Breeding for color of egg

[goats2chickens]

I recently bought a pulled and was told byby the breeder she would lay white eggs even though she was a cross. He said, white is dominant over brown so white. MyMy uestiois how would you breed for egg color? estion is

 

[Ridgerunner]

Read this thread and get back with any questions.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/840867/clarifying-brown-egg-genetics

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sorry for my short answer before but I was in a rush. That thread would have been part of my answer anyway since I’m not sure what you mean by breed for egg color.

Chicken egg color genetics are really complicated. There is one gene pair that determines if the base color is white or blue. That part is simple. But there are a lot of different genes that determine shade of brown (green is just brown over blue). Some of those genes are dominant, some recessive, some partially dominant and some only have an effect if another specific gene is there. That’s why there are so many different shades of brown.

There is a gene that can negate certain browns so even if the genetics of that brown gene is there, the egg can still be white. Not all white egg layers have that gene. And it does not necessarily cancel all brown genetics. Both parents contribute egg shell color genetics.

Basically the egg color depends on what genes are contributed by both parents. If you know what color of eggs her parents hatched out of and the color the mother lays you can make a real good guess and be right most of the time. But the only way to be sure what color egg a pullet will lay is to look at the egg she lays.

With a brown egg layer crossed with a white egg layer, I’d expect brown eggs from their pullet, but that does not always happen.

 

[goats2chickens]

Thank you. I was completely ignorant of the specifics so when the gentleman seemed so sure it took me aback. Your explanation makes perfect sense and now I am pretty cwrtain it will remain a mystery until the first egg.