Blue Egg Layers from Unversity of Arkansas

This thread is intended for the discussion of the two new developments of Blue Egg layers from the University of Arkansas. This is not for discussion on Easter Eggers, Ameraucanas etc. Photos and updates will be added as available to post #1.

From an email ....

We have a few of the B eggs set in our incubator. Does anyone have photos of these? We are actually looking forward to seeing what these look like and how well they lay. These are not an Easter Egger, per se. But a new breed developed in cooperation with the Unversity of Arkansas.

The commercial leghorn blood is not hatchery lines, but research lines from the commercial industry.

The egg is similar in color to his Auracana eggs and vary from medium to large in size.

We plan on keeping a breeding pen of these and seew hat they reproduce.

Can you imagine a Blue Egg layer that lays like a factory, battery layer

The actual "Blue" eggs from U/A in our incubator:

Photo below is of the Research Farm and Poultry Science Department.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ridgerunner 

I had my plans all worked out for my next incubation and now you've got me to thinking. Since I raise mine for meat more than the eggs, these really don't make sense for me to try, but it is intriguing to think about. If anybody can get hold of commercial egg laying breeds for experimentation, I'd think is would be the University of Arkansas.

Do you happen to know if those blue feathered ones are the B/B/S or genetically how Dr. Bramwell got the blue feathering? It does not sound like they are B/B/S if they are all blue-feathering.



 

My understanding is he said they look in appearance and color more like an Andalusian. Since you are in his neck of the woods, you should call him and get some. He WILL NOT ship and has a priority for 4H and FFA.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyMtn 

One of my chicken friends in TN has been making blue EEs crossing BBS ameraucana with leghorns for years. Even the single combed birds lay blue eggs.They're super productive. Its pretty common knowledge about these kind of hybrids, so I am surprised that a university would actually spend time on it. Maybe they were commissioned by the commercial egg industry looking for something new for thier factory farms?       

These are not just any hatchery run leghorn. UA http://poultryscience.uark.edu has five poultry houses on their experiment farm. Two comercial meat research barns, two commercial egg research barns and Dr. Bramwell's exhibition barn. It is my understanding that a friend started this and shared with him. They do all sorts of research for the industry. Since Dr. Bramwell came from our end of the industry, he still ahs a heart for helping backyard and exhibition folks.

This cross WAS NOT an easter Egger Leghorn cross. It was an Arucauna bred to the breed standard (SOP) and crossed to a specific line of commercial White Leghorn. This line is reserved for the industry and they protect their patents with a passion. A hatchery Leghorn may produce 250-300 eggs a yaer. The commercial Leghorn produces 350+ eggs a year.

My father had a friend that operated an Oklahoma State Unversity vegetable experiment farm in Bixby, Oklahoma. He was permitted lots of space for his "personal" experiments. He developed a hot peper that was determined to be 10 times hotter than a Habenero and was marketed to the commercial food industry.

It seems this Blue Egg layer is such a project and is very interesting. I will post photos when the chicks hatch and as they grow.

The eggs we set were similiar to color to these from http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Fertile-Hatching-Eggs/Hatching-Eggs-Blue-Ameraucana-p629.aspx

 We were told the Aruacana used was similiar to these from http://www.cashsblueeggs.com/bluearaucana.htm

And a commercial White Leghorn similar to this site's http://www.hendrix-poultry.nl/