Golden Comet Rooster x Easter Egger

[HandsomePoultry]

Any suggestions on how this chick will turn out? What color eggs she might lay. (If it is a rooster) It is part of my production flock. Because of whitish color I am assuming it was fathered by the commet rooster and not my barred rock. It's the bird towards the front

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

With both parents being mixes, it is hard to say how it will turn out. You are right on the GC being the father, and not the BR. BR would have all barred offspring.

Please post pictures again in a few weeks.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

While what has been stated is true with most combinations, it depends upon the mother too.

If you have dominant white hens, like a White Leghorn or WL mix, then either rooster could be the father. White covers up both red and barring.

With a white dominant hen and a barred roo, you'll get white offspring. Often you'll see ghost barring in the offspring as they mature, but not always.

With a white dominant hen and silver based red rooster (which your Comet is...he's not dominant white or there would be no sex linking) you'll usually get some red bleed through in a spot or two on a white base. Often a blush overall.

So those white tips at the wings are enticing to suggest the Comet, but only if you know that these chicks came from non-dominant white hens.

If you have non-dominant white hens, then the Comet is the father as the Barred would have produced barred offspring represented by black down and white head dots on all chicks.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

...ah just caught EE as the hen.

Then it was almost assuredly the Comet as the father, unless, again you had white dominant in the mother, but much less likely being an EE hybrid. (Was mom all white?)

As to egg colors. What color was the egg that the chick hatched from?

If it was a blue/green egg, then mom carried the blue gene, but only had 1 blue gene of the 2 possible since she was a hybrid.

So her progeny will get the possibility of gaining her 1 blue gene or no blue gene....50%.

With dad being non blue (both would be brown layers), typically you'll get 50% brown layers and 50% green layers (green is brown wash over blue shell).

If you consistently choose the blue/green layers and breed those together, you can recapture that blue gene to eventually getting a flock that has 2 blue genes with the assurance that all offspring will lay blue or green (if brown wash present).

....or just let them roam and you'll get a "box of chocolates" never sure what you'll get...with the awareness that if you are not careful you'll breed out the blue gene altogether if it is not followed.

LofMc

 

[HandsomePoultry]

Mom had no white in her. From what I understand she was a pure easter egger. Well as pure as they come. She laid blue green eggs. So you said it'll have a fifty percent chance of laying blue green? My whole flock is a lovely box of chocolates as is. The mother got killed by a fox so unfortunately I can't provide pictures of her, I only really hatched thid chick because it was her last egg I got from her.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Yes, her egg, if it is a hen, will be 50/50 that it will be green. (Since either dad is a brown layer breed, the pullet will lay green IF she got the blue gene). It might even be a slightly darker green if it beefed up the brown wash...but chances are just a light green.

Hopefully it is a pullet.

If not, the rooster should have a 50/50 of having the blue gene, statistically, and you can keep the blue gene alive by breeding him. That of course takes a bit of time to know if he has that as you have to wait for his daughter to grow up to see what she lays, and you have to do enough daughters to overcome the statistical odds (you flip a quarter enough times, 50/50 heads/tails does work out eventually but you may have 10 tails at first, etc.)

If the mother had a pea comb, following the pea comb can be helpful as the blue gene is closely connected to the pea comb allele and usually the pea comb and blue gene pass together.

Sorry to hear of your hen loss.

LofMc

 

[TopRooster]

I have two golden comet rooster and Easter egger hen crosses there were three but one was a rooster and looked exactly like the father and these are the two hens if you would like I could get a picture of there eggs tomorrow? #1. https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/7665947/. #2. https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/7665948/

 

[TopRooster]

Their production is pretty good and there eggs are large

 

[HandsomePoultry]

Their production is pretty good and there eggs are large

If you could share pictures of their eggs that would be really cool. They ended up looking a lot like a red, which leaves me curious how mine will turn out.

 

[HandsomePoultry]

It would be cool if she comes out with a darker green egg. I am hoping it turns out to be a pullet but either way I will probably keep "her" to breed in the future, just to track genetics and learn as I go. The whole genetics aspect draws my attention and it's all loads of fun to me.