Hybrid Cross for OLIVE Egger hen to a white Leghorn Rooster

[Bridget-Louisiana]

I have ONE hen who is laying a very nice DARK olive egg (egg to the far left). I'd like to possibly cross her to a white LEGHORN rooster (that I don't have yet) to increase egg production and still get a GREEN EGG. I realize the egg will be a lighter green, but the egg production should increase with the WLH roo's genetics. Anyone out there have experienced with crossing with Leghorn's? Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

reci

ated. Thanks!

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Such pretty eggs! ♥ Good luck on your adventure!

 

[Rietta]

Oh the eggs, I was caught up admiring your colors. Sorry I have yet to venture into breeding and hatching. Good Luck, I will be watching (and reading) to see what happens!

 

[dheltzel]

That cross might increase production some, but will definitely lighten the green color. Leghorns carry a gene that (in my limited experience) seems to be at least partially dominant, and it removes all brown from the egg, so you might get blue and white egg layers. If your OE hen is a hybrid of a blue egg layer and dark brown egg layer (this is the most common way to get good OE's) then only half her progeny will still have the blue egg gene, so you will get about half green or blue layers and the rest will lay brown or white eggs.

 

[Rysktal]

That cross might increase production some, but will definitely lighten the green color. Leghorns carry a gene that (in my limited experience) seems to be at least partially dominant, and it removes all brown from the egg, so you might get blue and white egg layers. If your OE hen is a hybrid of a blue egg layer and dark brown egg layer (this is the most common way to get good OE's) then only half her progeny will still have the blue egg gene, so you will get about half green or blue layers and the rest will lay brown or white eggs.

Is all that still true if it's the hen that is the leghorn and the rooster is the green/blue egg gene carrier?

 

[dheltzel]

Yes, only sex linked traits are affected by the gender of the gene carrier. This is why most people breeding olive eggers make them as F1 hybrids between an Ameraucana or Cream Legbar and a dark egg layer (Maran, Welsummer, Welbar or Penedesenca). I make 2 different Olive Egger hybrids to sell, both designed to be sexable as chicks. I could breed them together to get F2's, but I could not guarantee they would all lay olive eggs.