Egg color question

[dreamyj]

We have whiting true blue and whiting true green hens. We have 3 Roos who’s breeds are Sicilian buttercup, white silkie, and I believe the other is a Minorca. He was the freebie thrown in with our order. He is black but has large white earlobes. I was wondering what color eggs could we expect if we hatched from these hens? Does the female determine egg color or the roo or is it from a mix? I have a silkie hen who it seems is always broody. Found her setting today even though she just hatched chicks 5 weeks ago. This is about the 6 time she has been broody. She is a good mama for 4-6 weeks then she wants to sit on eggs again. So I thought perhaps I might put some of the blue or green eggs under her but was wondering what the outcome would be if she hatches hens.

 

[dehowery]

According to Michigan State University Extension, egg color is determined by the genetics of the hens. The breed of the hen will indicate what color eggs she will produce. For example, Leghorn chickens lay white eggs while Orpington's lay browneggs and Ameraucana produce blue eggs.

Chicken Earlobes and Egg Color
Another way to try to predict egg color is to look at the hen’s earlobe. If it’s white, then the egg will most likely be white. If it’s red, the egg will most likely be brown. This works about 75% of the time.

If it’s important for you to know what color the eggs will be, the best advice we can give is do some research, and know your breed before you get any chicks. That way you can have brown eggs instead of, say, avocado colored eggs, if that’s what you prefer!

 

[Sneebsey]

The genetics for egg colour are inherited from both parents, regardless of gender; you will just never get an egg out of a cockerel.

The earlobe thing is also a myth, I'm afraid. Genetically there is no link between egg colour and earlobe colour, but some breeds have been bred to have the two the same. A leghorn hen lays white eggs and has white earlobes; she doesn't lay white eggs because she has white earlobes.

An egg shell may be white (o+/o+) or blue (O/O), with blue being dominant over the wildtype white. All other colours are a result of layers of pigment over the shell.

If your hens are O/O and your cockerel o/o, all offspring will be O/o and will lay blue eggs. If the hens are O/o, half the offspring will be o/o and will lay white.

There are many genes behind pigment layers over the top of the shell, and a hen may lay an egg anywhere on the scale from her mother's egg to her father's hypothetical one.

ETA: I believe Minorca and buttercup usually lay white, silkie cream.