Splash rooster

[Trish44]

I got a really nice BBS splash rooster in with lavender chicks I ordered as a freebie from a member here. My question is if I use him to breed to the lavender hens will I still get some lavender chicks? I'm tempted to keep him since he's so pretty but I don't want to mess up the lavenders. What does everybody think?

[jerryse]

This will give you blue chicks carrying lavender . Yes it will mess up both lavender and blue .

[Lee G]

Yes it will mess up both lavender and blue .

Hi Jerry, I've read somewhere before that lavender will mess up blue, but would you mind explaining why?
I think I have an idea, being it would be hard (if not impossible) to tell the difference between self-blue and Andalusian blue later on down the line...but if one kept careful records, toe punched chicks, etc....why not? No plans here, I am just curious. 

[Trish44]

Thanks for the reply, I was afraid that would be the case. The rooster is a very nice looking guy, I was hoping to keep him.

[DeWayne Edgin]

Just about every breeder on has blacks or blues. You could get a black hen to breed him to and all of the chicks will hatch blue. Or get a blue hen and use him over them. If you have room for them.

[HarryS]

I believe breeding blues to lavenders was a myth that was created by the Brits for the Orpingtons.  Blue to lavender is very confusing for the beginners.  You go on some of the Brits Orp sites and you will see several of them had crossed them.  Their birds are exhibiting lavender with the blue capes on the males which is an obvious give away that they crossed blue with lavender.

Blue to lavender I believe is better than black to lavender because the blues are suppose to be silver base and the blacks should be gold base.  I have noticed that lavenders come in two shades which may constitute that the darker ones carry a gold base and the lighter ones carry the silver base.  I prefer the lighter colored lavenders over the ones that are darker pewter colored birds.  This is only an observation without any scientific study. 

[Lee G]

Interesting observations Harry, thank you for sharing them. 

[jerryse]

I did a lavender x blue cross 2 or 3 years ago just to see . They were not extra light like some predicted . They had ink spots like blues but looked lavender . I sent them all to freezer camp .