Egg color

[chic_a_lay]

If i hatch a chick/hen from a green egg will it then lay green egg? Or, I guess, how do you know what color a hens eggs will be....and, do they only lay one color of eggs or can a single hen lay assorted colors of eggs?

 

[eggbert420]

 

[junebuggena]

A hen will only lay one color for her entire lifetime. Egg color is determined by genetics, and both parents contribute genes for egg color. There are only two options for shell color, white or blue. Blue is dominant over white. Brown eggs are the result of a coating applied over a white shell. Green eggs are the result of that coating applied over a blue shell. The genes that control the coating are very complicated, involving about 9 known genes, and individuals can have several of those genes in combination. And they don't always inherit in a predictable manner.

This chart is just a rough estimate.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

There are two shell colors; white and blue. White is recessive (o+/o+) and blue is dominant (O/O). To get brown eggs, there is a brown pigment on a white shell. Green eggs are the result of the brown on a blue shell.

Since blue is dominant, a bird only needs one copy of the gene to express it. So, a hen could lay blue eggs but carry a recessive white shell allele (O/o+). 50% of her offspring should carry the blue shell gene, and 50% would not. Of course, numbers don't always work out exactly that way.

If one parent (male or female) is pure for blue shells and the other pure for brown, all offspring would lay green eggs. Punnett squares are very helpful in understanding these things.

Also, a hen will only lay one egg color her whole life. While the shade of the egg may change (brown may get lighter or darker depending on the case) egg color never changes.

 

[chic_a_lay]

Interesting. Good to know. Now, any idea why I have one hen that consistently lays a really large torpedo/football shaped brown egg with "freckles". Only one lays this egg....Every time.

 

[junebuggena]

Just the way it is. I've got hens that lay perfect ovals, some lay almost completely round, and other are more pointed. It's all normal.

 

[chic_a_lay]

I like the freckles!