What Color Rooster To Breed To a Mauve Orpington Hen?

[Ivy_Chickens]

Hi,

Apologies if this has already been asked, but I can't find clarity on this. I have a beautiful Mauve orpington hen that came from a mixed a tray. She was a bit of a surprise. My understanding is Mauve is not a Lavender/Chocolate mix, but a Blue/Chocolate mix and ideally she should be bred to a chocolate roo. However, I don't have a chocolate roo right now. I have a Blue, a Black, and Lavendar and not the slightest clue who to pair her with until I can get Chocolate Roo. Does anybody know what happens if you breed her any of these colors? I assume the best bet is either the Black or the Blue Roo, since her blue gene and my Lavendar Roos genes won't mix. If I breed her to blue or black, will her chicks completely lose the chocolate gene or will they perhaps be splits? Please help!

 

[Debbie292d]

Black split Chocolate x Mauve: Mauve pullets, Chocolate pullets, Blue pullets, Black pullets, Mauve cockerels, Chocolate cockerels, Blue split Chocolate cockerels, and Black split Chocolate cockerels

Black to Mauve: About 50% black and 50% blue.

Blue x Mauve: Blue pullets, Splash pullets, Black pullets, Blue split Chocolate cockerels, Splash split Chocolate cockerels, and Black split Chocolate cockerels

Lavender x Mauve: Half black, half blue. All will carry a lavender gene.
Cockerels will carry a chocolate gene.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Ya do not use the lavender. You don't want the lavender gene in your line.
Black or blue can work for now but ya you won't get any chicks that express chocolate. You won't get any pullets that even carry chocolate.
All your cockerels will carry one chocolate gene (ya, split to chocolate) not ideal but those split cockerels can produce 50% pullets that express chocolate. If bred back to your mauve hen 50% of the cockerels will also express chocolate (2 copies of the gene)
I left out everything about BBS figuring you knew how those genes work.
I'd use the blue rooster because either one will produce the same average of blue offspring but the blue will also produce 25% splash so move blue genes moving forward.

 

[Ivy_Chickens]

Black split Chocolate x Mauve: Mauve pullets, Chocolate pullets, Blue pullets, Black pullets, Mauve cockerels, Chocolate cockerels, Blue split Chocolate cockerels, and Black split Chocolate cockerels

Black to Mauve: About 50% black and 50% blue.

Blue x Mauve: Blue pullets, Splash pullets, Black pullets, Blue split Chocolate cockerels, Splash split Chocolate cockerels, and Black split Chocolate cockerels

Lavender x Mauve: Half black, half blue. All will carry a lavender gene.
Cockerels will carry a chocolate gene.

Thank you for this really in depth answer. I'm copying and pasting. So grateful!

 

[Ivy_Chickens]

Ya do not use the lavender. You don't want the lavender gene in your line.
Black or blue can work for now but ya you won't get any chicks that express chocolate. You won't get any pullets that even carry chocolate.
All your cockerels will carry one chocolate gene (ya, split to chocolate) not ideal but those split cockerels can produce 50% pullets that express chocolate. If bred back to your mauve hen 50% of the cockerels will also express chocolate (2 copies of the gene)
I left out everything about BBS figuring you knew how those genes work.
I'd use the blue rooster because either one will produce the same average of blue offspring but the blue will also produce 25% splash so move blue genes moving forward.

 

[Ivy_Chickens]

Great advice thank you! Yes I will put her with the blue Roo then and then perhaps it'll add a little diversity in the bloodline with the splits down the road, since we have a massive inbreeding issue in my country. Thank you!