Aghh! Dang!

[americanchicks]

Hey all have to vent a bit.
So i have been working on my first breeding project. Making olive eggers with my ameraucana hens and maran roo. So far its been frustrating. I have 7 olive eggers and 2 started laying. Only Im getting brown eggs! I am thinking that somewhere there is a brown egg gene. Either my maran is not pure or one or more of my wheaten ameraucanas.

Any whoo 4 days ago was happy to see that i had an olive egg in the nest box. Hooray. That day i did see a hawk lurking around the property I havent seen a hawk around in over a year. It took off no worries. Well the next day I reluctantly let them out to free range while I was at a kids birthday party. Came home to do a beak count and one of my OEs was missing. Found what was left of her the next day. 100% sure it was a hawk attack. I am so bummed, not only was she my favorite OE, I think she was the one who laid the olive egg. Since I have not seen any more olive eggs

Why out of all of my 16 chickens he takes her. Why dose it seem that predators like to take out your favorite birds. *sigh* If I see that hawk again Im going to be shooting bottle rockets up his tail feathers.

 

[EggWalrus]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[slordaz]

sorry you lost your favorite hen.

When crossing for color it can be frustrating because depending on how the genes match up will determine things, I cross Amerecuana Rooster on Rhode Island Reds for EE's. Sometimes they get the pea comb of the rooster and sometimes the single comb of the hen, and a few lay a blueish green egg but a lot lay a brown egg.

I don't really care about egg color though so maybe someone else that knows more about it can assist

 

[EggWalrus]

sorry you lost your favorite hen.

When crossing for color it can be frustrating because depending on how the genes match up will determine things, I cross Amerecuana Rooster on Rhode Island Reds for EE's. Sometimes they get the pea comb of the rooster and sometimes the single comb of the hen, and a few lay a blueish green egg but a lot lay a brown egg.

I don't really care about egg color though so maybe someone else that knows more about it can assist

@Cyprus If anyone can explain it, Cyprus probably can.

 

[Ted_Harrell]

americanchicks, sorry for your loss. Maybe the dark egg color of the marans egg is covering what blue would show through from the Ameraucana. Just a guess..

 

[Cyprus]

Let's start here: are you sure your Ameraucanas are pure? If they were, they should have two blue egg genes.

 

[americanchicks]

Let's start here: are you sure your Ameraucanas are pure? If they were, they should have two blue egg genes.

I was told they where. I got them from a nice gal but off CL. She was breeding for show and had some extra. I am wondering because one was beardless. They all laid light blue eggs. One laid an egg so light in fact you swore it was white, until you compared it to a white egg. Very slight hint of blue.

Thanks every one. Feeling better today. But I am not letting them free range until late after noon when I can be home keeping an eye out.

 

[Cyprus]

I was told they where. I got them from a nice gal but off CL. She was breeding for show and had some extra. I am wondering because one was beardless. They all laid light blue eggs. One laid an egg so light in fact you swore it was white, until you compared it to a white egg. Very slight hint of blue.

Thanks every one. Feeling better today. But I am not letting them free range until late after noon when I can be home keeping an eye out.

Sounds like you got Easter Eggers.

Post some pictures.

 

[americanchicks]

You can see the second one from the back is missing a beard.

 

[Cyprus]

She has a beard, just not much.

They do look pure, but I guess it's possible they may only carry one copy of the blue egg gene.