anyone working on a white-egg laying Easter Egger? (or other white-layer cross)

[Tahai]

Hi All - I have been searching and searching for a Chicken breed or cross that lays a good amount of white eggs and is suited for cold weather and coop raising that is NOT a leghorn. From all the threads I've read, it seems that many others are looking for the same thing.

I don't understand poultry genetics well, but I have learned that true white egg layers are complicated to get because of brown tinting being hard to get rid of and blue eggs being dominant.

But I've also learned that people occasionally get white-egg laying easter eggers. I'm wondering if those white-layers could be bred into being an intentional bloodline? A bird having all the lovely characteristics of the Ameraucauna-based Easter Egger (cold hardy, winter layer, good personality, puffy cheeks....) but laying only white eggs! I bet there would be interest in having that in the flock. Lots of people like white eggs but not Leghorns!

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knows of a breeder working on a project like this (or any other cross for winter friendly white layers)?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tlcmurphy]

It’s hard to imagine anyone purposely breeding EEs to lay white eggs. If you have to dye them at Easter they’re just eggs

 

[Tahai]

It’s hard to imagine anyone purposely breeding EEs to lay white eggs. If you have to dye them at Easter they’re just eggs

I get what you're saying. So many were drawn to the eggers for the colors, but white is also a hard to come by color.

Lots of people in cold-climates want white eggs mixed back in their egg baskets, though, and don't want leghorns. My undeducated guess is that a breeding program starting out with a cold-hardy blue-egger with no brown blooming mated to a prolific white-egger would eventually produce cold-hardy white-eggers.

 

[tlcmurphy]

If I’m not mistaken (and I may well be) blue is dominant over white, and brown is another gene that “coats” white or blue eggs to give you brown or olive. I think with the cross you mention you’ll still get blue eggs, but maybe lighter?

 

[2ndTink]

Hmm, interesting question. I don't know of any white egg laying poofy cheeked breeds. I'm not sure if you could cross a silkie with something to get cheeks and a white egg? But then they likely wouldn't be prolific layers. Now you have me curious! I have 4 EEs that lay a pale blue shelled egg, I'm not sure how hard it would be to get it super pale?

 

[tlcmurphy]

Someone just has to try and let us know!!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Bearded Polish lay white eggs, same with Mottled Houdan. Also there's Sultans.

They're all crested though, & one has feathered feet.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Lots of people like white eggs but not Leghorns!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Probably wouldn't be hard to make a white egging Easter Egger though. Just need to have one that not pure for the blue egg gene, & breed too a white layer. You'd get both white, & light blue layers.

But there's a chance an Easter Egger carrying the trait for tinted eggs, which is usually a very light touch of brown coating giving an off white color, or a slightly greenish blue egg.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I loved my Brabanters. They laid great and were friendly and I think cold hardy because they don’t have much of a comb or wattles because they’re supposed to have a beard and crest. I say supposed to because I had a clean faced one and another one with minimal crest but yeah. Ideal has them. They used to have both gold and cream and I had two of each but now they only have cream. But yeah.