbian for the base color/pattern, with the mottling gene making the white feather tips and black dots.

Porcelain is Mille Fleur, but with the lavender gene turning the black to light gray and the gold to a pale yellow color.

Ignoring the lavender part for a moment, solid black is mostly dominant over Buff Columbian. There are several genes involved, but if you cross them you usually get chickens that are mostly black with a bit of gold or silver leakage.

Not-mottled is dominant over mottling.
Solid black x mottled = solid black
Solid black x Mille Fleur = black with a bit of leakage but no mottling.
Black with white mottling x Mille Fleur = black with white mottling, probably with with some leakage too.

And when you do have lavender with those other colors, it dilutes them to pastel shades, which makes it a bit harder to tell what base colors you are working with-- they are all pretty, just a bit harder to figure out and make accurate predictions.

I don't know if your hen is lavender mottled, or if she is porcelain. If you really care, you could do some test-matings to find out, but it may not be important enough to bother.


I think you are right about the dark one.

This is fantastic--thank you!!!