Is egg color genetics really male driven?

[Cycomiko]

My goal is to hatch blue feathered fibro pullets that lays green eggs. I've read it must be a Splash colored male (Silverudd, green egg gene) with and a full fibro pullet (Svart Hona, white egg)[A]. I have that. But I also have Svart Hona cockerels with a few splash Silverudd pullets. I don't get how the egg color would differ in between A and B, and I would love to mix the genetics of the birds across more blood lines. Because honestly, these are two of the best breeds I've ever raised. To get a generational BBS fibro green egg layer would be ideal, and diversifing genetics would be ideal.

 

[Willawong Hill]

As far as I'm aware both parents contribute to the egg colour so I don't see how egg colours would be different as an average between your two groups.

 

[Cycomiko]

As far as I'm aware both parents contribute to the egg colour so I don't see how egg colours would be different as an average between your two groups.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking, but I thought maybe it could be a color/coating issue. (meaning eggs are either white or blue. the brown is a coating that turns eggs brown or green.) I guess I'll be finding out in February!

 

[Willawong Hill]

I think both the genes for egg colour and egg coating are supplied by both parents, so your svart honas will supply genes for white eggs, no colour coating and the silverudds will supply genes for blue eggs, brown coating no matter the gender of either party. You should end up with green egg layers (or carrying green egg gene) for all the F1s, it will be the generation after that where things will get interesting with eggs of all colours as some will inherit the blue and some the white and some the brown tint and some not. Would love to know the outcome so keep us updated with pics.

 

[Cycomiko]

I think both the genes for egg colour and egg coating are supplied by both parents, so your svart honas will supply genes for white eggs, no colour coating and the silverudds will supply genes for blue eggs, brown coating no matter the gender of either party. You should end up with green egg layers (or carrying green egg gene) for all the F1s, it will be the generation after that where things will get interesting with eggs of all colours as some will inherit the blue and some the white and some the brown tint and some not. Would love to know the outcome so keep us updated with pics.

Thanks, I wasn't even thinking past F1 in egg color. This will be an excellent long term project for my homeschooled son. I will indeed follow up in the future!

 

[NatJ]

Sex-linked genes are the only ones where it matters which parent has that trait.
Most egg color genes are not sex-linked (blue or not, and shades of brown).

I've read that there is one particular sex-linked gene that causes white eggs.
So certain crosses of white layer x brown layer give different color eggs depending on which parent is which breed--the hen gets whatever gene her father had.

But I don't know if that gene is present in all white egg layers, or if some white eggs are caused by a different combination of genes. I suppose you will know more in a year or so, if your pullets from one cross lay blue eggs and from the other cross lay green

 

[Cycomiko]

Sex-linked genes are the only ones where it matters which parent has that trait.
Most egg color genes are not sex-linked (blue or not, and shades of brown).

I've read that there is one particular sex-linked gene that causes white eggs.
So certain crosses of white layer x brown layer give different color eggs depending on which parent is which breed--the hen gets whatever gene her father had.

But I don't know if that gene is present in all white egg layers, or if some white eggs are caused by a different combination of genes. I suppose you will know more in a year or so, if your pullets from one cross lay blue eggs and from the other cross lay green

Thanks for the insight! I was totally unaware of the white layer gene, but I suppose by fall 2021 I'll see if Svart Honas have that gene. I have 2 blood lines, and one is really white and the other is tinted. I definitely see what landrace means in this breed.

 

[Cycomiko]

.... And the experiment begins. 4 Svart roo x Silverudd eggs and 5 Silverudd roo x Svart eggs... I in no way wanted to have a broody hen in January, in western Maryland, with over 30" of snow forecasted left this winter, on a mountain at that. But the present day weather
, after a freeze, gave us a 50 degree Sunday day, and even on the next day wintery mix day, couldn't break a Svart girl that went broody, so we're going to start now. Close monitoring for dehydration, I'm worried more for the mom that the chicks. One of the two bloodlines of Svarts we have is very broody. So hard to break. I gave her the eggs at 5pm this evening, and she immediately started putting them into place.

 

[Kusanar]

.... And the experiment begins. 4 Svart roo x Silverudd eggs and 5 Silverudd roo x Svart eggs... I in no way wanted to have a broody hen in January, in western Maryland, with over 30" of snow forecasted left this winter, on a mountain at that. But the present day weather
, after a freeze, gave us a 50 degree Sunday day, and even on the next day wintery mix day, couldn't break a Svart girl that went broody, so we're going to start now. Close monitoring for dehydration, I'm worried more for the mom that the chicks. One of the two bloodlines of Svarts we have is very broody. So hard to break. I gave her the eggs at 5pm this evening, and she immediately started putting them into place. View attachment 2474772

She will make a very nice angry pancake (broody) with the added bonus of also being an angry void.

 

[Kusanar]

.... And the experiment begins. 4 Svart roo x Silverudd eggs and 5 Silverudd roo x Svart eggs... I in no way wanted to have a broody hen in January, in western Maryland, with over 30" of snow forecasted left this winter, on a mountain at that. But the present day weather
, after a freeze, gave us a 50 degree Sunday day, and even on the next day wintery mix day, couldn't break a Svart girl that went broody, so we're going to start now. Close monitoring for dehydration, I'm worried more for the mom that the chicks. One of the two bloodlines of Svarts we have is very broody. So hard to break. I gave her the eggs at 5pm this evening, and she immediately started putting them into place. View attachment 2474772

Oh, and one thing to think about, since you can't tell by looking which gene the rooster got (because obviously he doesn't lay eggs), once you start crossing, you might want to only use the rooster that gives the egg color you want.

For example, F1 should lay all green eggs due to the cross
F2 could lay any color but who knows what color the cockerals "lay" so they are your mystery element, if you cull all hens that lay different color eggs, then breed them back to your green layer rooster, then all of their kids in the F3 generation SHOULD have just the green egg genes because you know their mothers only have green genes (they lay green eggs) and you know their father is also a green egger due to his breed.

After that F3 generation you should be able to breed them between themselves and back to the green eggers from the starting generation to get the traits you need as long as you don't outcross again to another color of egg layer the green eggs should be more or less fixed in your "breed" you are starting.