I know what color blue is, and this isn't it!

[TheFeatheredTempest]

My Easter egger pullet finally started laying! Yay! But her eggs are.......white.

Ok, if you keep looking at them 50 or a hundred times as I have you could perhaps go with a very very light gray. She was bought from a line of blue egg layers. I'd have been happy with any color, except WHITE!

How does something like this occur from a genetic point of view? She has a pea comb and slate legs and looks like your typical EE. In fact, like I said, she's supposed to be from a line that has a lot of pure blood and lays sky blue eggs. Anyone else had this happen? I'm so bummed. I've been waiting and waiting for that first EE colored egg! I have 10 chicks that I bought from the same line that are only 4-6 weeks old and now I'm wondering if they are all going to lay white eggs too.

This hen also has feathers on her legs and I'm not sure what breed was mixed in to produce those feathers. Could that be the problem? They look really cute on her. Some of the chicks have feathered legs too. I'd really like to understand what's going on with these chickens. This is the foundation stock for my little flock!

 

[Louieandthecrew]

Can I see a pic of your EE? She may not be an EE at all!

 

[alicefelldown]

Easter Eggers are not 'pure' anything - I'm sorry you ended up with something different than what you wanted. You can get just about any egg color from an EE (although they usually lay either pale mint, greenish, or pink/tan).

 

[TheFeatheredTempest]

I'll try to post a picture of the hen and her eggs later today. I know EE are mixes. But this line originally had a lot of Ameraucauna in it. I'm hoping if I can figure out what's going on genetically that I can introduce a rooster next year maybe and try to breed some colored eggs back into the line. I don't understand what determines the shade of blue in a blue egg layer. Open to all advice, comments, and information!

 

[Louieandthecrew]

Okay!

 

[dsqard]

Another newbie here with a suggestion for better colored eggs. I would get a full blooded Ameraucana rooster to help with that. You could also get a full blooded Araucana rooster. From my little knowledge of genetics they (the breeds that is) carry the blue egg gene. I am just not sure if it is passed from the hen, rooster or both and if it is both if you need it passed from both parents to get blue eggs.

 

[TheFeatheredTempest]

If I understand correctly it is passed from both. I wonder if you need two copies to get really blue eggs. Perhaps my hen only has one copy? Or none at all? She has a pea comb and I thought those two traits were tightly linked. Is there any chance that the lack of color is because she just started laying?

 

[AK Michelle]

Just chiming in because I have a similar question and want to see what answers come from this discussion.

 

[alicefelldown]

Quote:
The gene (O) is passed from both. It is a dominate gene, meaning only one of the parents needs to carry it for the offspring's eggs to have blue influence. This is why there is such a range of 'blues' you can get from an EE.

O - blue egg o-non blue egg
one parent other parent
OO oo = all blue egg layers
Oo oo = 50 percent blue egg layers
oo oo = no blue egg layers
OO OO = all blue egg layers


Quote:
None at all. The shade of the color can change with age, but the eggs will not change from white to blue or green.

If you are looking for blue layers, you'd be better off adding a true blue layer to your flock, and mating him with your bluest laying females. Adding his blue to your girl's white would give you a pale blue/mint at best but it wouldn't be anything to write home about.

If you'd be interested in a shipped bird, I have a 6 month old pure splash ameraucana roo who has some red leakage but came from one of the bluest eggs I've seen. If egg color is your goal, he'd be a great asset. Let me know via PM and I'll send you some pictures.

 

[TheFeatheredTempest]

So.....if you have hens that are OO for egg color then how do you get color variation within that group since some will still lay eggs that are more blue than others? There can be a lot of variation, correct?
Since my hen's eggs are ever so slightly gray what does that mean as per her genetics? And if I add a roo that hatched from a very blue egg, as was suggested, do I know that he is carrying genes for really blue eggs? He'd have to have at least one I guess, from the hen who laid his egg, right?
And I have bantams, does that matter at all? I had a bit of trouble finding bantam EE. Are there Ameraucanas (I have to check the spelling for that every time!) that are bantam sized? What happens if I put a full sized roo on my bantam hens?