What colors to breed Lavenders too?

[yellowflower]

I have lavender silkies that I plan on breeding in the spring. I have a black, blue, splash, and white hen. What would be the preferred color to breed to in order to get the best lavenders out of the next breeding? Thanks!

 

[hinkjc]

Lavender is recessive, so you will not get lavender on the next breeding from breeding to those colors, unless one of them carries the lav gene. Breeding lav to black will produce all black chicks (which carry the lav gene). On 2nd generation, you will start to see some lavenders, either by crossing those chicks back to the parent lav bird or by crossing siblings.

 

[Chris09]

Lavender Gene: lav

The Lavender Gene is a simple recessive gene that dilutes.
Lavender dilutes black to Pale Grey ('Lavender') and Red to Buff or Cream...
It works on any base pattern, changing Black birds to Self Lavender, and changing the Millefleur pattern to the Porcelaine pattern..

Chris

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

If you have both male and female lavenders, breed them together and you will get lavenders. Otherwise, read the two posts above.

 

[catwalk]

Here is the love child between a lavender Silkie and a white Cochin, hatched last night. Blue or black, with white wing-tips. Kinda brassy. Middle toe, under the orthos, is white.

Bottom line: I reccommend against it. Each of these parent birds are now with their "own kind."