I'm receiving some hatching eggs from a neighbor who has a few gold deathlayers and a bunch of OE. The only rooster in his roughly 30-bird flock is a deathlayer. I'm curious what would come from the DLxOE eggs. I know, obviously, plumage color and egg color are never a guarantee, but I haven't been able to find much about how DL genetics mesh with other breeds. I'm super super excited to hatch these eggs!!
What color are the Olive Eggers? That will have a big effect on the colors of the chicks! Color genetics of a Gold Deathlayer will be similar to the color genetics of a Gold Campine or a Gold Penciled Hamburg. They also share some genes with Laced and Spangled patterns (spangled like in Hamburg and Brabanter. Some other breeds use "spangled" to refer to patterns caused by other genes.)
Guesses I can make:
Gold chicks or gold/silver sexlinks:
Gold Deathlayer rooster has the gold gene, gives it to every one of this chicks.
Daughters show gold. Sons will show gold if their mother is gold, or will show silver if the mother is silver. (Exception: if there are genes that turn the whole chicken black or some other color, that would keep the gold/silver from being seen.)
Patterning in feathers:
Gold Deathlayers have a combination of genes that causes autosomal barring (black & gold barring that does not involve the sexlinked barring gene we more often see.) Depending on what genes the olive eggers have, you might get chicks that show the same kind of gold/black barring (or silver/black), or you might get chicks showing lacing or double lacing or spangling. Most likely it would be a poor-quality form of any of the patterns, but can still be really pretty to see. (Exception: if the Olive Eggers give genes to make solid black chicks, this will prevent the chicks showing any patterns of this type. A few other genes could also interfere.)
Comb type:
Deathlayers have rose combs. Olive Eggers are likely to have either pea combs or single combs. Chicks are likely to have walnut combs (rose/pea) or rose combs (rose/single). There is a chance of chicks having single combs, if the rooster carries the recessive gene for single combs. Some rose comb chickens do carry that gene, some do not.
Egg color:
You are likely to get some daughters that lay various shades of green eggs, probably lighter than what their mothers laid because of the genes contributed by the Deathlayer. This could be anywhere from half of daughters up to all of daughters, depending on whether any of the Olive Egger hens carry the not-blue egg gene. Any that do not lay green eggs will lay brown eggs. Sons will carry the same egg color genes as daughters, but obviously will not be laying eggs.