eggcolor

[chickenma]

Who effect the egg collor in a chicken . Is it the hen or the rooster?

 

[sunnydee]

I am just guessing at this one...but I want to say hen. If a rooster was needed for egg color..then what about the color of eggs with no rooster??

 

[warhorse]

I think she meant genetically speaking. How much influence is the rooster in the egg color? Good question. Are some colors more dominant than others?

 

[sara]

I'm not sure, but I want to say both have something to do with it. From what I've been told with Ameraucanas, I want to use a rooster from a good blue egg.

 

[Old Rando]

Both males and females carry the genetics for egg color. The color of the egg being layed by a hen is determined by the genes she recieved from both her mother and father(one copy from each). The males genetics play no part in an egg being layed by a hen in his mating group but it does effect the eggs produced by the pullets he will father.
An example might be a leghorn hen will always lay a white egg even if she is in a pen with a Rhode Island Red rooster, but the pullets produced from this mating will lay brown or light brown eggs. I hope this makes sense to you,

Old Rando

 

[seriousbill]

Old Rando is exactly right, but I just want to add that egg shell color is a polygenic trait. So, that means that more than one gene from each parent is involved.

 

[warhorse]

egg color question revisited:


What is the dominance of different egg color genes? For instance, with Ameraucana, is the blue egg color dominant such as in a cross with a white egg laying breed will the f-1 be blue egglayers? Does it matter which parent carries which genes? Will a white egg breed rooster crossed on true Ameraucana hens produce offspring that lay blue eggs? Would the body type and prolific lay of the white egg laying breed transfer some? Apologies if these are stupid "noob" questions, and thanks for any information anyone can share.

 

[seriousbill]

Blue egg shell color is a dominant trait, and yes, my understanding is that it would show up over white. My understanding is that it is not sex-linked, so I don't think it matters which parent carries it.

Body type and laying ability are complex traits, and it is probable that some of those characteristics would appear in the offspring, but not in any predictable way.

Hope this helps.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I've heard that both play a role but the male has a "bigger" role in this for some reason. I will try to find the link that I read that from as I was curious on this as well.


Edit: They say the father is the dominant one for this trait.

http://www.utilitypoultry.co.uk/eggcolour.shtml

 

[seriousbill]

Quote:
The male plays a bigger role in brown egg shell color, because one or more of those traits are sex-linked. But blue egg shell color is autosomal. And ,to my knowledge, there aren't any known modifying factors that are sex-linked to go along with it. Someone fee free correct me on that if I'm wrong.