Genetics of White Eggs

[nicalandia]

I have a project in mind for the future but I could use some guidance. How do I breed specific chickens to get birds that lay white eggs? I've tried researching this topic myself, but with the colored egg obsession these days all I can find is what happens when you mix birds to get green, olive, blue, dark brown, etc eggs. Not white eggs. I want white eggs. What if one parent is a brown or colored egg layer? How do I get back to a white egg? I'm hoping to create a friendly, colorful, heavy, cold hardy white egg layer. Just for fun. Just for me. This project will be FAR in the future but I like to research and learn and plan. It is fun for me. I have raised and bred and culled many, many birds over the years. This is not an issue for me. Thank you in advance for any help!

Why not tinted eggs? They are pretty good, search for the Austra Whites(Leghorn/Australorp ) alot of times they are just light cream or white.

With Leghorns they not only lack the brown egg shell genes, they have been bred to have brown/tint color diluters or inhibitors.

 

[RainbowHen]

Why not tinted eggs? They are pretty good, search for the Austra Whites(Leghorn/Australorp ) alot of times they are just light cream or white.

With Leghorns they not only lack the brown egg shell genes, they have been bred to have brown/tint color diluters or inhibitors.

I see tint as the same thing as brown. I'm not sure this is correct thinking. It may be easier to breed out than brown would. I am researching many breeds. I've considered Dorkings for the project. In my brain I am imagining a larger dual purpose birds with a small comb (possibly pea comb) that lays white eggs.

 

[RainbowHen]

@R2elk if I were to breed to a blue or tinted egg layer for a generation, which would be easier to breed out? I have found lots white egg laying breeds to use in my project after a bunch more research, but I am curious.

 

[R2elk]

@R2elk if I were to breed to a blue or tinted egg layer for a generation, which would be easier to breed out? I have found lots white egg laying breeds to use in my project after a bunch more research, but I am curious.

I suspect that tinted would be the easiest to breed out. The key would be to always use a rooster from a white egg laying breed. You can choose your next generation hens after they reach POL and you can see what color eggs they lay. There is no way to look at a rooster and tell which egg color genes he has.

Blue would work too, but not green.

 

[RainbowHen]

I suspect that tinted would be the easiest to breed out. The key would be to always use a rooster from a white egg laying breed. You can choose your next generation hens after they reach POL and you can see what color eggs they lay. There is no way to look at a rooster and tell which egg color genes he has.

Blue would work too, but not green.

Great info. Thank you!

 

[The Moonshiner]

Blue is easy to breed out. Brown or tinted can be almost impossible to completely get out.
Blue and white work on the same gene. Blue is dominate. So you can have 2 blue genes or 1 blue gene and 1 non blue (white) gene and get blue eggs. 2 non blue genes gives you white. When you cross the two then you can breed those together and get 25% white or cross back to a white and get 50% white. If any offspring lay white you know you back to pure for it since its recessive to blue.
With cockerels you have to test breed them back to pure for white hens. If any from that cross lay any shade of blue you know the rooster carries at least 1 gene for blue.
Brown is a pita because theres 13 or more genes that can be involved. Thats a lot harder to get rid of any or all to get back to pure white.

 

[Amer]

I considered that also. I have found leghorns to be pretty hardy. Definitely not lap chickens but friendly enough. Some colors lay tinted eggs. Don't really want that. Considered Holland's for the body size. My breed selection for white eggs is pretty limited, unfortunately. Hoping to end up with a nice dual purpose type bird, cold hardier for Wisconsin, that lays white eggs. Seeming almost impossible without crossing to a brown egg layer.

I get your frustrations. I really don’t like how tinted eggs look and really love how plain white eggs look with other colors for contrast, and as a fellow Wisconsinite, the frustrastions of non-hardy breeds are awful. In the end I got single-combed Anconas, and even though rose-combed ones were readily available I found that even the single-combed ones were surprisingly hardy, so I never got the rose-combed ones.
I had a friend who recreated bantam Lamonas. Unfortunately they were all killed in a barn fire.
He said the egg color was very difficult to get back to white eggs once you introduced the Dorking blood, but he achieved it after quite a few frustrating generations,
It’s too bad there really aren’t any breeds out there that lay white other than Lamonas, Hollands, and Mediterraneans.

Wait... Hamburgs do... so do Campines...
Hamburgs come in a lot of colors... Not very big though.

A rose-combed Minorca... black is the only color in availability though.
So yeah, those are about your options...
You can make a cross, but it’ll take a bit of work to get the egg color back.
Really fascinating idea though. There really aren’t any hardy white egg layers other than Hamburgs.

 

[Naser]

I guess if you cross white leghorn with La Bresse you might get something useful

 

[Amer]

I guess if you cross white leghorn with La Bresse you might get something useful

Or you’d get something white...

 

[RainbowHen]

Blue is easy to breed out. Brown or tinted can be almost impossible to completely get out.
Blue and white work on the same gene. Blue is dominate. So you can have 2 blue genes or 1 blue gene and 1 non blue (white) gene and get blue eggs. 2 non blue genes gives you white. When you cross the two then you can breed those together and get 25% white or cross back to a white and get 50% white. If any offspring lay white you know you back to pure for it since its recessive to blue.
With cockerels you have to test breed them back to pure for white hens. If any from that cross lay any shade of blue you know the rooster carries at least 1 gene for blue.
Brown is a pita because theres 13 or more genes that can be involved. Thats a lot harder to get rid of any or all to get back to pure white.

Thank you. This is very informative and also confirms what I was already thinking ☺

I get your frustrations. I really don’t like how tinted eggs look and really love how plain white eggs look with other colors for contrast, and as a fellow Wisconsinite, the frustrastions of non-hardy breeds are awful. In the end I got single-combed Anconas, and even though rose-combed ones were readily available I found that even the single-combed ones were surprisingly hardy, so I never got the rose-combed ones.
I had a friend who recreated bantam Lamonas. Unfortunately they were all killed in a barn fire.
He said the egg color was very difficult to get back to white eggs once you introduced the Dorking blood, but he achieved it after quite a few frustrating generations,
It’s too bad there really aren’t any breeds out there that lay white other than Lamonas, Hollands, and Mediterraneans.

Wait... Hamburgs do... so do Campines...
Hamburgs come in a lot of colors... Not very big though.

A rose-combed Minorca... black is the only color in availability though.
So yeah, those are about your options...
You can make a cross, but it’ll take a bit of work to get the egg color back.
Really fascinating idea though. There really aren’t any hardy white egg layers other than Hamburgs.

I have looked into the Lamonas. I am not sold on them but am definitely considering them. Do you know more about them? Turns out 55 Flowery Hens lay a white egg. Who knew?

I guess if you cross white leghorn with La Bresse you might get something useful

I might! However the Bresse lays a tinted egg and I am trying to avoid those all together if possible to reach my end goal.

Or you’d get something white...

That's what I was thinking too At least white plumage is easy enough to change with added color stock.

Thank you all for your input!