Genetics Gurus Please Help! Working Towards True Breeding Olive Eggers

[Starbawk]

The egg he hatched from is indicative ONLY of his mother's coloration, her egg would be that color blue no matter what rooster she mated with so it tells you only that HALF his genetics have SOME blue. Because white is recessive, he could have been laid from a hen that carries a copy of the blue egg gene and a copy of the white egg gene, so all you know is that one parent had one blue egg gene. You have no way of knowing he has *any* blue egg genes at all, much less a blue egg gene from each parent. He could carry only genetics for white or brown eggs as far as you know.

I have a hen that hatched from a bright blue egg - her mother was an easter egger. Her father was also an easter egger hatched from a bright blue egg and had pea comb, indicating he carries at least one copy of a blue gene. She lays light cream colored eggs. Her mother passed on the white gene, her father passed on a white gene with a little brown coloration. If she was a rooster, and if I had assumed that she had genes for a blue egg based on the assumptions you made, I would never have known that she had NO blue egg genetics whatsoever. I only know cuz she is a girl and lays eggs.

All blue eggs are blue all the way through. Blue is the actual egg color inside and out. Brown is overlaid on top of that blue (or white).

I would definitely invest in some stock with known genetics before starting a big project like this or you may be passing on NO blue egg stock, and you will never know the genetics of any of the roosters you breed and only be guessing at the hens.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Year 3: Spinach egger crossed to F1 olive egger roo.. I can't cross two "spinach eggers" because I won't know if the roo would have the genetics of a brown egg layer or a green egg layer. Since the spinach egger hen is solid and the F1 olive egger roo is barred, all chicks would be barred (no sex link)

Year 4 and on: Start selecting eggs for the best color (most blue and most brown for darkest green) and cross back to the F1 olive egger roo. Though the olive egger roo may or may not pass on blue, all of the hens would have blue and therefore all offspring from gen 4 onward would lay some shade of green egg. I suppose there's a very very small chance of a recessive white cropping up in the hen combining with the recessive white in the roo but if I'm selecting the most pigmented (blue/brown, very green) eggs to hatch and breed back, the likelihood of that happening declines with each generation. All the chick would be barred.

You’re right about the sex-linking, but only half of the chicks would be barred in the above instances, since the rooster would only have one copy of the barring gene.

 

[Starbawk]

I was under the impression that olive eggers can’t be true breeding, since the color is created by heterozygous white (with brown overlay) and blue, so can’t exist in a homozygous form. However, I don’t know more than the basics of egg shell color genetics.

I'm interested to know more! It was my impression that the brown can overlay the blue not just the white.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

There must be a way to secure the green color, I'm just not sure how unfortunately. But there is at least one breed I know of that actually does have those traits locked in and isn't just a cross

 

[Starbawk]

You’re right about the sex-linking, but only half of the chicks would be barred in the above instances, since the rooster would only have one copy of the barring gene.

oh dang you're right!!! BOOOO

 

[Starbawk]

That would mess up my later sex-link plans because those later hens would only have one barring gene, right?

If rooster has two solid/not barred genes, and hen has only a single barring gene, would that create sex linked chicks?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

There must be a way to secure the green color, I'm just not sure how unfortunately. But there is at least one breed I know of that actually does have those traits locked in and isn't just a cross

Are you thinking Silverudds Blue?

 

[MysteryChicken]

The egg he hatched from is indicative ONLY of his mother's coloration, her egg would be that color blue no matter what rooster she mated with so it tells you only that HALF his genetics have SOME blue. Because white is recessive, he could have been laid from a hen that carries a copy of the blue egg gene and a copy of the white egg gene, so all you know is that one parent had one blue egg gene. You have no way of knowing he has *any* blue egg genes at all, much less a blue egg gene from each parent. He could carry only genetics for white or brown eggs as far as you know.

I have a hen that hatched from a bright blue egg - her mother was an easter egger. Her father was also an easter egger hatched from a bright blue egg and had pea comb, indicating he carries at least one copy of a blue gene. She lays light cream colored eggs. Her mother passed on the white gene, her father passed on a white gene with a little brown coloration. If she was a rooster, and if I had assumed that she had genes for a blue egg based on the assumptions you made, I would never have known that she had NO blue egg genetics whatsoever. I only know cuz she is a girl and lays eggs.

All blue eggs are blue all the way through. Blue is the actual egg color inside and out. Brown is overlaid on top of that blue (or white).

I would definitely invest in some stock with known genetics before starting a big project like this or you may be passing on NO blue egg stock, and you will never know the genetics of any of the roosters you breed and only be guessing at the hens.

Olive Egg from the EE Rooster's Daughter.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Are you thinking Silverudds Blue?

Maybe? That is one that I remember now that you mention it, but I'm thinking it's a different one. Give me a few minutes, I'll got find it. Or realize it lays blue eggs

 

[Starbawk]

That would mess up my later sex-link plans because those later hens would only have one barring gene, right?

If rooster has two solid/not barred genes, and hen has only a single barring gene, would that create sex linked chicks?

Wait I confused myself then answered my own question. If I use a solid F1 roo and a barred later-generation hen with one barring gene, the offspring will still be sex-linked.