Cross-breeding and egg color questions!

[TheBanditQueen]

I was just curious what happens if breeds with different egg colors get crossed. For example, a Leghorn (white eggs) and an Orpington (brown eggs). What color eggs would the offspring lay?

Does the combination of parents make a difference? I.e., white egg rooster over brown egg hen, versus brown egg rooster over white egg hen?

Would a blue egg breed x brown or white egg breed cross work the same way, or would it be different? Are there dominant and recessive eggshell colors?

Hope that didn't sound too stupid...

I don't know much about chicken genetics and egg color genes and all that just yet, but the subject fascinates me. Thanks!

 

[nicalandia]

I was just curious what happens if breeds with different egg colors get crossed. For example, a Leghorn (white eggs) and an Orpington (brown eggs). What color eggs would the offspring lay?

Does the combination of parents make a difference? I.e., white egg rooster over brown egg hen, versus brown egg rooster over white egg hen?

Would a blue egg breed x brown or white egg breed cross work the same way, or would it be different? Are there dominant and recessive eggshell colors?

Hope that didn't sound too stupid...

I don't know much about chicken genetics and egg color genes and all that just yet, but the subject fascinates me. Thanks!

this is a really good question, when you cross a white egg shell breed like leghorns with a brown egg shell breed you will hatch birds that lay Tinted/cream colored eggs,


as for gender? while the brown egg shell gene and genes Contributing to keep an white shell egg white(brown egg shell color inhibitors have been found) most of these genes are autosomal(located outside of the sex chromosome Z ) some of this undocumented genes are also located on the Z chromosomes, meaning if you cross a Brown egg shell breed rooster with a white leghorn, the pullets would have inherited any and all of the sex linked genes found on the brown egg shell breed, breeds like Marans/Welsummers are very likely to have these sex linked genes that most brown egg shell breeds lack

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

There are many different genes that contribute to egg colour. First, there is the actual colour of the eggshell and second there is a secondary wash of colour laid over the formed shell. The eggshell itself is either white or blue, with blue being dominant. Think of it like tinting concrete before it is poured.

The "wash" adds brown pigment, clears away any brown pigment, adds a shiny surface, adds a matte surface. There are many genes that interact together to determine what happens in an individual hen. This wash can be thought of as applying a coat of paint to the surface of the concrete.

 

[TheBanditQueen]

Wow...this is most interesting!!