a genetic questioned from my niece-calling all experts

[Kelly FG]

I'm taking care of my Niece & nephew this weekend & she stumped me with a question I couldn't answer. I told her I'd ask the experts,
if a chicken with the white egg gene mates with a chicken with brown egg gene what color eggs will you get?

 

[Frizzledhen]

 

[tiffanyh]

It would depend on the dominant gene. My have read that brown egg lays are a dominant gene. Although it is mostly likely more than one gene that controls that color, there are other genes that control the "release" of the color and so on....therefore, you could end up with a variation in the brown egg in comparison to the parent egg color--assuming the brown layer is the hen and you can visually see the egg color.

 

[coopist]

Well, more than one gene governs egg shell color, especially brown egg shell color; there are multiple genes, some of which may even be sex-linked (so the rooster would have more influence on his pullet offspring's egg color). But generally, brown is dominant and going to win that battle, so you can tell her that you'll get light brown eggs, and that'll be generally right.