GLWxPartridge Rock pullet lays green/olive egg? Wyandotte and "Egg Color" people please check this

[off-grid hen]

I guess I'll start from the beginning... In May, my roo (only roo I had at the time-yes I'm positive!) died. I gathered eggs for the next few days and incubated 6 eggs. The hens I had at that time were only 3 breeds: Partridge Rocks, Dominique's, and rose comb Brown Leghorns. I got 2 chicks from each breed. Link to the thread here. it was my firs hatch, so i had to tell the world. . Here is a link to that thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...s-gl-brown-leghorndottes-and-wyandiques-oh-my

Here are the only photos of the rooster, Rocky, that I have. He was given to us at 5 months old. I was told he is a hatchery stock GLW.

Here he is a week or so before he died.

Here is when we first got him. It shows his breast lacing.

Here he is with his girls.

The first black sex link from the Dom x GLW laid a green egg. I know, because I stalked the coop for several days and watched. The first green egg threw me for. Loop, so I watched after 2 more eggs. I figured at that point, that either her mother or father had the blue egg gene somewhere. Today, the PR x GLW laid her first egg (hooray!). It's green.

Here is the pr cross hen and her egg. It's quite an olive color, which can be hard to tell from the lighting in the photo. The speckles fade when the egg is dry.

Her egg is in the middle, between a barnevelder egg and an EE egg. Yes, I'm sure this is her egg.

Was Rocky an Easter Egger? He doesn't look like a cross to me, but he was the only Wyandotte I owned. If he was the offspring of a Wyandotte and some other blue egg gene carrying bird, what could it be? Wouldn't Ameraucana or EE genes have shown through somehow? Like messy lacing or different colored hackle/saddle feathers? Now that he has two daughters from different mothers who lay green eggs, it has to be him, but I can't figure out the combo here.

Do two different brown egg layers produce an olive egger? Never heard of that before, and I don't think it's possible. But I could be wrong?

Or is there something else I'm missing? I've done a lot of reading but I'm far from an expert.

Thanks!

 

[nicalandia]

this is basic genetics, if the hen that laid the green egg came from an brown egg, this can ONLY means her sire has the Dominant Blue egg shell gene, simple as that... no other way around it, noway no how..!

 

[off-grid hen]

That's what I thought, but I just didn't think he looks like a cross. Maybe he does and I just don't know it?

 

[nicalandia]

That's what I thought, but I just didn't think he looks like a cross. Maybe he does and I just don't know it?

maybe at some point on his genetic background there was a cross to EE or Ameraucana, but this no longer applies to him but the O gene(blue egg shell gene) got a ride with him...

 

[off-grid hen]

Really? I mean... I know genes hitch rides from generation to generation, but I know that you aren't guaranteed a green egg layer even from first generation EEs. The Force must have been strong with this one. Do you own any GLWs? Just wondering how much of a mix he looked like.

 

[Kev]

the fact that daughters from two unrelated hens laid green eggs is proof the rooster had the blue egg gene. No ifs or buts about it.

I don't think it's too unlikely he's an EE or hatchery wyandotte mixed with EE or blue egg layer. Lacing on feathers is due to presence of several genes, some of these genes are rather common in different breeds so it is not too hard to hit on reasonably laced birds like him. In fact I had a hen with lacing pop up of a mixed free range flock with NO laced breeds or laced birds at all. I was surprised but after learning what makes the lacing, it was not such a surprise after all.

One thing I noticed- pea comb gene also tends to reduce the wattles. The rooster and pictured daughter seem to have reduced wattles, hinting at the presence of pea comb gene in these, even though the comb is not immediately obvious pea or walnut(combination of rose and pea).

If you'd really like to test it out, breed those daughters with a single combed rooster and see what kinds of combs come out in the offspring. Should get some single combs.. but if my hunch is right, some obvious/more typical pea combs will show up along with some regular looking rose combs.

I assume you already are aware of the blue egg- pea comb linkage?

 

[off-grid hen]

the fact that daughters from two unrelated hens laid green eggs is proof the rooster had the blue egg gene. No ifs or buts about it. 

I don't think it's too unlikely he's an EE or hatchery wyandotte mixed with EE or blue egg layer.  Lacing on feathers is due to presence of several genes, some of these genes are rather common in different breeds so it is not too hard to hit on reasonably laced birds like him.  In fact I had a hen with lacing pop up of a mixed free range flock with NO laced breeds or laced birds at all. I was surprised but after learning what makes the lacing, it was not such a surprise after all.

One thing I noticed-  pea comb gene also tends to reduce the wattles.  The rooster and pictured daughter seem to have reduced wattles, hinting at the presence of pea comb gene in these, even though the comb is not immediately obvious pea or walnut(combination of rose and pea).

If you'd really like to test it out, breed those daughters with a single combed rooster and see what kinds of combs come out in the offspring. Should get some single combs.. but if my hunch is right, some obvious/more typical pea combs will show up along with some regular looking rose combs.

I assume you already are aware of the blue egg- pea comb linkage?

I knew it had to be the roo, from two different mothers laying green eggs. I was so surprised though! I just took her word for it that he was a GLW.

Yes, I'm aware of the pea comb link. The other girl with the pea comb... I thought it was just the two diff combs crossing and making a wonky-looking comb.

The interesting thing abut the wattles (thanks for pointing that out!). The two rose comb brown learn crosses happened to be males. The one with the longer wattles is very flighty and nervous-acts more like a leghorn. The one who is more docile has tiny wattles.

With my April chick order I got a black EE male, and from Rocky's babies I got another male. It'll be interesting to see what hatches from these crosses too.

The ironic thing is, if I knew he had the blue egg gene and have daughter who lay green eggs, I probably wouldn't have ordered EEs with my April order. But I'm happy I did, I got some really nice hens.

Thanks.

 

[nicalandia]

I know that you aren't guaranteed a green egg layer even from first generation EEs.

nothing is Guaranteed with EEs, you just cant say the same with Ameraucanas, where all F1 will have the blue egg shell gene, in heterozygous form