EE egg color question

[poultrylubber]

Hi everyone! My question is if I were to cross a EE hen with a BO rooster would the offspring(hens) still lay colored eggs. I have read that the Marans egg color is a recessive gene so won't be passed on if mixed with another breed. Is this the same with EEs. If anyone can help that would be great Thanks

 

[thebanthams]

I am hoping to find out soon what color eggs my chickies will lay ! I have several 2 months old EE and silkie cross. I am worried some will be roosters ! will have to wait and find out soon!

 

[poultrylubber]

I hope it all goes well!!

 

[my sunwolf]

Blue egg gene is dominant and linked with the pea comb. So, if your EE's have pea combs and you cross them with a BO, the offspring with pea combs should lay green eggs, and the offspring with single combs should lay brown eggs.

The dark Marans egg color is not recessive, per se, the darkness of the brown just tends not to stay that very dark chocolate, but the brown will still be there. So, if you cross an EE with a Marans, the offspring with pea combs will lay dark green to olive eggs.

 

[Arielle]

EE x brown egger = a green egg, usually a very soft olive to a med olive

My marans put on a light coating of brown, so a blue egg is covered with a coating of brown so the effect is med olive. If you cross a pullet back to a marans, the coating gets another coating, and the result is a darker olive.

It isn't as simple as this, as the genes are combinations that can be sorted into a number of ways so you can get several colors from the same breeding when using several individuals.

one ee gene x white = pastel blue, a paler blue; two ee blue = deeper blue ( I have recently read this info posted by someone I respect as in the know)

I also suspect some of my non-pea combs lay a green egg. Pea combs can be along with a blue gene-- but I"m no longer convinced it is a hard and fast rule with cross breds; I"m still testing this out. THere is a breed of chicken that does not have a pea comb and is bred of blue eggs.

 

[poultrylubber]

Thank you guys so much that really helps. I've always wondered how you got the olive green eggs.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

There are a ton of genes that determine egg colour, meaning that inheritance is not simple. Add to it that a few of these genes are sexlinked.

The very general statement that if one parent comes from a dark egg laying breed and the other comes from a blue eggshell laying breed, your are probably going to get some shade of olive coloured eggs. The brown eggshell coating will probably not be as dark as the dark egg parent, and the blue eggshell will probably not be as dark a blue as that parent. But there can be a wide variation between all the offspring of those two parents.

 

[Arielle]

There are a ton of genes that determine egg colour, meaning that inheritance is not simple. Add to it that a few of these genes are sexlinked.

The very general statement that if one parent comes from a dark egg laying breed and the other comes from a blue eggshell laying breed, your are probably going to get some shade of olive coloured eggs. The brown eggshell coating will probably not be as dark as the dark egg parent, and the blue eggshell will probably not be as dark a blue as that parent. But there can be a wide variation between all the offspring of those two parents.

ANd that's the fun of breeding them and anticipating each shade of coloring. I love collecting the eggs and cleaning them for the egg carton. THe olives and blues are much more facinating than the typical browns.

 

[poultrylubber]

This is awesome!! Thank you guys so much for the info.

 

[number9]

I have believe it or not another egg color question. I have 2 EE hens (about 3 yr old) that my daughter gave me about a month ago. I have been getting green eggs from them which I expected. Today I got a blue egg. Is this unusual or not. Do you think I may get more blue eggs??