Ear Lobes = Egg Color?

[GodLovesU]

I was watching a documentary style show (Unwrapped) a week or two ago and a woman who worked at a chicken farm claimed that ear lobe color determines the color of eggs a chicken lays. Is this a myth, or do lobes and eggs actually affect each other, color-wise? If so, how?

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I was watching a documentary style show (Unwrapped) a week or two ago and a woman who worked at a chicken farm claimed that ear lobe color determines the color of eggs a chicken lays. Is this a myth, or do lobes and eggs actually affect each other, color-wise? If so, how?

Seeing as silkies have blue ear lobes but lay white/cream eggs, I'd say that's false.

 

[Squawkers]

I was watching a documentary style show (Unwrapped) a week or two ago and a woman who worked at a chicken farm claimed that ear lobe color determines the color of eggs a chicken lays. Is this a myth, or do lobes and eggs actually affect each other, color-wise? If so, how?

I have always believed this to be true! Red ear lobed chickens lay brown eggs and white lay white. With some obvious exceptions being colored egg layers

 

[Squawkers]

Seeing as silkies have blue ear lobes but lay white/cream eggs, I'd say that's false.

I believe this would fall into the category of one of the exceptions!

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I believe this would fall into the category of one of the exceptions!

I mean I have a few red eared who lay blue and red eared who lay white so...

 

[Squawkers]

I mean I have a few red eared who lay blue and red eared who lay white so...

Are they mixed? It might only apply to purebreds

 

[FrostRanger]

It's a coincidence, many brown laying breeds happen to have red lobes while many white layers happen to have white lobes, ear color though has no bearing on egg color it's just a myth with some basis in truth

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

I was watching a documentary style show (Unwrapped) a week or two ago and a woman who worked at a chicken farm claimed that ear lobe color determines the color of eggs a chicken lays. Is this a myth, or do lobes and eggs actually affect each other, color-wise? If so, how?

IF there's any genetics that do in fact tie earlobe color and egg color, somebody else will chime in I'm sure.

But to my knowledge, it's a myth derived from a misunderstanding about how the breeds came about.

Part of SOP includes ear color and egg color.
Whoever all made and/or approved various breeds, whether by coincidence or intentional, the SOP earlobe color ended up "matching" egg colors.

 

[JedJackson]

It is a myth. It is true that many European breeds with white earlobes lay white eggs, but this is something that has probably been selected for. White eggs were preferred in the past to brown or tinted eggs, especially in European countries.

Breeds like the barred Holland were bred to be dual purpose, white egg laying birds in America. They have red ear lobes. There is the Penedesenca chicken that lays some of the darkest brown eggs of all, and they have white ear lobes.

 

[FrostRanger]

On an semi-related note, I loved unwrapped when I was a kid! Very cool to see how different foods are made