Genetics Gurus Please Help! Working Towards True Breeding Olive Eggers

[Starbawk]

It's olive green. Same egg, just wet, & dry.

Mother was a Brahma, Father was the EE with double Blue.

But again, you have no idea if the father has a double blue gene based on what you've written here. If the mother had no blue-egg genes (cuz Brahma) and this hen laid a green egg, all you know is that the father gave a blue egg gene, you don't know what the other gene is - it could very well be white or brown. You see what I'm saying? And now that hen has a white/brown gene and a blue gene. So for example if you cross her back to the roo, you'll may well get 50% offspring carrying the genetics to lay green eggs, 25% to lay blue and 25% to lay brown. And when it comes to the roosters of this offspring you have no way of knowing what genes it carries whatsoever. And only half of the hens will lay green eggs.

No matter which way you dice it, breeding easter eggers with easter eggers, or easter eggers with brown or white layers, will only ever give you easter eggers. Some may be green laying easter eggers but you'll never have the genetic stock for an actual olive egger project. For that you must start with a parent that has two copies of a blue gene, and two copies of a dark brown gene.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

No matter which way you dice it, breeding easter eggers with easter eggers, or easter eggers with brown or white layers, will only ever give you easter eggers. Some may be green laying easter eggers but you'll never have the genetic stock for an actual olive egger project. For that you must start with a parent that has two copies of a blue gene, and two copies of a dark brown gene.

That’s not entirely true. You can still breed olive eggers using Easter eggers as long as they have at least one copy of the blue egg shell gene. Half of the offspring may lay brown in the first generation, but the other half will lay olive. And, if the EE has two blue egg shell genes, they will produce just as many olive eggers as any purebred blue egg layer (if bred to a dark brown layer).

 

[Starbawk]

That’s not entirely true. You can still breed olive eggers using Easter eggers as long as they have at least one copy of the blue egg shell gene. Half of the offspring may lay brown in the first generation, but the other half will lay olive. And, if the EE has two blue egg shell genes, they will produce just as many olive eggers as any purebred blue egg layer (if bred to a dark brown layer).

That's true, but you can never use the roosters from that first cross, because you will have no way of knowing if they carry blue/brown or brown/brown. So you'd have to have a dark brown roo to breed back your F1 eggers that lay the green eggs, and then you'd get half green half brown again. I don't see a way to ever get to true breeding green from here.

Mysterychicken has only the roo of unknown genetics (one blue, and another unknown color gene) and a roo of unknown genetics entirely, so I'm saying "you can't get there from here" breeding offspring back to that rooster.

 

[MysteryChicken]

But again, you have no idea if the father has a double blue gene based on what you've written here. If the mother had no blue-egg genes (cuz Brahma) and this hen laid a green egg, all you know is that the father gave a blue egg gene, you don't know what the other gene is - it could very well be white or brown. You see what I'm saying? And now that hen has a white/brown gene and a blue gene. So for example if you cross her back to the roo, you'll may well get 50% offspring carrying the genetics to lay green eggs, 25% to lay blue and 25% to lay brown. And when it comes to the roosters of this offspring you have no way of knowing what genes it carries whatsoever. And only half of the hens will lay green eggs.

No matter which way you dice it, breeding easter eggers with easter eggers, or easter eggers with brown or white layers, will only ever give you easter eggers. Some may be green laying easter eggers but you'll never have the genetic stock for an actual olive egger project. For that you must start with a parent that has two copies of a blue gene, and two copies of a dark brown gene.

Blue, & Brown was passed. Blue from the father, & brown from the mother. The olive color variation I have posted is referred to as Mint Chip, due to the brown splotches on the green.

I know the physics of Easter Eggers thank you very much.

Plus, only the blue egg gene, & beard traits are gonna be used for the project. All other features will be culled. I know what I'm doing, I have everything planned out. Saying I'll never have the genetic stock for the project is pretty rude.

I've been breeding birds for years, & have been getting help along the way if I need it.

There's still things I'm learning.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm tired, & have a headache so I apologize if I was alittle snappy.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

That's true, but you can never use the roosters from that first cross, because you will have no way of knowing if they carry blue/brown or brown/brown. So you'd have to have a dark brown roo to breed back your F1 eggers that lay the green eggs, and then you'd get half green half brown again. I don't see a way to ever get to true breeding green from here.

Mysterychicken has only the roo of unknown genetics (one blue, and another unknown color gene) and a roo of unknown genetics entirely, so I'm saying "you can't get there from here" breeding offspring back to that rooster.

You could do it, but it would involve test-breeding the rooster (to see if he has one or two blue egg shell genes) and, if he only has one, breeding one of his offspring back to him. Then, 25% of the offspring would have two blue egg shell genes, it’s just a matter of test-breeding to find the ones that do. However, I’m still not sure if true breeding green eggers are possible in any circumstance.

 

[MysteryChicken]

You could do it, but it would involve test-breeding the rooster (to see if he has one or two blue egg shell genes) and, if he only has one, breeding one of his offspring back to him. Then, 25% of the offspring would have two blue egg shell genes, it’s just a matter of test-breeding to find the ones that do. However, I’m still not sure if true breeding green eggers are possible in any circumstance.

I would test breed, but the only issue is his daughter, up, & stopped laying olive eggs. Or would it still work?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I would test breed, but the only issue is his daughter, up, & stopped laying olive eggs. Or would it still work?

Without test breeding (as long as you know he carries at least one blue egg shell gene) you’ll still get olive eggers. Just less of them (potentially).

 

[MysteryChicken]

Without test breeding (as long as you know he carries at least one blue egg shell gene) you’ll still get olive eggers. Just less of them (potentially).

I know he carries two, & was thinking maybe back crossing would help confirm.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I know he carries two, & was thinking maybe back crossing would help confirm.

You could. Whatever you do won’t change his genetics, it will just confirm whether all his offspring get a blue egg shell gene or half of them. You don’t need to do it unless the results of test breeding will actually change your breeding plans.