Cross Breeding Question

[ct12555]

I have had several hobbies since I retired many years ago, but this new chicken keeper role may end up being a favorite.

My current goal is to produce docile, excellent large egg laying Easter Egger hens. I have an Ameracauna rooster. My hens include barred rock, australop, New Hampshire, crested legbar and mixed breed hens. I am considering adding a sapphire blue, ISA brown and Whiting True Blue, just because they sound interesting.

My question is, which of these hens crossed with my Ameracauna would give me the best chance of producing a relatively high number of large colorful eggs. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[NatJ]

If the Ameraucana rooster does have two copies of the blue egg gene, then every one of his chicks will inherit that gene, and every daughter will lay blue or green eggs. Ameraucanas are supposed to breed true for the blue egg gene, but "supposed to" does not always mean it happens. If he is actually an Easter Egger, mislabeled as Ameraucana, he might still have two copies of the blue egg gene. Either way, there is still a chance that he has only one or no copy of the blue egg gene, which has a big effect on how many of his daughters will lay blue or green eggs. There is a genetic test to answer that, or you can raise some of his daughters from brown-egg hens and see what color eggs the daughters lay and that will let you work out what egg-color genes the rooster has.

Hatching eggs from the hens who lay the most eggs will give the best chance of having daughters who lay lots of eggs.

Hatching eggs from the hens who lay the largest eggs will give the best chance of having daughters who lay large eggs.

If you want to produce a line of chickens that all lay blue or green eggs, that will be easier if you use the hens who lay blue or green eggs, and skip the ones that lay brown or white eggs. You certainly can use hens who lay brown or white eggs, and eventually breed a line that is pure for the blue egg gene, but it will take more work to breed out the not-blue gene from those hens. (It might be worth the extra work & time, if those hens have other traits you want, such as laying large eggs or large numbers of eggs.)

Hatchery Easter Eggers are sometimes a good choice for a project like this, because many of the hatcheries have been breeding for years to achieve almost exactly the same goal you have: large numbers of eggs with colored (blue or green) shells.

 

[ct12555]

Wow! Thank you for that information and your time! I’m going on the premise I have a true Ameracauna (SP?) The couple I bought him from seem to be very particular breeders and supposedly sell for shows. Their facilities also have “that” look of attention to detail. However, you never know!

It will be fun to try to breed for the qualities I’m looking for. I just thought it might save time to start with a breed that gives me a higher probability of getting there a little faster. If Im understanding, it may be more of an individual thing than a breed thing. Thanks again!

 

[Penpal]

Actually, it's the rooster who is responsible for how how fast his daughters lay. Every other day, every third day, every day.

The hen determines how many eggs her daughters will lay. So, how many years she is laying.

 

[ct12555]

Actually, it's the rooster who is responsible for how how fast his daughters lay. Every other day, every third day, every day.

The hen determines how many eggs her daughters will lay. So, how many years she is laying.

Very interesting!

 

[NatJ]

Actually, it's the rooster who is responsible for how how fast his daughters lay. Every other day, every third day, every day.

The hen determines how many eggs her daughters will lay. So, how many years she is laying.

I have never heard that before. Are you speaking from personal experience, or are you able to point me to a source that tells more about how that works?

 

[ct12555]

Thanks to your suggestions and more reading, even though I really like my Ameracauna, I’m now leaning toward a Whiting True Blue rooster to put over my hens. It seems that would be very much a shortcut to where I’m wanting to go.

 

[Penpal]

I read this somewhere, but some time ago. I was surprised. There are other factors determining egg production. If breeding pure bred chickens it is probably determined many generations ago.