Green Eggs vs Blue Eggs for A Premium Egg Business

[nicalandia]

A few years ago I had a hen that laid this(but did not have a rooster)

 

[BigBlueHen53]

A few years ago I had a hen that laid this(but did not have a rooster)

View attachment 3360743

So pretty! Lol, think of all the times you have roosters you don't need, and then ... when you need a rooster and don't have one!

 

[nicalandia]

So pretty! Lol, think of all the times you have roosters you don't need, and then ... when you need a rooster and don't have one!

She was singled Combed aswell so it was not good for me if I wanted to cross he with a Leghorn or a production type red rooster.

 

[DarJones]

That is where DNA tests are invaluable. Single comb blue eggs no problem, just test the roosters and find homozygous oocyanin.

 

[nicalandia]

That is where DNA tests are invaluable.

I don't have the resources for that. But thankfully I now have an Araucana rooster with homozygous Oocyan mutation with homozygous pea comb...

 

[3KillerBs]

Strong blue for me (which is why I'm probably getting Whiting True Blues this year).

When the other person’s opinion is not in line with whatever they don’t realize they’ve made up their mind about, they do it anyway!

This is a good point.

I've often clarified an idea in my mind by explaining to people why their suggestions are wrong for me until, having eliminated all those wrong ideas, I'm left understanding what I really want.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

She was singled Combed aswell so it was not good for me if I wanted to cross he with a Leghorn or a production type red rooster.

Um.... ... not being a breeder or knowledgeable about genetics, I'll need you to explain why, if you don't mind.

Please assume I have the comprehension of a not-too attentive 7th-grade girl.

Deleted extraneous word.

 

[DarJones]

Pea comb is linked on chromosome 1 with the oocyanin gene and they are inherited together. With a single comb blue egg layer crossed to other single comb birds, he would not have a simple way to identify roosters that are homozygous for the oocyanin gene. By starting with a pea comb rooster, he can cross to single comb leghorns and in the F2, pea comb roosters and hens will mostly be homzygous for blue eggs.

My response was that he can do DNA tests for @$25 each to identify homozygous roosters. I did tests on 12 roosters earlier this year at a total cost of about $400. I culled all of the roosters with no oocyanin gene and with only 1 copy of the oocyanin gene. Now I have a flock with 3 mature roosters that 100% produce blue egg laying offspring. Oocyanin is a dominant gene where 1 copy makes the egg shell blue.

 

[Solanacae]

Green is my favorite, but I love blue eggs too.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

I have tried to get a blue egger three tries. Each resulted in Cockerels. My Olive egger lays these dark army green eggs with purplish/burgundy spots. They were the hit at Christmas breakfast with family who I know roll their eyes at me for having chicken in the first place.