Breeding

[Asmorilda]

I am new on the EE board. Pretty new to chicken raising in general. I have EEs, Ameraucanas, RIRs, Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Crested Polish. I only have one EE pullet & one EE rooster. They are both black though the rooster does have some goldish flecks in his hackle feathers. I believe both have dark slate colored or black legs. I know the pullet does. If I breed them, will they breed true EEs & what color might I expect? The pullet has been laying an egg a day since she started laying about 3 weeks ago. They are a light green. I am also wondering what color eggs would come from crossing the black EE pullet with a lavender Ameraucana rooster? Would the egg color be better if I crossed the black EE rooster with a lavender Ameraucana pullet? Out of the breeds we have, which do you think would give the prettiest blue or green egg color? Like most everyone, I would love more vibrant color in the eggs. Right now, the green is nice but it is rather pale.

 

[BoomChickaPop]

I don't really know I am new to EE's too
But if you breed an EE with an EE you will get an EE
If you put an Ameraucana hen with a black copper maran rooster you get an Olive egger

 

[Asmorilda]

I don't really know I am new to EE's too
But if you breed an EE with an EE you will get an EE
If you put an Ameraucana hen with a black copper maran rooster you get an Olive egger

Thank you for this information. Since EEs can come from varied backgrounds, I wasn't sure I would get EE chicks from breeding two EEs. I did know about the Ameraucana & Black Copper Maran giving you Olive Eggers. I don't have any of the Black Copper Marans. I was set to buy some but with our recent move, our present space won't allow it at this time. Maybe next year.

 

[donrae]

Since you can't peek at the EE rooster's genes and see what color he carries, I'd not use him if you have a true Ameraucana available. The Ameraucana should have two copies of the blue egg gene. The EE rooster may have one blue and one brown, or even two brown. You just don't know until you test breed him, and that takes a while. I get too impatient

.

For the best egg color, put your EE and Ameraucana females under the pure Ameraucana rooster. The pure bred birds should lay a nice blue egg. Since your EE lays green eggs, she has one blue gene and one brown gene. Putting her under a double blue gene rooster should give pullets that lay half blue eggs, half that lay green eggs.

 

[Asmorilda]

Since you can't peek at the EE rooster's genes and see what color he carries, I'd not use him if you have a true Ameraucana available. The Ameraucana should have two copies of the blue egg gene. The EE rooster may have one blue and one brown, or even two brown. You just don't know until you test breed him, and that takes a while. I get too impatient

.

For the best egg color, put your EE and Ameraucana females under the pure Ameraucana rooster. The pure bred birds should lay a nice blue egg. Since your EE lays green eggs, she has one blue gene and one brown gene. Putting her under a double blue gene rooster should give pullets that lay half blue eggs, half that lay green eggs.

Oh, donrae, thank you so very much. I am excited to see the blue eggs. My Ameraucana pullets aren't old enough to lay eggs yet but I do have one rooster that is old enough to breed with my EE which is already laying eggs. I didn't think we would get into the chicken breeding part of raising chickens but I can't wait for the various colors of eggs. I would have been so disappointed had I bred the EE rooster to the EE pullet & gotten chickens that laid brown eggs. I already have brown egg layers. We are going shopping for an incubator this week. Our 2 Crested Polish pullets started laying today & we want to hatch babies from them & from the Ameraucana + EE. Again, thank you so much.

 

[Michael OShay]

Since you can't peek at the EE rooster's genes and see what color he carries, I'd not use him if you have a true Ameraucana available. The Ameraucana should have two copies of the blue egg gene. The EE rooster may have one blue and one brown, or even two brown. You just don't know until you test breed him, and that takes a while. I get too impatient

.

For the best egg color, put your EE and Ameraucana females under the pure Ameraucana rooster. The pure bred birds should lay a nice blue egg. Since your EE lays green eggs, she has one blue gene and one brown gene. Putting her under a double blue gene rooster should give pullets that lay half blue eggs, half that lay green eggs.

X2 on donrae's post.