Egg size of hybrid layers

[Toddrick]

I bred a Red rooster with a Buff Orpington. The Reds lay large brown eggs, and the BO's lay smaller cream eggs. The two F1 hens lay eggs the same size as the BO mother (one cream and one light brown).

My question is this: Will I get large eggs if I cross an F1 rooster with another Red? That should make them genetically 75% Red, and 25% BO, so I'm guessing most would be large eggs, probably brown, light brown and cream.

 

[Toddrick]

Anyone got any advice?

 

[Toddrick]

How about just some postulations?

 

[draye]

I've noticed with my hens that I raise, hybrid or not. The hens tend to take back after mom on egg size and color, with a few exceptions here and there.

Back to color though it isn't a guarantee though I've lost the blue/green egg color from just one outcross to brown egg layers and have kept it breeding 2 generations out.

If you're want ginormous eggs breed to a red sex link hen. You'll get very big eggs, but you'll also lose the length of lay most if the time.

 

[Toddrick]

If egg size is inherited from the mother than that would be great. It fits so far, and the next generation mother will be a Production Red, so the eggs might all be large.

 

[draye]

If egg size is inherited from the mother than that would be great. It fits so far, and the next generation mother will be a Production Red, so the eggs might all be large.

As I said not always, but a lot of the time.

The production Reds that I had didn't lay extra large eggs. Most were a ( can't think of the word, but) a medium ish-large to a large size egg. Some were huamst medium size. I will give them credit as good consistent layers, almost every day layers, with only an occasional day off.

 

[Toddrick]

I've noticed with my hens that I raise, hybrid or not. The hens tend to take back after mom on egg size and color, with a few exceptions here and there.

Back to color though it isn't a guarantee though I've lost the blue/green egg color from just one outcross to brown egg layers and have kept it breeding 2 generations out.

If you're want ginormous eggs breed to a red sex link hen. You'll get very big eggs, but you'll also lose the length of lay most if the time.

Turns out that the hens actually are Red Sex link hens. Golden Comets of the BRxNH Red I believe. They lay jumbo eggs. They are at the end of their two years of heavy laying, and are molting right now, even though it is summer! Their eggs are all coming out disfigured and pale, so hopefully they are viable to hatch.