Do Whiting True Blues have the Zinc White gene?

[FunClucks]

I'm thinking no, but can someone confirm?

I'm contemplating breeding green and/or olive eggers from female WTB using BCM roo.

I'm also looking into crossing WTB rooster over Marans (midnight majesty, cause that's what I have - I have both feather foot and non-feather-footed MMMs), and Black Australorps to make Olive eggers and green eggers.

Do you guys see any hiccups here?

 

[DarJones]

If Leghorns are in the background, then they have the zinc white gene. In a cross between a brown egg rooster and a blue egg hen, zinc white turns the eggs from the offspring to a sandy tan color. I'm not 100% sure what the results will be from a cross of a WTB rooster on a brown egg hen. From the crosses I've made, you may have to do 2 or 3 generations to get a green egg layer from these parents.

 

[FunClucks]

If Leghorns are in the background, then they have the zinc white gene. In a cross between a brown egg rooster and a blue egg hen, zinc white turns the eggs from the offspring to a sandy tan color. I'm not 100% sure what the results will be from a cross of a WTB rooster on a brown egg hen. From the crosses I've made, you may have to do 2 or 3 generations to get a green egg layer from these parents.

Yeah, I did a cross of my Prairie Bluebells (hen) with Production Red rooster (brown egg layer), I was thinking it would just inhibit the brown egg genes all the way or most of the way, but the blue would still show up, so I'd get light green or blue egg layers, but I only got about 2 hens (out of 16!!!), so I won't know much more than I did before I tried that. Won't know for sure what they lay till June.

I know the PBB have the zinc white gene, and I suspect many are heterozygous for blue egg/pea comb.

Was really hoping that I wouldn't have to deal with the zinc white gene with WTB.

 

[SourRoses]

They have Leghorn in the mix, so yes.

Ameraucana, or Legbars, are your main other options.

 

[FunClucks]

They have Leghorn in the mix, so yes.

Ameraucana, or Legbars, are your main other options.

Thank you so much for telling me! I'll have to adjust my chick order, if I can. Everything is crazy sold out.

 

[Emberhaven]

@FunClucks Have you read any posts at SilverHomestead.com? All about breeding for egg color with WTB roos resulting in olive, green speckled, and many shades of green and blue.

 

[FunClucks]

@FunClucks Have you read any posts at SilverHomestead.com? All about breeding for egg color with WTB roos resulting in olive, green speckled, and many shades of green and blue.

Thanks for the info, I'll take a look. I think I've been over there, but it's been a while, so I'm not sure.

In other news, my first Production Red x Prairie Bluebell Egger cross started laying Saturday. It's the same color as my Starlight green egger eggs, a light olive green, and about the same size, even as a pullet egg. So we'll see how the egg size increases and color changes over the next month or two. The shell is a beautiful matte green, with a bit of shine to it, like the SGE. No evidence of the chalky white bloom seen in both white leghorns and PBEs.

Waiting to see what the others lay...

 

[nicalandia]

They have Leghorn in the mix, so yes.

Ameraucana, or Legbars, are your main other options.

Many Legbars do have it too since they have Leghorn in their genetic Background.

 

[SourRoses]

Many Legbars do have it too since they have Leghorn in their genetic Background.

So only Ameraucana / Araucana are zinc white free?

I have an oopsie EE from a Leghorn and of course her eggs are lighter blue than the Ameraucana, but since she's a pretty paint I've been thinking of breeding her to my Am roo.
Does the zinc white gene lighten the eggs even with two copies of blue?

 

[FunClucks]

So only Ameraucana / Araucana are zinc white free?

I have an oopsie EE from a Leghorn and of course her eggs are lighter blue than the Ameraucana, but since she's a pretty paint I've been thinking of breeding her to my Am roo.
Does the zinc white gene lighten the eggs even with two copies of blue?

There's a number of other breeds that lay blue that should be zinc white free. Silverudd's blue and Cream Crested Legbar should also be zinc white free, I think. Not an expert here. Araucana for sure, but good luck getting ahold of one that is actually an araucana and not an americana or EE. Araucana breeders club of america is probably the place to start for sourcing Araucana. Some hatcheries say they have them, but have misleading advertising.

Not sure on the proposed cross, but if you try it and see, let us know how it goes.