Lavender Araucana Chicks

johs · **Posted:** Sun Sep 18, 2011 6:09 pm

Hi Guys,

Just hatched some chicks and some of them are Lavender Araucanas. I noticed that of the four chicks one of them was a different colour. Is this normal, or as suggested, could they possibly not be pure? Thought it could be a boy/girl thing but No. I don't really care but I'm selling them and i want to make sure I'm telling people the right thing.

They definitely hatched out of blue eggs (not as dark as Petite Pullets eggs). The feathers that are growing are coming out the lovely silver grey colour.

Striped. (3 like this)

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Araucana Chick (stripe).jpg [ 32.86 KiB | Viewed 4634 times ]

Not striped. (1 like this)

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Araucana Chick (no stripe).jpg [ 31.62 KiB | Viewed 4630 times ]

Side by side. You can see the silvery new feathers on both. Nice of them to stand together for this one. :-D

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Araucana Chick (both).jpg [ 34.35 KiB | Viewed 4618 times ]

.....and because everyone likes a baby photo. Awwww.

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Everyone.jpg [ 43.08 KiB | Viewed 4658 times ]

Gotta love the chubby checks on the Araucana chicks.

Jo

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

Gotta love the Araucana chicks of yours, one of them is a real poser for the camera!

I hope that there is a Lavender Araucana breeder out there who can help you. My Lavender Araucana's were my first chooks and I got the original pair of cockerel and pullet when they were 6-8 weeks old and my other pullet was 16 weeks old when she came. My cockerel was larger and had a redder face and had the start of a small pea comb when I got him. He was also more adventurous and naughty. The pullet is on the left in the photo and the cockerel on the right.

The colour of the Araucana egg shells I think depend on what the girls have eaten the day before, as the pigment does vary from greenish to sky blue to turquoise. I even had one that had one that had gradient shades of blue.

johs · **Posted:** Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:02 am

Thanks Petite.

No mater what, they are very cute.

I get a similar colour variation in my barnevelder eggs. They range from a nice dark brown, to speckled to patchy.

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

That's OK, johs,

Sorry, that I can't be of more help.

Here is a website with lots of information and pictures of a growing chick.
www.araucana.org.uk

Have a

day!
Petite Poulet

Hens and Hobbits · **Posted:** Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:01 am

Hi, johs,

Very adorable chicks! The stripes maybe the result of the parents being closely related, or, a maybe even a throw back. Not 100% sure, but I think that Lavender Araucana chicks have a solid silver/lavender feathering.

Would be interested to find out why they are stripey.

Another website on Araucana's:
http://www.crestedbreeds.com/crested_br ... ucana.html

Regards
Hens and Hobbits

Lazzy · **Joined:** Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:13 pm **Posts:** 57

It all depends on which E allele they carry, Lavender chicks would normally be EE and would be straight Lavender as chicks. If they have a faint stripes it is likely that one of the E allele's is either e+ or eb as these two produce chicks with striped backs.
So your striped chick is likely to be E/e+ or E/eb.

Hens and Hobbits · **Posted:** Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:24 pm

Lazy wrote:

It all depends on which E allele they carry, Lavender chicks would normally be EE and would be straight Lavender as chicks. If they have a faint stripes it is likely that one of the E allele's is either e+ or eb as these two produce chicks with striped backs.
So your striped chick is likely to be E/e+ or E/eb.

Thank you Lazy, for the above information.

For all the poultry n00bs out there like myself, who also possibly like myself, may not be scientifically minded, could you please explain the genetics in layperson's terms and why these heritable characteristics occur?

Thanking you.

Lazzy · **Joined:** Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:13 pm **Posts:** 57

The Lavender gene dilutes Black to make the Lavender colour it is a ressesive gene so requires two doses (lav/lav).
A Black bird (if pure for black) has the E allele of E/E, which gives the chick a down colour of Black. If this is diluted by pure Lavender the chick down will be Lavender.
However a black bird may not be pure for Black as the Black can mask other colours, it is then said to have a Black phenotype (looks Black) but its genotype (it's gene makeup) is different.
Chicks from the wild type allele (e+/e+) or better known as Duck wing have the stripes on the back (chipmunk like), this is also the case but to a lesser extent with chicks with an E allele of eb/eb.
If one of the black bird/s used to make the Lavender birds was not pure Black (E/E) and was either (E/e+) or (E/eb) impure but looking black then a percentage of the chicks will show some striping, they will still end up as Lavender birds.
The chicks of Porcelene which is the Lavender version of Millefleur, are Yellow with Lavender stripes. Millefleur usually has the E allele of (eb/eb).

Hens and Hobbits · **Posted:** Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:37 pm

Lazy wrote:

The Lavender gene dilutes Black to make the Lavender colour it is a ressesive gene so requires two doses (lav/lav).
A Black bird (if pure for black) has the E allele of E/E, which gives the chick a down colour of Black. If this is diluted by pure Lavender the chick down will be Lavender.
However a black bird may not be pure for Black as the Black can mask other colours, it is then said to have a Black phenotype (looks Black) but its genotype (it's gene makeup) is different.
Chicks from the wild type allele (e+/e+) or better known as Duck wing have the stripes on the back (chipmunk like), this is also the case but to a lesser extent with chicks with an E allele of eb/eb.
If one of the black bird/s used to make the Lavender birds was not pure Black (E/E) and was either (E/e+) or (E/eb) impure but looking black then a percentage of the chicks will show some striping, they will still end up as Lavender birds.
The chicks of Porcelene which is the Lavender version of Millefleur, are Yellow with Lavender stripes. Millefleur usually has the E allele of (eb/eb).

Thank you very much Lazy for taking the time to explain this.
Hens and Hobbits

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

Hi, johs,

The day sounded eventful and full of information on this topic. I am glad that there has been some constructive posts made.

Does that mean that the stripey chicks are throw backs and have dominant genes that were not Lavender?

They are still so cute, stripes and all.

Petite Poulet

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