Egg color

[srpaint]

Not sure if this is where this question belongs or not.

I am wondering what determines the color or the egg? I have have pullets that will lay white, greenish (EE), and brown eggs. Then I for roos I have 1 barred rock, 1 EE, and a couple silkies.

 

[Illia]

Could you elaborate on your question?


Egg color is brought by both parents, - green eggs are from a brown coating over blue eggs (often brown x blue layers or green x green layers or green x brown layers) brown eggs are, well, brown eggs. There's lots and lots of genes that go into the brown color, especially dark brown. White eggs I don't know much about but sometimes I feel they're an "off-switch" since they don't affect the actual color of the egg, they just lighten it. (when crossed to others, including green)

 

[srpaint]

You answered it well! I was wanting to know how the color comes about. Like if my EE roo covers a silkie pullet or a barred rock pullet. And so on with all the mixes. You explained it well. Thank You

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might think of it this way. The egg shell has a basic color. It is either white or blue. If you break and egg and look on the inside, you can look under the membrane and see the basic egg shell color. The blue egg shell gene is dominant, so if the hen is pure for blue (two blue genes) or split (one blue and one white gene) the egg shell will be blue.

I've opened brown eggs and seen a lot of different shades of "white", so some of the other genes Illia mentioned must be in play to give you the actual shade, but the basic color of the egg shell is either blue or white.

The brown comes from other genes and is applied as a coating in the shell gland. It can be sandpapered off to show the basic color underneath. The brown that is applied can range from a light ivory or pink shade to a dark chocolate brown. There are different genes that control this, so how they mix and match controls what the actual shade will be.

This may help explain it.

Blue shell with no brown = Blue egg
Blue shell with light brown coating = Light green egg
Blue shell with dark brown coating = Olive green egg

White shell with no brown = White egg
White shell with light brown coating = Light brown egg
White shell with dark brown coating = Dark brown egg

 

[srpaint]

Thank You. That helps a lot too.

So my chicken that is laying white eggs is probably not being covered by any rooster since her egg is still very white? I collect and eat all my eggs. I do not hatch them so it makes no difference to me if they are fertile or not. But I do like to learn and now what I have going on here.

Thanks both of you for the information!

 

[Ridgerunner]

No. The rooster has absolutely no influence on what color of egg the hen he mates with lays. He has an influence on what color of egg his daughter will lay.

 

[Gerry2011]

Quote:
So what you are saying is my marans roo on an ameraucana hen will not produce an olive egg, but if that egg is hatched and is a hen she will lay oes...is that right?

 

[Illia]

Quote:
So what you are saying is my marans roo on an ameraucana hen will not produce an olive egg, but if that egg is hatched and is a hen she will lay oes...is that right?

Yes.

 

[Gerry2011]

Thank you.....sure will save me some disappointment

when I don't get any oes when my hens start laying later this year.

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
I don't think you can tell if she's being covered or not from this... she should lay the eggs her genes program her to lay, regarless if they are fertile or not.

Now if you hatched one of her fertile eggs, and that chick turned out to be a hen, then the new hen's egg color would be determined by the genes of your white-egg-laying hen and whichever rooster covered her.