True Blue Whiting info please?

[Lauravonsmurf]

These would all be called "brown" but shade wise on is a pink (again not my eggs, these are from a flock of EEs note one is pink)

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Grey eggs seem to require the blue gene... but exactly what else in the browning genes I don't know, but I think they are cool.

When grey eggs are gotten wet they look green... so blue gene required with specific bloom pigments to turn green grey looking.

 

[dannyelle123]

Eggs are so fascinating... I'm thinking though, that if my one WTB that has survived incubation turns out to be a cockerel, I'd probably try my hand at hatching araucana eggs... Though from what I just read 50% of araucana's don't survive hatch due to carrying two copies of the ear tuft genes. Strange... As far as WTB eggs getting darker with age, I don't even see that fact listed on Mcmurrays site any more, so it's probably not true? Especially given if they're related to araucana's or ameraucanas,whose eggs are said to get lighter with age...

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Yeah it could be not true. On the Aracunas yes they have a lethal gene but it depends how you breed them... tufted to tufted then yes your mortality rate will be high, but tufted to non tufted will lower the mortality rate though producing less tufted birds as well. If you wanted non SQ hens that lay blue eggs maybe you could get some culls from the breeders. Depends on what you want to do. Also it seems the sooner you collect the eggs after laying the bluer they look to... I have never noticed that bid difference but some folks say that makes the difference in photographing them on the various egg threads.

I hope your WTB gives you blue eggs, even if a boy he should process the gene, so then all you need is blue egg layers of any breed to breed blue egg layers. Unless of course you want to breed a specific breed.

 

[dannyelle123]

Question is how do I sneak a roo in a subdivision? LOL I've looked up the ways people do and there really isn't a good solution. Crazy... I even read a review for a silencing collar where a lady basically choked her roo to death! I'd love to get into breeding, maybe I could volunteer with 4H and have access to breeding on someone else's farm... Given that's how people keep goats and such through the program

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Yeah you could contact 4H. There are a lot of projects, some even high tech... I was a leader years ago for Horticulture. Wow on the one lady choking to death her rooster, most folks that does not happen to. Yeah the burbs is okay with someone keeping a bunch of loud parrots but roosters are frowned on, I live in suberbia too... but I could care less if someone had one.

 

[AmandaMBG]

I have two and my mother in law had a third that all lay light blue eggs. But I do have one girl that lays a blueish green egg. Definitely not anywhere near a "true blue". You got lucky you got all blue layers. Saying that they are some of my best chickens. Their feed to egg ratio is very good and they are some of my best foragers. Definitely flighty and skiddish tho.

My Whitings started laying about July/August of last year, and would lay daily, light blue eggs.  As of  mid Dec, I get several a week from each hen, but they are paler blue.

I''m hoping what people are saying is true:  " when the hens are older, they lay darker eggs", but am not counting on it.

If that is true, than my BCM's eggs are going to look nearly black! (slight exaggeration, but you get the drift).   HER eggs are dark chocolate now - her first laying season as of last Sept-ish.

One thing I can say about the Whitings is that it's the first true blue colored egg I've ever had (tried CLB, True Ameraucanas, Rumpless Araucana, and SBEL - all had green in them).

Also,  the WTB's are great at avoiding predators, flighty but will eat out of your hand, great foragers, low feeders, and have
proven to be cold hardy (Michigan).

Our dog got out and went after our free ranging chickens which included some WTB's.  By night fall we were still missing some Silver Lace Orpingtons, and a WTB.  I was pretty confident my WTB would show up the next morning despite our property having coyote, fox, raccoon, opossum, weasel....

Sure enough, that WTB was near the coop come sunrise!!

On another note, there is a lot of feedback on mcmurray website that people have gotten green eggs from their WTB.

BOTH of mine lay the light blue egg, so Hmmm..  Not sure that that's all about?

 

[dannyelle123]

If my one that hatches lays blue-green, I'll be heated...! If I wanted another blue/green layer I'd spend way less on an EE! Oh, the quest for blue eggs, lol.

I have two and my mother in law had a third that all lay light blue eggs. But I do have one girl that lays a blueish green egg. Definitely not anywhere near a "true blue". You got lucky you got all blue layers. Saying that they are some of my best chickens. Their feed to egg ratio is very good and they are some of my best foragers. Definitely flighty and skiddish tho.

 

[2theranch]

How are these birds, I wanted to order but they are already sold out. I cannot find them anywhere.

 

[Eggscoozme]

They are available RIGHT NOW on Mcmurray.