Determining Blue vs. Lilac Brokens

BelleVie · Oct 25, 2016

I have an issue with one of my does that I'm hoping to get some assistance with. On her papers she is a broken lilac. Visually it is difficult to tell if she is a broken blue or broken lilac as she falls somewhere between a clear visible difference (even the breeder I purchased her from wasn't quite sure so she went with lilac). Is there any clear way to determine which one she is exactly? I thought I would be able to tell from her kits but I'm having a problem with them as well because both colors are a possibility - initially when they were newborn they looked like broken lilac but now they are looking more like broken blue.

Any guidance would be helpful.

Thanks,
Amanda

SixGun · Oct 25, 2016

I admit, I'm not good with colors. I'm learning myself. I think with breeding, you could look at offspring and work backwards to determine color.

Zass · Oct 25, 2016

Look at her eyes and compare them to any blues or lilacs you currently have. Lilacs have a softer shade. I have comparison pics somewhere..

Dood · Oct 25, 2016

Other than test breeding there is no way to know for certain

alforddm · Oct 25, 2016

Breed her to a chocolate. If she is lilac and bred to a chocolate you will get chocolate and possibly lilac kits. If she is blue you should get some black kits. They might actually be all black but could be a mix of black, chocolate, blue, or lilac if depending on what recessives the parents carry.

That is assuming of course that both parents don't carry non-extension.

BelleVie · Oct 25, 2016

Ok I did breed her to a broken chocolate otter and I didn't get any black kits. She had two REW, a chocolate otter, broken chocolates, and what I originally thought were broken lilac and lilac charlies (but they are looking bluer than my other broken lilac otter kits from another dam).

I suppose I'll have to wait for a few more litters to be certain -- should I assume the kits are lilacs when I sell them?