Breeding Lavender split?

[Russ Blair]

Just a quick question to make sure I am on the right track. Last year I lost my only Lavender bantam cock so I bred a black to my lavender hens. Of course they all hatched with Black phenotype which I expected. Now this year I am breeding a lavender cock over the split hens. Now comes the big question the chicks I am hatching with the black phenotype if I breed them with a lavender next year all chicks should hatch out lavender correct? I am still trying to get the genetic's figured out, its a lot easier breeding Lav to Lav because you know you will get Lav 😃😃😃

[John W Blehm]

its a lot easier breeding Lav to Lav because you know you will get Lav

Russ, That last sentence just about answers your question.  The only time you always get 100% lavender chicks is when you breed lavender to lavender. 
The chicks you are hatching with black phenotype are "splits" and when crossed with a lavender or even another split will throw some more splits.  Here is where a Punnett square is helpful.
Sounds like you obtained a lavender male for this season and I feel when you deal with these splits it should always be a lavender male over split females.  This makes the sex-linked silver/gold s-locus gene work in your favor. 

[Russ Blair]

Thanks John, I was just thinking the F2 splits would all carry Lav and when bred back to Lav would produce all Lav also. I have been getting a 50/50 ratio with the F1 splits which I expected, so I can assume the same ratio is to be expected with the F2 split to Lav again. Oh and the F1 were a black cockerel over Lav hens (which should of been silver based black from my BBS pens) I only kept pullets out of that cross and am using the Lav cockerel I got from you last fall fowl fest. He is a fertile myrtle let me tell you 😃 man if I could get the rest to hatch like them I would be knee deep in chicks 😃

[Michelle Ogden]

I feel when you deal with these splits it should always be a lavender male over split females.  This makes the sex-linked silver/gold s-locus gene work in your favor.

Can you elaborate on this John? I've got a Lav cock over split hens, and have had a few very yellowy downed lavender chicks pop out. What does that imply?

[Suki]

I know that there was a discussion on Lav by JW recently, but I cannot find it, so I'm tagging my comment here.  I was reading that it "is believed that lavender plumage affects riboflavin metabolism or feather quality.  Tail feathers in particular are frequently short, stringy and fretted.  The short feathers on the upper part of the wings often do not grow properly remaining as stubs..."  from David Scrivener, Popular Poultry Breeds.

-brownie

[John W Blehm]

I feel when you deal with these splits it should always be a lavender male over split females.  This makes the sex-linked silver/gold s-locus gene work in your favor.

Can you elaborate on this John? I've got a Lav cock over split hens, and have had a few very yellowy downed lavender chicks pop out. What does that imply?

I guess because all the text was in the quote box I missed the questions (I modified it).
Since all the pullets will be the same as their sire at the s-locus (either silver or gold), due to the sex linkage, when making any outcross with different Ameraucana varieties I try to use the cock of the variety that I'm working to improve.  Now if the cock isn't pure for silver or gold it can be a problem, but I'm assuming he is pure for which ever one he should be.  The next year you would only use the pullets from the outcross, so when breeding lavender to lavender/black splits/crosses always use a lavender male over the split pullets and cull all split cockerels.
This is basically the same procedure I follow when outcrossing LF blacks to another variety to improve that variety...buff cock over black hens, silver cock over black hens, etc.  Use only the F2 pullets the next year with males of the varieties they are split/crossed with.

I'm not sure on the yellowy looking chicks.  They should look just like an E/E black chick with lavender replacing the black.  Here again, I say uniformity of day-old chicks means uniformity of adult birds.  Once you figure it out you can start culling as they come from the hatcher.  For me the good ones go into the brooders with chicks for me to raise or to fill orders and the others go into my "reject" brooder to be sold locally as backyard chickens.

[John W Blehm]

I know that there was a discussion on Lav by JW recently, but I cannot find it, so I'm tagging my comment here.  I was reading that it "is believed that lavender plumage affects riboflavin metabolism or feather quality.  Tail feathers in particular are frequently short, stringy and fretted.  The short feathers on the upper part of the wings often do not grow properly remaining as stubs..."  from David Scrivener, Popular Poultry Breeds.

-brownie

Sue,

I haven't taken the time to study the feather quality problem associated with lavender.  I just try to breed from the best and maybe outcrossing to blacks with the best widest feather quality will be an ongoing part of breeding them.  There was a lengthy discussion on the subject a while back on the Coop forum.

[Russ Blair]

Man that's a good read John, and an eye opener of how much I still have to learn 😣 when it comes to the genetics lol

[Suki]

thanks for the link John.