White egg?!

[Nikki82]

So I went out to collect the eggs this morning, and found this:

The carten clearly has more than just todays eggs, but the white egg is the mystory. On the left are Eenies eggs, I know she didn't lay it, her egg was where she usually leavs them. Then there are Meenie's light brown eggs, I didn't get one of those today. Instead I got ths white egg where I usually find Meenie's eggs. Well it isn't totally white, it has extremely small and sparce light brown spots on it. Is it possible that it's Meenie's egg, or do I have a new egg layer? There are two others that I'm waiting on to lay. I really didn't think I had any white egg layers...

 

[justbugged]

My guess is that you have a new layer. Congratulations.

 

[Fierlin1182]

Either that, or one of them's just laid a white egg.

Mine seem to do it for no reason whatsoever from time to time.

 

[Carolyn]

What kind of chickens do you have? I have one of my group that sometimes lays a nearly white egg but sometimes her eggs are dark enough to blend in better with the rest; however it is not a truly white egg. That could be the case with yours but your white egg looks small, like a new layer. Sometimes they are a mixed breed you didn't expect and as I once experienced what I thought was a flock of barred rocks turned out to be something else entirely.

Maybe tomorrow you will get eenies, meenies minees and mo.

 

[Nikki82]

Mine are Leghorn/Austrolorp crosses. 3/4 Leghorn I think; big, mostly white birds. I wasn't expecting white eggs because I know it's a recessive trait.

 

[justbugged]

The leghorn lays a white egg.

 

[Nikki82]

Quote:
I know leghorns lay white eggs, but I don't have any pure leghorns. They are all crossed with Austrolorps, which lay brown eggs. And since white eggs are recessive, I thought I'd only get brown eggs.

 

[jeslewmazer]

yes, I do believe white eggs are a recessive trait. But, if they are 3/4 Leghorn, then you could get white eggs. It would take two crosses for 3/4. First cross would be the initial cross of a pure Leghorn and pure Austrolorp. the offspring would be 1/2 Leghorn 1/2 Austrolorp, 100% of the offspring should lay some varying color of brown. The second cross would be a pure Leghorn to the 1/2 and 1/2 offspring. The offspring would then be 3/4 Leghorn and 1/4 Austrolorp. Of that cross 50% should lay brown colored eggs, and 50% should lay white eggs as they have both recessive white egg traits.

 

[Nikki82]

I didn't ponder the genetics like I shouuld have.

Anyways, I solved the mystory this morning. Meenie and Moe were fighting over the nest box, and as it appeared that Meenie had already laid her egg, I locked her out and Moe in. Moe lays the white eggs with the little brown speckles. Aso it seems that Meenie laid the first egg I found of hers sometime after I went to work yesterday, because I found another egg today too. On a side note, Minie has decied that when someone is in the nest box, she should do the egg song.

 

[poseygrace]

Cool! I think it's fun to get a variety.