Is egg size and number of eggs laid sex linked?

[WalkingOnSunshine]

OK, I'm going to preface this by saying that I know nothing about chicken genetics other than some basic egg color info. All my genetics lessons have been from dairy cattle. In cows, you can increase milk production by using a good bull because the milk production genes come from both parents. If I wanted to increase egg size and laying frequency in a line of chickens, how would I go about it?

I have a rooster that came from an incredibly blue egg, but his mom (what is the "mom" in chickens, anyway? I mean, in horses you have a sire and a dam...) doesn't lay very large eggs or very many eggs. Can I mate this rooster to some white Leghorns, then when those chicks grow up, see who lays the most, biggest, bluest eggs and breed her back to the father and so on and so forth to fix the blue egg, size and frequency genes? Or, for example, are there pitfalls that I'm not seeing like some sex-linked traits so that the parent I use for egg size ought to be the male, or something similar?

I realize that this is probably more complex that that, so if anyone has any book or link suggestions, that would be most excellent as well.

(Oh, and I already know you can line breed chickens in a way you can't with horses and cows. That's... kind of cool, actually.)

Many thanks!

 

[galanie]

To answer the question in the thread title, it's not sex linked. I.E. egg laying isn't something passed in a "sex link" type way. You simply want to breed from the best laying lines be it the rooster or the hen. Ability, size, and frequency will be in the genes of both parents. What you get from the mating is just a matter of waiting to see then choosing breeding stock accordingly.

 

[nicalandia]

To answer the question in the thread title, it's not sex linked. I.E. egg laying isn't something passed in a "sex link" type way. You simply want to breed from the best laying lines be it the rooster or the hen. Ability, size, and frequency will be in the genes of both parents. What you get from the mating is just a matter of waiting to see then choosing breeding stock accordingly.

well that´s not entirely correct..! egg laying trait its not a single gene its a Polygenic Trait not studied enough, and some of those genes are believed to be sex linked. so how would want to go about breeding for egg laying trait?

taking in mind that its a polygenic trait and some of those genes are sex linked, you can start with the son of a good egg laying hen breed and mate it to your best hen(tanking into account that one wants to encrease egg laying the best hen ones have may not be as good egg layer as the breed one use to encrease such trait) out of the F1 hens only breed the best hens to the best looking roo out of the F1

 

[Lots A Cluckin]

Donna has some super blue egg layers that are a cross between a a Easter Egger and a White Leghorn...you could contact her for questions on producing your own line of these!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/662423/bin-super-blue-egg-layers-12

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Donna has some super blue egg layers that are a cross between a a Easter Egger and a White Leghorn...you could contact her for questions on producing your own line of these!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/662423/bin-super-blue-egg-layers-12

Donna's birds look awesome, and it looks like she's done exactly what I want to do--right down to the white Leghorns and the lavender Ameraucana rooster. Thanks!

 

[galanie]

well that´s not entirely correct..! egg laying trait its not a single gene its a Polygenic Trait not studied enough, and some of those genes are believed to be sex linked. so how would want to go about breeding for egg laying trait? 

taking in mind that its a polygenic trait and some of those genes are sex linked, you can start with the son of a good egg laying hen breed and mate it to your best hen(tanking into account that one wants to encrease egg laying the best hen ones have may not be as good egg layer as the breed one use to encrease such trait) out of the F1 hens only breed the best hens to the best looking roo out of the F1

That sounds just the same as what she was basically planning in the first place. Evidently since it's not fully understood we can't fully take advantage of any knowledge of it.

 

[nicalandia]

Evidently since it's not fully understood we can't fully take advantage of any knowledge of it.

that´s correct