Araucana roo over EEs-egg color question

[key west chick]

I have a true rumpless araucana roo, out of a nice blue egg. What color will the eggs of his offspring be if I have him in with some EEs that lay blue, green and pinkish eggs? I don't really want to lose my pink and green. Should I have my EEs in with a white egg laying roo?

 

[orcasislandchickens]

If you know your araucana roo is out of a very blue egg you are a lucky gal. Blue is an easy color to lose in a line, because other egg colors compound and blend with it. Egg color is not a science right now, we know a lot about it but the knowledge is kind of spotty. Your hens lay the color of eggs that they lay of course, it is the eggs of the offspring you are influencing with this rooster/hen cross.

True blue x true blue you get a blue egg (no brown layer genes)
blue with green, usually some shade of blue or green. (there is brown that passes on and brown that doesn't however brown once introduced to blue egg laying lines tends to stay there making green eggs through cross after cross. Blue with brown, usually some shade of green.

In short, you probably want to keep your brown pink yellow layers with a brown egg rooster,and your blue/green layers with the one you have.

 

[Kev]

Blue and green is due to same gene over lighter and darker eggshells, respectively. Brown and pink simply lack the gene for blue/green.

If the Araucana rooster is pure for the blue/green egg gene, then all of his daughters will lay various shades of blue, blue-green and green eggs, depending on what other egg color genes the hens give.

If he is not pure for it then yes you will have some daughters that lay tan/pink/brown eggs in addition to the range above.

Using any other rooster will usually have a much higher chance of daughters that lay blue, green and tan/brown/pink eggs.

 

[Byrdj]

Since your Araucana roo came from a blue egg and is a true Araucana, he has two copies of the blue egg gene. If bred to your EE hens, the female offspring will all lay either blue or green eggs. No pink eggs since the blue egg gene is dominant.

Use a white or brown egg roo to breed your EE's if you want to have some tan and pink eggs from the female offspring. Of course they will lay some green eggs also.

Jeff

 

[key west chick]

Thanks, thats what I kinda figured. I didn't get many araucana pullets when I ordered my day old chicks, I think like 5 out of 15. I have 1 left. I got some araucana/ameraucana eggs (yes, EE's) and wasn't sure about roosters when the time comes. Thought I might get some rumpless, tufted EE's if I put them with my araucana. But, not quite sure I want to lose the pinkish in some.

 

[klf73]

Quote:
you can not get tufted if the roo or pullets are not tufted. Maybe you meant muffed/bearded?

this is tufted

 

[key west chick]

Nope, meant tufted. I know I can't get them from my non- tufted roo, but if any of the eggs I hatch out (which come from araucana x ameraucana eggs), I might get some tufts out of them, in turn breeding to my rumpless, non tuft still might give me tufts. I might be wrong, I'm assuming if you breed araucanas with ameraucana, you might get anything from tufts to muffs. I know tufting is very difficult, I had a few tufted pullets and they all were killed or died. I only have my rumpless roo and a tailed, non tufted pullet. I thought about trying to get more true araucanas but decided to go the mixed route and get an assortment of egg colors and birds with tufts and muffs for fun. Looks like I'll lose the pinkish color if I breed back to blue anyway.

 

[Byrdj]

If you breed to a rumpless Araucana you should get some rumpless and tailed EE's. You could also get some that have tufts even if the rooster is showing any. He probably carries the tufted gene since he's an Araucana. No pink eggs though. Pink is really a lightly brown tinted egg. I have a EE that lays such a lightly tinted egg that it's almost white. I wish it were more pinkish. Do you have a picture of your pink eggs?

 

[klf73]

Quote:
actually I think tufted is a dom gene so if it ins't visible, it ain't happening. I had asked if I bred my clean faced araucana(from tufted parent) if some offspring would be tufted and was told no. To get tufts, you need tufts.....

 

[key west chick]

Yea, Franklin has no tufts and like klf says, it's dom. Thats why I thought if maybe some of the offspring out of the eggs I'm getting might have tufts since they will be half araucana. (some of the hens that layed the eggs have tufts). I looked at Franklin last night and he does have 1 weird little feather sticking out on one side so maybe it is a small, partial tuft. I was more interested in my egg colors than tufts anyway.