Geneteics question about the blue egg gene.

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saltandpepper2

saltandpepper2

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6 Years
Dec 4, 2013
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Somewhere over the hill
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So, to start with, I have this beautiful, purebred blue ameraucana that has always laid a small pink egg. This always threw me off, as I've always been told that the blue egg gene, and the pea comb were directly related... well obviously not with her! This year, I hatched eggs from her and my blue egg laying ameraucana crossed with my black copper marans rooster. Out of the three chicks that hatched, two were from her. One has a single comb, the other a pea comb. From my other ameraucana, the one that hacthed has a single comb. My question is, will the chick with the pea comb actually carry the blue egg gene, or will it be like it's mother? and will the single combed chicks have even a small chance of carrying the blue egg gene, due to the mother? Or have I just lucked out and get a bunch of fluffy faced brown egg layers?
 
I would think they'd all be brown egg layers. Also, if your Ameraucana lays pink eggs then she can't be a pure Ameraucana.
 
keesmom said:
I would think they'd all be brown egg layers.  Also, if your Ameraucana lays pink eggs then she can't be a pure Ameraucana.
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That's what I was thought. And as for her not being pure, it is possible for a pure hen to have a genetic mutation that inhibits the blue egg gene from showing. It's rare, but even some of the best lines of ameraucanas might have this happen.
 
saltandpepper2 said:
That's what I was thought. And as for her not being pure, it is possible for a pure hen to have a genetic mutation that inhibits the blue egg gene from showing. It's rare, but even some of the best lines of ameraucanas might have this happen.
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Interesting. I still think her offspring will lay brown eggs, but it will be interesting to see what the pea combed pullet produces.
 
saltandpepper2 said:
That's what I was thought. And as for her not being pure, it is possible for a pure hen to have a genetic mutation that inhibits the blue egg gene from showing. It's rare, but even some of the best lines of ameraucanas might have this happen.
Click to expand...

That is pure nonsense, if the breeders are actually saying that, they are either simply not understanding the genetics or simply making things up to cover up their butts for the non-blue eggs.

The reality is, there IS a linkage between pea and the O gene(blue eggshell gene).. when both are present on the same chromosome. It is because the location for both genes happens to be very close to each other. As a result, they very strongly tend to "inherit together". In this case, it indeed is very reliable to pick out the pea combed pullets out of a mixed comb group to save for colored eggs.

However, by pure chance, very occasionally, during cell division, the two genes will 'separate' and cross over to the other chromosome. If the other chromosome happens to not have pea comb and/or the O gene, it will result in either a pea comb without the O gene or a single comb with the O gene. This is why there can be colored layers with different comb types like legbars, isbars.

This is not what happened with your bird. Because if the stock was pure for both pea and O gene, any crossing over would still be to a chromosome with pea and O gene. The fact she lays pink eggs is clear evidence there was mixing within her line with birds that did not have the O gene.

Also you got a single combed chick. This is also very clear proof the line was not pure.

Since you bred from two different hens and one was peacombed yet laid pink eggs plus got a single combed chick you will not have an easy time guessing which pullets to keep for colored eggs. The genes are too mixed up to be sure. It would have been clear and straightforward with a pure ameraucana line, the confusion comes from accepting this hen to be such when she is not.

p.s. Realizing after sending this, the last sentence seems rude but that is not my intent. I do recognize it is blunt though, my apologies.
 
Last edited:
Kev said:
That is pure nonsense, if the breeders are actually saying that, they are either simply not understanding the genetics or simply making things up to cover up their butts for the non-blue eggs.

The reality is, there IS a linkage between pea and the O gene(blue eggshell gene).. when both are present on the same chromosome.  It is because the location for both genes happens to be very close to each other.  As a result, they very strongly tend to "inherit together".   In this case, it indeed is very reliable to pick out the pea combed pullets out of a mixed comb group to save for colored eggs.

However, by pure chance, very occasionally, during cell division, the two genes will 'separate' and cross over to the other chromosome.  If the other chromosome happens to not have pea comb and/or the O gene,  it will result in either a pea comb without the O gene or a single comb with the O gene.   This is why there can be colored layers with different comb types like legbars, isbars.

This is not what happened with your bird.  Because if the stock was pure for both pea and O gene, any crossing over would still be to a chromosome with pea and O gene.   The fact she lays pink eggs is clear evidence there was mixing within her line with birds that did not have the O gene.

Also you got a single combed chick.  This is also very clear proof the line was not pure.

Since you bred from two different hens and one was peacombed yet laid pink eggs plus got a single combed chick you will not have an easy time guessing which pullets to keep for colored eggs. The genes are too mixed up to be sure.  It would have been clear and straightforward with a pure ameraucana line, the confusion comes from accepting this hen to be such when she is not.

p.s. Realizing after sending this, the last sentence seems rude but that is not my intent. I do recognize it is blunt though, my apologies.
Click to expand...
It's fine, I deal with bluntness well. Honestly, I read that in the ameraucana thread. I knew that they were on close to each other on the same chromosome, and that they were often inherited together. I knew most of the information that you stated. Though not in as much detail. However, I had always read that it was possible to get a pure ameraucana that layed pink eggs. I seem to stand corrected
 
Also, as further proof that your pure Ameraucana are not really pure is the fact that they threw single combed chicks. Pea combs are dominant. A single comb is recessive and requires two copies to express. A pure Ameraucana would have 2 pea comb genes. Your's seem to only have one pea comb gene and one single comb. That is why you have so many chicks with the recessive comb type.
 
junebuggena said:
Also, as further proof that your pure Ameraucana are not really pure is the fact that they threw single combed chicks. Pea combs are dominant. A single comb is recessive and requires two copies to express. A pure Ameraucana would have 2 pea comb genes. Your's seem to only have one pea comb gene and one single comb. That is why you have so many chicks with the recessive comb type.
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So would you call my birds EE even though they have the all apearences of pures? And when bred to other ameraucanas throw proper colored chicks?
 

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