black australorp laid green egg! like, huh?

[Phoenixxx]

Yup, no word of a lie! I thought they were coming from my ameracauna cross but she was not in the coop AT ALL this morning! When I went in earlier, Emerald, one of my young BAs, was sitting in the favourite nest. I checked under her, just ping pong balls. So I watched the coop like a hawk, waiting for her to emerge so I could find what she left me. Anyway, turns out that she's the one making the green eggs with white speckles!

From what I've been able to find, there are only 3 breeds that make these: aracauna, ameracauna and easter-eggers. Emmy doesn't appear to be part of any of these breeds, so is there another possibility? The only thing non-australorpish about her - besides the green egg - is her comb. My other BA pullet has the tiniest of tiny blackish single combs while Emmy's is bright red and "fuller" than a typical single. She also has yellow undertones instead of white, but one of my pure BA roos has the same thing (and from what I could find this is something that just randomly pops up in BAs anyway).

Here are some pictures I just took. I could not get the colour correction to display the egg properly, but it is like a mint green, like the chocolate chip mint ice cream green.

 

[Phoenixxx]

Note: Emerald was bought from the same lady that I got Hedwig (chantecler/ameracauna) and Greybeard (houdan/blue australorp) from. She was not part of the batch of BA chicks that I got from someone else earlier in the year. So, the ameracauna bit is entirely probable, but as you can see, she SO doesn't look it!

 

[donrae]

I agree, she doesn't look Easter egger at all, but that pea comb is your clue, it's closely linked to the blue/green egg genes. And, by definition, she's an Easter egger if she lays green eggs.

 

[Phoenixxx]

Thanks Well, I suppose there's no advertising any chicks as "heritage BA" now... I certainly won't be allowing Gonzo to breed with what are VERY likely her close relations... No biggy, not like heritage birds sell for more out here anyway. It was a nice idea while it lasted Hedwig and Emmy were surprise birds anyway - the lady offered to sell me 2 pullets with the free roo and I told her to bring me anything EXCEPT RIR/RIR crosses and they were what she brought me And they are my two favourite and most friendly chickens

 

[hdowden]

she is a beardless easter egger

 

[Phoenixxx]

Okay, so general consensus thus far is that she's part ameracauna.

Next question - and this only JUST occurred to me - what is the possibility that she's the blue australorp/houdan roo's half-sister? I've read that blues will produce blacks but the BA in her is so obviously dominant that this doesn't seem likely (to me). If they are half-brother and sister, is it okay to let them breed? Right now everyone's kind of running around together as I have no broodies yet but I'm still trying to figure out who I want to put with who when the time comes.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I agree, she doesn't look Easter egger at all, but that pea comb is your clue, it's closely linked to the blue/green egg genes. And, by definition, she's an Easter egger if she lays green eggs.

X2

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Okay, so general consensus thus far is that she's part ameracauna.

Next question - and this only JUST occurred to me - what is the possibility that she's the blue australorp/houdan roo's half-sister? I've read that blues will produce blacks but the BA in her is so obviously dominant that this doesn't seem likely (to me). If they are half-brother and sister, is it okay to let them breed? Right now everyone's kind of running around together as I have no broodies yet but I'm still trying to figure out who I want to put with who when the time comes.

blueXblue=50% blue 25% splash 25% black, but the only works when you cross two purebred birds. She is a BA crossed with an ameraucana so by default that make her an EE even though she looks so much like a BA. Yes it is okay to let them breed. With chickens people breed sisters and brother, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, it dosent matter, they dont know the difference. if you are wanting to cross certain chickens to hatch eggs, but are waiting on a broody, you better seperate them now. If you take a hen away from a rooster she will stay fertile eggs for a month possibly longer. So by the time you would get the broody and then seperate you will still have the possiblity of having crosses from the other rooster that the hen was previously with. By the time you get the eggs to be fertile by the rooster you want the hen will then not be broody or close too it. But when it comes to making more crosses, unless working on a project, does it really matter which they are crossed with?

 

[leea7189]

My 2 Austrolopes lay green eggs also. We have no Americaunas or easter eggers. Just them and 2 leg horns

 

[drumstick diva]

Would love to see your Black Australorp hens that lay green eggs.