Ok I have a question. If all my maran chicks are pullets and I get an EE roo or an Americana roo will that result in a green egg from the offspring? I am wanting a very colorful egg basket and right now all I have are brown and cream layers. I want to add some blues greens and speckled. What do you all suggest?
I am very new to the genetics, but as I understand it is kind of works like this.
A couple of breeds lay blue eggs, many lay white eggs.
Blue eggs are blue all the way through, and white are white all the way through.
Some breeds that lay white eggs, coat the eggs as the last part of the laying process, this coating is brown, think of it as a tint.The egg shell is white on the inside, and brown on the outside, and it you get to it as soon as it's laid, you can scratch off the brown.
They are the three genetic egg colours. Now, where the colour range comes from, is the amount of coloured genes there are that 'tint' the egg.
In a perfect world, a light blue layer crossed with a cream layer will give a light green tinted egg, as the light brown tint is applied over the blue shell. The darker the brown gene (Maran's or in our case Barnevelder) the darker the green 'should' be, making it more olive than mint.
Blue to white should still yield a blue, but may be more defined and look sky or powder blue.
My understanding of the reds and purples are from diluting the dark browns, or in our Australorp's case, more form the bloom coating than actual shell colour.
EE's are a mix, so they can throw all kinds of colours, including plain old brown. I am not sure how well the first generation crossed EE's work out but in a couple of days we will be setting our first!
I am pretty sure for the best results, a line should be created, where the kids are bred back to the same rooster in the following year to strengthen the colours, but I can't keep Smudge that long.
I hope that helped to some degree.
