Introduce 2nd rooster to 24 hens?

[Ridgerunner]

Sooooo would a white egg shell breed be a better cross over a colored egg shell producing hen to continue to get the colored eggs?

There is one gene pair that determines if an egg is base blue or base white. Since blue is dominant, if just one of these two genes is blue the egg will be base blue. All eggs are either base blue or base white.

A brown egg is brown pigment laid on top of a base white egg. A green egg is brown pigment laid on top of a base blue egg. The base blue gene can come from either the mother or the father, or both. Brown pigment genetics can come from either or both parents.

Will a brown egg shell breed of roosters cover up the blue color gene?

It will not cover it up but will turn blue into green.

In the OP - the mutt rooster was a Maran type rooster - which should be at least a shade of brown shells? Would that work? Or would he just get brown eggs?

If the rooster provides brown pigment and the hen provides the blue eggshell gene, Ted will get green egg layers.

 

[Mrs. K]

Ahhh - but I have a couple of green egg layers, now if I add a brown rooster on top of that???

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ahhh - but I have a couple of green egg layers, now if I add a brown rooster on top of that???

I do not know if your green egg layer has one copy of the blue egg gene or two copies. Since she is laying a green egg she has at least one. If she has two copies she is guaranteed to give one to all of her offspring so all of her daughters will get one. So that means all of her pullets should lay a green egg with that rooster as a father.

But if she only has one copy of that blue egg gene then half of her pullets will get it and lay a green egg. The other half of her pullets will not get the blue egg gene and should lay a brown egg with that rooster.