Ears...

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Ear lobe color is not genetically linked to egg color. Araucanas and Ameraucanas have red earlobes and lay blue eggs. Legbars have white earlobes and lay blue eggs. Penedesncas have white earlobes and lay terra cotta colored eggs. Hollands have red earlobes and lay white eggs.
Generally speaking most of the time a pure bird with white earlobes will lay white eggs and a pure bird with red earlobes will lay brown eggs.

 

[Ribh]

ok. Thank you. Some of this information came from your 4H club stuff ~ which I would have thought would be reasonably accurate given they are a training/club for junior farmers ~ or would be farmers ~ or do I have that wrong?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

ok. Thank you. Some of this information came from your 4H club stuff ~ which I would have thought would be reasonably accurate given they are a training/club for junior farmers ~ or would be farmers ~ or do I have that wrong?

95% of the time egg color can be based off of the pure breeds’ ear lobe color.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

ok. Thank you. Some of this information came from your 4H club stuff ~ which I would have thought would be reasonably accurate given they are a training/club for junior farmers ~ or would be farmers ~ or do I have that wrong?

http://www.genetics.org/content/genetics/13/6/470.full.pdf
THEY have it wrong. Many of these old salt 4H farmers go based on experience not science. Experience is full of bias but is often still useful.

So, the short version is there's NO genetic linkage.

The long version is, instead there is a SOCIAL linkage. MOST (not all) brown egg layers have been bred to red earlobes and MOST (not all) white egg layers have been bred to white earlobes. There's also an overwhelming number of brown egg layes (especially popular ones) than white egg layers. So chances are good that if you have a bird with white earlobes it lays white eggs...

But this is because we bred them that way, not because they're genetically linked in any way shape or form. It's a social link not a genetic link.
Kind of like how people may associate brown eggs as "healthier" and 'from a farm" but white eggs as "from a cage/industry". Since brown egg layers are more popular on free-range farms (as they're often heavier/hardier breeds and more common/adapted to outdoor life) and white egg layers are more popular in industrial farms (because they have lighter bodies and crank out more eggs living hard and dying fast) the association is made. But it doesn't mean brown eggs are healthier in any way or even better kept, they're just brown and can be as likely to be poorly treated birds as white layers.

The link is entirely social, not genetic. Cross a white lobed bird with a brown and the ear and egg color will be random. But because white purebred birds normally means white lobes it's still a useful comparison.

 

[aart]

Maybe this will stick in peoples minds....for those who don't already know
It's the ear LOBE, not the ear.

 

[Cindy in PA]

That is odd, as Plymouth Rocks should have red ears.

 

[GC-Raptor]

That is odd, as Plymouth Rocks should have red ears.

My Barred Rocks have Red earlobes.

. GC

 

[Ribh]

That is odd, as Plymouth Rocks should have red ears.

The lobes are red. The ears themselves are white or a grey to white.