Easter Egger club!

[jerryse]

When crossing a green egg laying EE hen to an Appenzeller rooster (white egg breed), I am hoping to brighten up the green and hopefully work toward pure blue. Anyone else ever done this cross?

Not that exact cross but I have used white egg layers to clean up the color.

 

[Gryphon]

Crossing a green layer to a white will result in half the offspring being a "cleaner" blue layer and the other half being a very light brown layer (depends on what kind of brown you're starting with, while white and blue are simple genomes, brown has a whole bunch of them influencing color, so it's not always cut and dried)

A goid site I recently found explaining color is this one: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/gms1-genetics-of-egg-color/

The second intallment is about breeding for blue: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/gms2-breeding-for-blue-eggs/

 

[CarolinaHen]

Not that exact cross but I have used white egg layers to clean up the color.

How much did it clean it up? Were you able to get a true blue? My F1 crosses should start laying soon, and I am hopefully expectant

 

[CarolinaHen]

Crossing a green layer to a white will result in half the offspring being a "cleaner" blue layer and the other half being a very light brown layer (depends on what kind of brown you're starting with, while white and blue are simple genomes, brown has a whole bunch of them influencing color, so it's not always cut and dried)

A goid site I recently found explaining color is this one: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/gms1-genetics-of-egg-color/

The second intallment is about breeding for blue: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/gms2-breeding-for-blue-eggs/

Wow! I haven't seen that site before. It's fantastic! So much easier than the gene calculator to understand. Thanks!

 

[jerryse]

How much did it clean it up? Were you able to get a true blue? My F1 crosses should start laying soon, and I am hopefully expectant

Yes true blue. The link posted for breeding blue eggs was a very good one.

 

[Gryphon]

No problem! The rest of the pages about genetics are just as good.

 

[CarolinaHen]

No problem! The rest of the pages about genetics are just as good.

Yes it is! I've been reading while my students are doing a writing assignment

 

[Gryphon]

You're educating yourself so you can pass on the knowledge.

 

[CarolinaHen]

You're educating yourself so you can pass on the knowledge.

Good answer!

 

[CarolinaHen]

19 EE babies!!