Feather legged, pea comb, blue egg layer!

[josiemare]

Can someone please explain these genes to me?

Feather legs


Pea combs


Blue egg layers


I am interested in this combination as they are the my favorite aspects of a chicken. I realize that they would be mutts, but they would be my mutts. I am thinking of a feather legged, pea comb, blue egg laying easter egger!

Is this viable or doable for the back yarder? Please, all tips and suggestions! I know pea comb is dominant. I believe feather legged is dominant as well. Blue legged has me stumped!

Help! (Thank you!)

 

[Illia]

Feathered shanks in most cases is dominant, same with pea combs (however not all pea combed birds are homozygous for it - meaning they aren't 100% pea combed) as for blue eggs, it goes like this. . .

blue egg x blue egg = blue egg

blue egg x green egg = blue/green eggs

blue egg x brown egg = green egg

blue egg x white egg = light blue egg

green egg x green egg = green & brown eggs with a possibility of blue.


There are indeed feather legged Easter Eggers out there. . . People often cross Cochins or Marans with them, but the result will lay dark olive green or green eggs. You'd need to breed back to a blue egg layer quite a few times, and keep the feathered legs in your breeding.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

From a quick search, I think Sultans are the only LF, feather legged white egg layers, but they are kind of notoriously lousy layers and not very hardy. I think they would make an interesting match with a good Ameraucana. You would get feather legged, vulture hocked, bearded and at least somewhat crested light blue egg layers. I bet the combs would be interesting, the Sultan has the v-comb, I'm not sure what would happen to that when paired with a pea comb.

You should do it and share lots of pictures!!!

Other breeds you might try are Brahmas and Faverolles, I think they have the lightest brown eggs of the more standard LF feather footed breed. Illia, did I see somewhere that you had Brahma/Ameraucana EEs?

 

[Illia]

Nope. Thought of it once, but I'd rather wait until I have real Brahmas. . . . My little 5 lb girls aren't really worth breeding anything to.


V comb x Pea comb makes a small little leaf/butterfly looking comb. Looks kind of like this:

Two parts split off like a v comb, but are joined together to make a sort of bowl or like two hands cupping.

The crest from the Sultan will not appear in the offspring, as about 90% of all the Sultans in the US have tiny, horrible quality crests.

 

[SpringChickens]

I have a mutt chick (salmon faverolle roo X EE hen) with feather legs and a pea comb who I am hoping will lay green/blue eggs. She's really cute, too.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Egg colour is a LOT more complicated than either pea comb or feathered legs. There is one gene for pea comb, three for feathered legs and MANY for egg colour.

An eggshell is either blue or white. Brown eggs come from the deposition of a coating of pigment after the shell is formed. Most of these "coating genes" add or alter the colour of the brown coating, but some whiten or lighten the coating instead. That said, Illia's chart on eggshell colour is pretty accurate. Also, over the course of a hen's laying cycle the amount of pigment put into either eggshell or coating can be reduced significantly. What starts as a darker blue can become nearly white by the time that laying cycle ends and molt begins; likewise for a brown egg. And over the lifetime of the hen, the depth of colour can lighten. That said, the amount of variation in egg colour can vary between different hens, with one's eggs more dramatically different than another's.

 

[josiemare]

Well, I have 4 pullets & two cockrels from my EEs & Buff brahma roo! Sadly, the parents are lost! 3 jumped into my dogs mouths. 1 taken by owl! These are secure now!

The pullets have pea comb with a varying degree of feathering on their legs! I am hoping that they lay at least a green egg. They are really neat in their coloring. Two are buff like the buff brahma pullets. Two are like the EEs in coloring, black and gold.

I am willing to accept the green eggs. I think it is doable!

I am already aware of brahma and cochins for their influence of feather footednes....... Yeah. I just really like the pea combs.

Thanks guys/gals! I am looking forward to this cross. I have several cochins I am raising now. I have ordered more EEs. We shall see!

Hip hip hooray.

 

[KinderKorner]

I have a mint green laying hen who has a pea comb and feathered legs. She was an blue egg laying ee and brahma cross. She is beautiful too! Blue columbian.

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
Then how did I get a bird that came from a BLUE (not green) egg-laying EE mother and an American gamefowl father (white egg) that lays... PINK eggs?

ETA: This hen also has a pea comb and totally looks EE except for her lower body/legs which are obviously American Game in shape/structure/size. I totally expected her to lay a light blue egg but nope, it's pink! Sooo pretty, too.

 

[Illia]

Last I heard, American Gamefowl lay light brown eggs, not white.