Using a French Black copper Marans Roo on other breeds (isa brown, RIR) to increase egg production but keep dark eggs? Is it possible?

[SuperiorFarmsGirl]

Using a French Black copper Marans Roo on other breeds (isa brown, RIR) to increase egg production but keep dark eggs? Is it possible?

I have Isa browns, and I’m getting a couple
Dozen (or as many as my breeder has at hatch day on 24th) French Black Copper Marans Straight Runs

I hear the French black copper marans aren’t the most prolific layers. Is it possible to increase the egg production by crossing a FBCM Roo to isa brown or RIR hens, and then maybe taking those offspring and breeding back to another FCBM Roo so this offspring would be 75%FCBM 25% other breed?

Just throwing out ideas

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Crossing a BCM with anything will lose the dark eggs because its a recessive gene. I found this out the hard way unfortunately

 

[The Moonshiner]

This doesn't sound right. What was your experience?
Last I heard there were a couple dozen or more genes that contributed to the brown coating. Some dominate, some recessive and a couple sex linked.
I worked on Olive Eggers years ago and when the Marans were crossed with blue egg layers some of the darkness was definitely lost but not all.
I mean isn't that why Marans are used? To produce dark green eggs instead of EE green colored eggs?
I'm gonna say the cross will produce lighter brown then the pure Marans but still darker then any of the regular brown egg layers you cross with.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

This doesn't sound right. What was your experience?
Last I heard there were a couple dozen or more genes that contributed to the brown coating. Some dominate, some recessive and a couple sex linked.
I worked on Olive Eggers years ago and when the Marans were crossed with blue egg layers some of the darkness was definitely lost but not all.
I mean isn't that why Marans are used? To produce dark green eggs instead of EE green colored eggs?
I'm gonna say the cross will produce lighter brown then the pure Marans but still darker then any of the regular brown egg layers you cross with.

I had BCM crossed with Polish and their eggs were plain old brown. Then when I saw some black sex links crossed with BCM at the feed store I got excited but when I looked it up I found the gene is recessive. I don't remember the source but it made sense why my crosses didn't produce dark brown eggs. I have never seen a BCM quality dark brown from any cross but I think when crossed with Ameracauna you might wind up with olive eggs although my current BCM Ameracauna cross lays plain old brown eggs. I am open to more informed opinions.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Fairy egg from my BCM Ameracauna cross:

 

[The Moonshiner]

I had BCM crossed with Polish and their eggs were plain old brown. Then when I saw some black sex links crossed with BCM at the feed store I got excited but when I looked it up I found the gene is recessive. I don't remember the source but it made sense why my crosses didn't produce dark brown eggs. I have never seen a BCM quality dark brown from any cross but I think when crossed with Ameracauna you might wind up with olive eggs although my current BCM Ameracauna cross lays plain old brown eggs. I am open to more informed opinions.

Don't Polish lay white eggs? So if the cross produced regular brown egg layers then that seems like yes some brown genes were lost but some were not.
That should also show there's more then one gene in play.
Your second post is also odd. A BCM crossed with an Ameraucana would produce a green (of some shade) egg layer.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Don't Polish lay white eggs? So if the cross produced regular brown egg layers then that seems like yes some brown genes were lost but some were not.
That should also show there's more then one gene in play.
Your second post is also odd. A BCM crossed with an Ameraucana would produce a green (of some shade) egg layer.

I don't know about Polish. I'm not even sure that's what the cross was-they were small birds with slight Mohawks. So if they were Polish and Polish lay white eggs then that would make sense. The woman I bought them from said they would lay a "dark brown egg" which was very possibly an outright lie to sell her hideous chickens. I am giving her the benefit of the doubt and assuming she didn't know any better but in that case she wouldn't think the chicks would lay dark brown eggs.
As far as my current cross I watched her hatch from a dark brown egg and the only available roosters were a BCM and a black ameraucana. Of the three eggs that hatched (one blue, two dark brown) I have one black Ameraucana, one BCM and the cross which has puffy cheeks, slightly feathered legs and lays boring brown eggs. This is her on the right behind the BCM.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I am not a chicken genetics expert but I'm sure there is someone we can tag who is. I have just never personally seen a dark brown BCM quality egg from a cross and I reckon if it were possible people wouldn't be apt to spend the extra money on BCMs.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

It worked with my Maran cross. I have a blue copper Marans x salmon Faverolles hen and she lays dark eggs that are just a tad lighter than her mom.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Here are the eggs they hatched from: