Blue Egg Layers from University of Arkansas

[Bentley]

if you wanted to you could end up with the same bird... with this they used a tailed and tuff less Araucana so it might as well have been a cull for that breed... but also both the muffs and the tailless gene are incomplete dominant so if a bird has them it will show them... so by using a tailed and tuff less bird they new those genes where not present so it was simple... if u use Ameraucana u will have to contend with the beard and muffs... and they can hide and not visually show even if a bird has a gene for them... so if you where breeding for a beard and muff less bird (like the UofA birds) u would have allot of culls that showed up with beard and muffs for several generations... of course if you just wanted an egg layer and did not care about beard and muffs it would be no problem at all...

The gene for beard and muffs is a simple dominant gene. Easy to eliminate, if the bird is clean faced it is not 'hiding' anything and bred to another clean faced will breed true. The tuft gene, like in the Araucana, is incomplete in its expression.

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

hmmmm i know you know what your talking about so now you have me wondering lol... i bred an clean faced EE from McMurry to an 1/4 Ameraucana 3/4 Blue Orp that was also Clean faced and about 1 out of 10 (30 total) chicks had small beards and muffs... so is there any other genes that can play with that???

As for the Araucana i was told by a breeder that i could not get show quality stock if i started with a pair that where both tuff less and had tails... i assumed he was talking about the tuffs but maybe he was talking about the no tail gene... Ive never messed with Araucana before but thought about it...

Thanks, Elias

The gene for beard and muffs is a simple dominant gene. Easy to eliminate, if the bird is clean faced it is not 'hiding' anything and bred to another clean faced will breed true. The tuft gene, like in the Araucana, is incomplete in its expression.

 

[chicksnthestiks]

The Blue egg layers are going on thee weeks now:

They are so cute!

 

[cashdl]

hmmmm i know you know what your talking about so now you have me wondering lol... i bred an clean faced EE from McMurry to an 1/4 Ameraucana 3/4 Blue Orp that was also Clean faced and about 1 out of 10 (30 total) chicks had small beards and muffs... so is there any other genes that can play with that???

As for the Araucana i was told by a breeder that i could not get show quality stock if i started with a pair that where both tuff less and had tails... i assumed he was talking about the tuffs but maybe he was talking about the no tail gene... Ive never messed with Araucana before but thought about it...

Thanks, Elias

Correct, The tufts are a dominant gene as is rumpless ness. If a bird does not have tufts it cannot pass them on to its offspring, same for being rumpless. So if you have cleanfaced tailed birds you will not hatch rumpless and tufted birds.

Lanae

 

[superseeds]

We have to figure a way to get these blue beauties to Canada...

 

[johnderosa1]

Manningjw,

I was wondering the same thing.... I would expect 5+ eggs per week out of these if they are true production egg layers. I bought some eggs from here (caj1985 - her birds are laying) that should be arriving tomorrow so I will be able to test myself (as long as I get some pullets to hatch). In the meantime, if there are any current breeders out there I would love to hear your experience. I guess it is a bit concerning that so many seem to be having problems with egg production due to weather or other problems.... Simple math says that if you are going to get 250+ eggs a year from your production birds they have to lay consistently throughout the entire year. As for crossing amer to white leghorns, I was going to do the same until I found this thread and info from DMRippy. Might as well try to leverage the work already done. I have also put an order in to DMRippy for her Amer x white leghorn "super" blue egg layers. I figure I can test out both strains and see what happens.

 

[caj1985]

Manningjw,

I was wondering the same thing.... I would expect 5+ eggs per week out of these if they are true production egg layers. I bought some eggs from here (caj1985 - her birds are laying) that should be arriving tomorrow so I will be able to test myself (as long as I get some pullets to hatch). In the meantime, if there are any current breeders out there I would love to hear your experience. I guess it is a bit concerning that so many seem to be having problems with egg production due to weather or other problems.... Simple math says that if you are going to get 250+ eggs a year from your production birds they have to lay consistently throughout the entire year. As for crossing amer to white leghorns, I was going to do the same until I found this thread and info from DMRippy. Might as well try to leverage the work already done. I have also put an order in to DMRippy for her Amer x white leghorn "super" blue egg layers. I figure I can test out both strains and see what happens.

I would say from my experience with my three which in no way is a significant statistical group, they are definitely hot house flowers. I do not add light or heat my coops. They lay great when it is above 30 but any significant amount of time below that and for about two weeks after I get only 4 eggs a week per bird instead of 5 or 6. My U of A Sicilian Buttercup bantams have been more reliable layers through the entire winter with no additional light or heat. I think if you use additional lighting you will get the numbers you want. Even at 4 eggs a week without light or heat you are talking 200+ eggs.

 

[johnderosa1]

Thanks caj1985. Much appreciated. I am really looking forward to getting my eggs!!!!! You have really been a pleasure to deal with...

 

[caj1985]

Thanks caj1985. Much appreciated. I am really looking forward to getting my eggs!!!!! You have really been a pleasure to deal with...

Thank you. Here's hoping you get an excellent hatch.

 

[TREX]

Wow what an interesting thread! Would love to know if anyone from NE Florida managed to get some of these eggs and raise some of the babies.I like the way the way the birds look and the pretty blue eggs.Would love to add one to my coop if not this year maybe the next, only problem is I don't have a set up to hatch them myself yet.Still learning and the hatching process just seems a little daunting.