Blue egg genetics?

alohachickens

Crowing
15 Years
Dec 14, 2007
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Phoenix, AZ
Hi, just joined this forum so I can (hopefully) get an answer to this question!

I've read about the "blue egg gene" - some sites say it is carried by the rooster.

But when I googled it, one site (a science fair project by a student, no less, LOL!) said it was a dominant gene regardless of the parent. When they crossed a barred rooster with Ameracuana hens, the babies laid green eggs? Which would mean it is *also* carried by the hen!

I'm getting ready to put some eggs in the incubator for the first time, and am wondering if I should bother putting the green ones in - my friend has "Easter Egg" hens and a red mixed-breed roo. Would the hens of this cross, you think, lay green eggs? Hmmm!

Your thoughts, anyone?

Thanks!
 
Welcome! Both parents contribute to egg color, is what I've been told by genetics people.
The cross you mentioned would most likely lay brown eggs, IMO, but perhaps you'd get someone to lay a greenish egg from that. Easter Eggers, being mutts anyway, crossed with a brown egg breed(if that's what the rooster is), I think would result in brown egg laying progeny.
 
In order to get blue eggs from offspring, the rooster has to carry a blue egg gene and be matched to a hen that carries the same.

Otherwise, anything goes..but if one is brown egg you will only ever get brown or green eggs - no blue eggs. I think that is where the rooster conversation comes up.

Jody
 
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Actually, because the blue egg gene is dominant only one of the parents need to carry the gene for some off springs eggs to be blue. Each parent can have zero, one, or two blue eggs genes.

A chick gets one copy of the gene from each parent. If the chick has 1 or 2 blue egg genes, their eggs will be blue. If the chick receives a non blue egg gene from both parents the eggs will not be blue.

Green eggs are blue eggs that are covered with brown. The blue is underneath. So if a brown egg layer also has the gene for blue eggs the eggs will look green or khaki.

O - blue egg o-non blue egg
one parent other parent
OO oo = all blue egg layers
Oo oo = 50 percent blue egg layers
oo oo = no blue egg layers
OO OO = all blue egg layers

I hope my explanation is not too confusing, but I think it is so you can google Punnet square and get a better explanation of inheritance of a dominate trait

Maybe someone else can explain this better
 
If only roosters carried a blue egg gene, there would be no blue eggs. Because the hen needs the gene to lay a blue (or green) egg. No gene = no trait. A blue egg gene carrying rooster will not make a hen lay blue eggs if she does not carry a blue egg gene herself.

Urbanagrarian's explanation is right. The blue egg gene is not sex-linked. It doesn't matter what parent has it.

A green laying hen LIKELY has only one blue gene, (I suppose it's possible that she could have 2 copies of the blue gene and brown genes, but unlikely) so only half her offspring will lay green eggs. If the male is a white-laying breed, the eggs of the progeny may be bluer because his genetics will dilute the brown genes of the hen.

Every gene has two copies, so here's what's going on with the blue gene in the green eggs:

. hen's genes
. | BLUE | none
r g ------------------------------------------------
o e none | BLUE & none | none & none
o n ------------------------------------------------
' e none | BLUE & none | none & none
s s

The bold ones are the chicks - 50% chance of green eggers (BLUE & none) and 50% chance of brown eggers (none & none). Hope that makes sense - it's hard to draw with text.
wink.png
EDITED to correct myself, it's been a few years since college...
tongue.png
 
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Hmmm, this is interesting....I thought....if you cross a blue egg layer, with a brown egg layer, you would get the Olive drab green layers?? I say, go ahead and set them, andse what ya get, then kep records....let us know! Oh, and welcome to BYC!! As you might have noticed...there are many opinions...but mostly friendly!!
 
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That should be right. Assuming the blue egger has two blue egg genes, the babies should all lay green eggs. (the shade of green depends on the brown egg genes, of which there are many). If the blue egger has one blue egg gene, half the babies will lay green eggs and the other half brown eggs.
 
You all said exactly the same thing I said..just differently. The eggs will not be "visually" blue if a brown egg gene is present..we know the blue egg gene is present due to the green egg in appearance. I was responding based on the actual egg color (not what is hidden within the shell). If you want a blue egg, you need a rooster and a hen with a blue egg gene, otherwise you get green or brown eggs from the offspring.

Jody
 
Hi!
It is such an interesting discussion.
Urbanag' explains (with a chart, even) it well.
(as Jody said before, but different)
If you ponder it enough, it makes sense.

How to understand a Punnett Square --- I just don't get it.
Is there a tutorial somewhere?

edit: But you don't need a blue egg roo and a blue egg hen to get blue eggs.
A blue egg roo and a white egg hen make blue egg layers, too.
An EE roo (outcrossed and from a green egg) and a white layer can make blue eggers.
The color is not as intense as Ameraucana eggs, but still blue.

Hapy Holidays!
Lisa
 
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Good point on the white egg Lisa. I did overlook that, but I was considering solely blue versus brown.

Jody
 

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