Egg laying genetics, need help.

[Brunty_Farms]

What determines the egg color when a hen lays an egg. I understand the basics of which chickens lay wich color eggs.

I'm trying to figure out if a white egg laying cock is bred to a dark egg laying hen....what will the color of the eggs from the offspring be?

Would they be tinted, a variety of light and dark?

Has anyone tried to breed a white leghorn male to a Sex-link hen (golden comet - red star)?

If so what were the results? What color where the pullets and cockerals? What color eggs did they lay?

Any information will help, as I'm going to experiment this spring and wondered if anyone has tried it.... and hopefully learn from their mistakes.

 

[Guitartists]

I don't know if this will help, but.....

They say to choose the male from the best colored egg when breeding blue and choc egg layers... but no one seems to know for sure if there is any truth to this, but certainly it can't hurt.

White and blue are SHELL colors and browns and chocolates are a COATING, therefore... a brown and blue egger will most likely create a green egger as a green egg is a BLUE egg with a BROWN coating.

Also, some white egg layers (Leghorns etc) have a white chalky coating on their eggs. So, in theory this trait also could be passed on creating a lighter shade of egg.

That's about all I know

 

[seriousbill]

Quote:
Egg shell color is determined by multiple genes that the hen inherits from both of her parents. A white egg layer bred to a brown egg layer usually produces a light brown egg layer. Yes, lots of people have done this.

 

[ghulst]

Light Brown eggs

 

[Brunty_Farms]

What's throwing me off is the fact that the "red" sex link chicken most hatcheries sell are not the normal White leghorn hen and rhode Island red rooster?

The hens are in fact white (which determines the sex-link genes) but the eggs she lays are in fact brown?

The rooster is not a typical rhode island red, as the ear lobes on the roosters are white?? Not red.....

So I guess back to the drawing board. There is a few generations to get what commercial producers have, but it's not that difficult I would think?

I would really like to hear some of people resutls with breeding with the "red" sex links... anyone try?

 

[Old Rando]

Red sex links from hatcheries don't have a white leghorn mother. Production varieties of White rocks, Rhode Island Whites , Delawares or other brown egg laying strains of proper genetic color are used for the maternal side. A production strain of Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds or a non-defined Production red are the paternal stock

 

[Brunty_Farms]

See I was always told and read that the mother of the production reds were leghorn females. That's interesting, as the males seem to have the leghorn in the grandparent stock.


Here is a link of some of the pics that i'm talking about.

http://www.hyline.com/userdocs/libr...ne_Brown_&_W-36_Breeders_and_Commercials_.pdf



Scroll down and look at the "white rock females" They definately are not leghorns.

The males have a white earlobe if you look closely.... definately not a trait of the Rhode Island Red.

 

[Old Rando]

You are right. White Rocks are not White Leghorns. They are not supposed to be. White Rocks are White Plymouth Rocks.

There is only one red male I can see plainly enough to see it's earlobe color clearly and it is red. The ones that look like they might be white are at an angle. If you look at the picture of the red femnales it is the same. There are two that are perpendicular to the camer and have obvious red ear lobes the ones at various angles appear lighter in color. Camera glare.

Most hatcheries mention how their sex-links are bred. Red malesXbarred females, RIR malesXRIW females, Red MalesX White Rock females etc. I have never seen one claiming their brown egg laying sex-links were bred from White leghorn females.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Hellllllooooooooooooo!

Red sex links are not all the same. McMurray Red Stars are RIR X White Leghorn. The resulting females are feathered from reddish brown to a lot of white and they lay BIG brown shell eggs.

 

[Old Rando]

Here is the info on the Red Star from Murray NcMurray

"We have finally found the sex link BROWN EGG LAYER that meets our strict specifications; easy to raise, lays large brown eggs, and has a good feed conversion ratio. A "sex-link" chicken is one, which at time of hatch, can be sexed by its color. RED STAR: These hens will mature with feathers that are reddish brown with flecks of white throughout. The males are all white with nice yellow skin. (They will not retain the same characteristics in future.) At approximately 22 weeks these hens will start to lay and lay they will. We're sure this hardy bird will become a favorite of yours as it lays eggs right through hot or cold weather. No wonder it's called the Red Star."

No where does it say they are bred from white leghorn females.