California grey questions and comments

[Jodizon]

Does anyone have California Grey chickens? I thought they were supposed to lay white eggs.
I have had two. Bought as chicks, bought in two different years from my local feed supply store. Both lay blueish eggs.
I’m curious what other people know about this variety
I think my birds look a little like cream leg bar - which would explain the blue color. What do you think?
What is the “correct” hybrid for this chicken?
Does anyone else have some that lay white eggs?

 

[NatJ]

I'm guessing yours might be a cross of Cream Legbar with something else. Cream Legbar x Marans seems to be a common cross to get "olive eggers" (green eggs, usually a fairly dark green.)

No personal experience with California Gray, but from what I've read: yes, they should lay white eggs. And no, they should not have that little crest behind the comb. A bit of googling tells me that Barred Rock and White Leghorn were used to develop the California Gray breed, and it did eventually breed true--unlike hybrids where you have to cross the same parent breeds each time to get that kind of chicks.

Some feedstores are really bad about having their chicks mis-labeled, so I'm guessing that's what happened with your chickens. Although if you have two that look alike and were purchased in different years, that is certainly odd.

Maybe there's a hatchery producing blue-egg-layers and calling them California Gray, and ignoring that the name has already been used

 

[Jodizon]

I'm guessing yours might be a cross of Cream Legbar with something else. Cream Legbar x Marans seems to be a common cross to get "olive eggers" (green eggs, usually a fairly dark green.)

No personal experience with California Gray, but from what I've read: yes, they should lay white eggs. And no, they should not have that little crest behind the comb. A bit of googling tells me that Barred Rock and White Leghorn were used to develop the California Gray breed, and it did eventually breed true--unlike hybrids where you have to cross the same parent breeds each time to get that kind of chicks.

Some feedstores are really bad about having their chicks mis-labeled, so I'm guessing that's what happened with your chickens. Although if you have two that look alike and were purchased in different years, that is certainly odd.

Maybe there's a hatchery producing blue-egg-layers and calling them California Gray, and ignoring that the name has already been used

That was my thought - the first year maybe a mistake, but the same mistake two years in a row? Strange. At the feed store they thought it was going to be a white egg too. I’ve never chatted with anyone else that has this breed

 

[tommysgirl]

I had CG's for several years and the birds in you picture are much too dark and yes the blue egg is another dead give away. I agree that these may be Cream Legbar crosses, maybe with CG since the egg is blue and not olive.

Most of the people at the feed store are not chicken people though many try to be helpful. Lots and lots of misinformation comes from feed store peeps.

I'm guessing yours might be a cross of Cream Legbar with something else. Cream Legbar x Marans seems to be a common cross to get "olive eggers" (green eggs, usually a fairly dark green.)