Egg Color Question(s)

[suki'smom]

I have a couple questions:

First lets say I cross a brown egg layer with a white egg layer, what would be the next step in getting offspring that lay white eggs? Would the F1 offspring (or unrelated offspring of a similar cross) when bred together produce chicks that lay white eggs? Or would the F1 offspring have to be bred to a white egg layer for them to produce chicks that produce white eggs?

I am also interested in the same questions only applied to a green egg layer crossed with a white egg layer. What would I have to do in this situation to get offspring that lay white eggs?

I have a bit of experience with genetics but I am still quite "green" on the subject. Any help is greatly appreciated

 

[hdowden]

why do you want a brown and green layer to lay white?

sorry this makes no since to me

 

[Rachel96]

Ditto. White is boring... I'd be asking whether the F1s would produce brown/green egg-layers rather than white!

Apart from that, sorry, I have no idea!

 

[hdowden]

everyone around here wants colored eggs not white :-/ and ask how to make colored eggs darker not white

 

[Oregon Blues]

Just buy some breeds that lay white eggs. It would be a lot more simple. The best and most efficient egg layer lays white eggs already (The Leghorn).

If you go ahead with your breeding project, anyway, keep records and come back and tell us how it turned out.

 

[suki'smom]

Just buy some breeds that lay white eggs.  It would be a lot more simple.  The best and most efficient egg layer lays white eggs already (The Leghorn).

If you go ahead with your breeding project, anyway, keep records and come back and tell us how it turned out.

There are qualities I want in my white egg layers that are not currently in any breed of white egg layers, or not to the point I want them to be anyways. I am attempting to bring forth those qualities but was hoping someone could give me an idea of where to start.

I will indeed be going on with this breeding project.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I agree; most of these answers were not helpful. What other people want and what you want do not have to coincide. The answer to your question is that it will probably not be easy to get back to white laying birds. There are 13+ documented genes relating to egg colour, and you need to get ALL of them lined up correctly to get white eggs.

Start with the white egg breed closest to the other characteristics you want. If there are several different white egg breeds that contain a mix of the characteristics you want, you may want to cross them for a generation or two, and keep the birds that display the most of the characteristics you want. Then cross them to the non-white egg breed that will bring in the other characteristics. You will probably have to make multiple generation crosses, balancing breeding for other characteristics and for egg colour.

 

[suki'smom]

I agree; most of these answers were not helpful.  What other people want and what you want do not have to coincide.  The answer to your question is that it will probably not be easy to get back to white laying birds.  There are 13+ documented genes relating to egg colour, and you need to get ALL of them lined up correctly to get white eggs.

Start with the white egg breed closest to the other characteristics you want.  If there are several different white egg breeds that contain a mix of the characteristics you want, you may want to cross them for a generation or two, and keep the birds that display the most of the characteristics you want.  Then cross them to the non-white egg breed that will bring in the other characteristics.  You will probably have to make multiple generation crosses, balancing breeding for other characteristics and for egg colour.

Thank you, your post was helpful

Would it be easier to get white eggs from a brown egg layer or a green? Or since both of these colors are dominant would it be equally as difficult?

My plan was to cross a couple brown egg layers until I got the traits I wanted and do the same with the white egg layers. Then cross the two types I ended up with, and select for the physical traits I desire in the F1 offspring as I figure that this first generation would all be brown egg layers.

Where I am stuck is what to do next in order to get white egg layers out of the F1 offspring. Would it make more sense to cross the F1 offspring with a white egg layer or with unrelated F1 offspring of a similar cross? I feel that crossing back to a white egg layer may remove some of the physical characteristics I desire but I will go this route if I must.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: First, white eggshell is recessive to blue, so going from a green egglayer is prbabl more difficult. Going from a blue egglayer might be easier as you don't have to deal with all the myriad genes for brown egg coatings.

All the other genes for brown versus white are a mix of dominance.

Can you tell me what traits you are wanting as a goal?

 

[hdowden]

Where I am stuck is what to do next in order to get white egg layers out of the F1 offspring. Would it make more sense to cross the F1 offspring with a white egg layer or with unrelated F1 offspring of a similar cross? I feel that crossing back to a white egg layer may remove some of the physical characteristics I desire but I will go this route if I must.

i would do both for at least 2 gens.