Why cross black with lavender

[chickenlee]

I was wondering why breeders choose to cross a black with a lavender bird (for example, orpingtons). Why not use a buff x lavender?

 

[Illia]

Because Buff is actually made up of a lot of different genes. Never cross buff with anything but itself or Wheaten unless you just want a jumble of mixed colors.

Black is used because the only difference in it and Lavender is the Lavender gene, thus there is no tampering or messing with anything. Also, black is a readily available color in almost every breed, and quite often comes on very good quality birds, which you need, since almost ALL Lavender breeds need a lot of work.

 

[chickenlee]

what would happen if you crossed a wheaten with a lavender? would it create mixed colors like the buff cross?

 

[Illia]

In a way, yes. Either of the two with Lavender will create a "split" (having the gene, not showing it) and either way, the offspring will be mostly black with red/brown here and there.

 

[catwalk]

Whenever lavender is present in a bird homozygously, it dilutes every color except white. People cross lavender with black to make the lavender color, an even light blue. Cross it to buff, and in a few generations you can get an isabel colored chicken, which is a beautiful straw/ cream color. It is usually done with Silkies and called porcelain (a hobby name). This is an isabel partridge Silkie, but I would love to see the color in a bantam Cochin!

 

[ultasol]

actually,.. porcelain is not mainly done with silkies it's mainly done in another bantam breed (mille fluers)?? Anyhow, porcelain is actually a patterned color, and the 'porcelain' in silkies is not patterned at this point, although I think Sonoran mentioned that she's working on adding it. I know my 'porcelains' aren't patterned, but they are still pretty. If you post ten different porcelains from ten different people, you will pretty much get ten different looking birds at this point.

 

[Illia]

Yep, I personally don't think "porcelain" Silkies are patterned or Porcelain, they honestly look like Lavenders with gold markings here and there.

But, yes, you can also create colors like Isabel Partridge, Porcelain, Lavender Wheaten, etc with Lavender and other colors.

 

[mjgigax]

Good question and informative answers - I love BYC, learning something new every day!

 

[DANNY]

You would get mainly black the first cross with some leaking a little red. If you breed these young together you should be on your way to making a lavender wheaten. Which basically means you will turn the black feathers in the wheaten lavender. At least this is what I understand.
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[DANNY]

What do you get if you cross a buff and a wheaten?
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