EE/Barred Rock- -Barred EEs Roo or pullet?

[clawstar]

Is this guy (front and center) a little rooster? I just want to make sure I'm sexing them by their pea combs correctly. I'll post individual photos tomorrow! They are barred EEs? Well barred rock EE mixes. They have darker legs like their mom (EE) along with cheeks and beard. Photo is a week old. They (the pullets) will lay green eggs right?

 

[donrae]

The bird in front does look like a little cockerel.

What color egg does momma lay? And, she's the biological momma, right?

If she lays blue, you'll probably get all green egg laying pullets.

If she lays green, you'll likely have a mix of green and brown eggers.

They're sure cute--I love barred EE, with the beard and muffs

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I agree the middle bird looks to be a rooster.

If EE mom is the biological mother, and a Barred Rock is the father, then you'll statistically get 50% brown or 50% green.

Whether mom lays blue or green doesn't matter as she is an EE hybrid and likely only has 1 blue gene to pass along to her offspring.

Blue layer simply means no brown wash to coat the blue shell as it goes down the egg tract. A blue layer bred to a white layer will produce blue eggs, usually light blue as there is only 1 blue gene.

Green layer means the genetics are present for the brown wash to be added onto the egg shell. If the egg shell is blue, you get green as the end result. If the egg shell is white (no blue gene present as it is dominant), you'll get shades of brown eggs.

In order to get 100% green layers, you need a purebred 2 blue gene parent with a parent that has brown wash, ie a brown layer. Then every offspring will receive 1 blue gene and brown wash genes (there's about 13 that cause the brown wash).

How dark those brown genes are determines whether you get green or olive.

If you start with a hybrid blue/green layer, you automatically almost always start with only 1 blue gene present in the parent meaning 50% of the chicks will get it and 50% won't (as Punnet Squares will show).

So with an EE/BR combo as parents, you'll get 50% green and 50% shades of brown....as the coin tosses statistically.

LofMc

 

[summerb123]

agree with both!

 

[clawstar]

Thanks for all the help! I'll be posting pictures of individual chicks soon (well singles of the believed-to-be-Roos) and just one picture of the pullets... somehow Mama hatched 11 of the little things

Would it be appropriate to sell them as EEs if 50% may lay brown eggs?

 

[clawstar]

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

Pullets?

Seeing as there are only 11 chicks two got doubled up somewhere...

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thanks for all the help! I'll be posting pictures of individual chicks soon (well singles of the believed-to-be-Roos) and just one picture of the pullets... somehow Mama hatched 11 of the little things

Would it be appropriate to sell them as EEs if 50% may lay brown eggs?

No, they are not EE's, they are barred mixed birds.

Technically, an Easter Egger has no breed standard as it is a mix not a breed. It will not breed true. (The definition of breed).

It is only that first generation of Ameraucana (2 blue genes) or Araucana (2 blue genes) over some other, any other breed, that renders a first, one time, generation of the hybrid we call Easter Egger.

Taking an EE and breeding it dilutes the genes further and you've got a mix of a mix.

It is the same thing with Black Sex Links and Red Sex Links. The sex linking only occurs the first generation, so the hybrid necessary to produce the sexable chick down applies only to the first generation. Thus the hybrid name is only correctly used to the first generation. If you take a BSL or RSL and breed them, even to the same hybrid, you no longer get the characteristics of sexable down...you just get red or black mix breed birds.

So it would not be accurate nor fair to call your chicks EE's as someone will buy that, half hear what you tell them, and then sell it or breed it so that the next person has no idea how far back the blue gene may or may not be. Without very careful selection, eventually breeding EE's you will no longer have any that lay blue or green eggs.

So mark them as barred backyard mixes with the possibility that some may lay green eggs, but assure them it is likely brown eggs (to prevent disappointment) and make sure your buyers understand if they have a green/blue layer, that does not breed forward true.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

#4, 6 and 7 look to be your pullets
#3 and 8 are probably roos, but might be lucky to be pullets

The rest look to be roos.

LofMc

 

[donrae]

I'd avoid the term EE also. I'd call them barnyard mixes, possible to lay green or brown eggs.

I skirted that issue last year by labeling my birds "Camo Eggers"

. I said it was possible to get any color found in camouflage from my pullets. Shades of brown and green, and with my mix some blue and white were possible also.

 

[clawstar]

I love that term! Camo eggers! Around here the term Easter Egger doesn't really apply to just the first generation to the people not breeding their birds. They see EE and think colorful eggs they don't care what genetics are involved because they just want eggs. But when I sell them I most definitely will say they are Barred rock X EE's and post pictures of their parents for anyone interested in breeding them.