What do you call this?

[picklepat]

LOL, he is handsome AND he knows it! Nope, he loves it here and has never tried to leave, he's got food, water, treats, safety and ladies, he's no dummy

 

[NatJ]

I don't understand anything having to do with poultry genetics but I want to improve on these. I have a new true Ameraucana rooster to breed this years newly hatched cuckoo hens back to next year. I believe he is an Isabel and not a lavender. My question is if he is Isabel what will next years chicks be? Would it be better to get a full lavender rooster or will the Isabel not matter?
I added pics of the new roo and I'll post some pics of the babies later today so you can all see them.

If you are breeding Lavender, Lavender cuckoo, and Isabel in any combination, all chicks should show the lavender gene.

The color called Lavender should be a diluted version of solid black.
The color/pattern called Isabel should be a diluted version of a red-and-black patterned chicken.

If you breed a solid black chicken to a red-and-black chicken, you typically get black chicks with some leakage of other colors. So if you breed a solid lavender chicken to an isabel chicken, you will probably get chicks that are almost solid lavender but have some leakage of other colors.

If you want chicks that grow up to be solid lavender all over, it would be better to get a rooster that is lavender and not Isabel. If you just want the lavender dilution in all chicks, but don't care too much what color and pattern are being diluted, then the Isabel rooster should be fine.


If the mother has white barring (cuckoo), her sons will have white barring as well. If the father does not have white barring, his daughters will not have it either. So you might end up with sexlink chicks (barred sons, not-barred daughters.) If the father has white barring (cuckoo), he can give that to both his sons and his daughters. For any of these, white barring would be across whatever other color(s) the chicks are showing.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Oh the other contributors to this thread are not aware .... we DID drive down to see you, Lol! And are now the proud owners of 16 of your beautiful lavender chicks! They are, what, about three weks old now? Hey, it was only 440 miles one way!

I think I see some little cockerel tails in there! Don't mind the feed bags, I was cleaning house!

 

[picklepat]

Yes, you did and we had a fantastic time meeting each other and getting those babies!! They all made the trip back and are doing fantastic.
The way I understand is, and correct me if I'm wrong here, Roo to Hen...
*Lavender to Lavender = Lavender
*Lavender Barred Roo to Lavender Hen = Barred male and female
*Lavender to Lavender Barred = Barred males and non Barred females
So, I definitely want to keep the barring, that's what makes them special. Is the best way to proceed and keep the barring to breed brother to sister or Barred daughter back to father or neither? I cannot find an unrelated Barred rooster.

 

[NatJ]

The way I understand is, and correct me if I'm wrong here, Roo to Hen...
*Lavender to Lavender = Lavender
*Lavender Barred Roo to Lavender Hen = Barred male and female
*Lavender to Lavender Barred = Barred males and non Barred females
So, I definitely want to keep the barring, that's what makes them special. Is the best way to proceed and keep the barring to breed brother to sister or Barred daughter back to father or neither? I cannot find an unrelated Barred rooster.

Yes, one of those. Or breed a non-barred rooster to a barred hen, then keep a son to use for breeding (a male with just one barred parent will have one barring gene, which he will give to half of his chicks.)

 

[picklepat]

OK. I think I mainly understand now. Thank you!!
I will be looking for a lavender rooster to use for next year instead of this Isabel one. Maybe I will try 2 pens, one with the new rooster and one breeding back and see which is better. I know it's gonna take awhile to get where I want but I'm gonna enjoy the journey.
Thanks again

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Been a while since I've been on this thread, I lost it for a while. I had a very hard time sexing these guys! For a while I thought I had six cockerels, ten pullets. But I was wrong, it was just the opposite. Ten cockerels, six pullets. Then a neighbor's dog got in and got one of my beautiful pullets! So only five. I had five of the cockerels in a bachelor pen, but the other five were running with the flock. And some of them were real brats, keeping a couple of the pullets from the afternoon treats (scratch, BOSS, dried mealworms) and those pullets became very shy. But I did finally put all the cockerels in the freezer. They were def NOT "dual purpose!" Not very meaty at all! I've gotten a few very pretty blue eggs from the girls, but the days have gotten short, so I'm adding a little supplemental light to the coop to try to jump-start the laying. They are just beautiful, though. I think two of them have the faint barring.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Been a while since I've been on this thread, I lost it for a while. I had a very hard time sexing these guys! For a while I thought I had six cockerels, ten pullets. But I was wrong, it was just the opposite. Ten cockerels, six pullets. Then a neighbor's dog got in and got one of my beautiful pullets! So only five. I had five of the cockerels in a bachelor pen, but the other five were running with the flock. And some of them were real brats, keeping a couple of the pullets from the afternoon treats (scratch, BOSS, dried mealworms) and those pullets became very shy. But I did finally put all the cockerels in the freezer. They were def NOT "dual purpose!" Not very meaty at all! I've gotten a few very pretty blue eggs from the girls, but the days have gotten short, so I'm adding a little supplemental light to the coop to try to jump-start the laying. They are just beautiful, though. I think two of them have the faint barring.

Pics?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Pics?

Maybe tomorrow. Two of these gals are pretty chunky ladies so I'm thinking there may be some Lavender Orpington in the genetics somewhere.

I also have five or six Prairie Bluebell Eggers about the same age, so I should be getting 10 or 11 beautiful blue eggs. I'm getting two. C'mon, gals, let's get to work here!