Please Everyone- Earlobe Color Has Nothing To Do With Egg Color

[tbiM20]

That's what I was saying, they're not Silkies the breed, they are a separate breed that had a wildcard mutation, but folks won't research that enough..

If I remember correctly from reading the thread enola referenced, they call them "Silkied" and not "Silkie" because they have the appropriate feather type... if they were "Silkie-Americaunas" then that would imply a cross, so that's why they chose "silkied" indicating they have the feather type, with no cross.

But, I am not an owner of those (beautiful) birds, so you may want to read the thread to double-check me.

On the earlobe thing, so various breeds were selectively bred for certain earlobe colors and egg colors... correlation but no causation?
Does the dominance also correlate, or is that kinda a case-by-case basis? Like, cross white egg layer w/ white earlobe to a brown egg layer with red ear lobe, do the traits tend to get inherited together or completely separate?

 

[enola]

I did refer to them as SilkieD!

 

[donrae]

I did refer to them as SilkieD!

And so did I. I think I'm bowing out of this conversation now, I've gone far enough down the rabbit hole here.

 

[enola]

And so did I. I think I'm bowing out of this conversation now, I've gone far enough down the rabbit hole here. 

X2

 

[tbiM20]

And so did I. I think I'm bowing out of this conversation now, I've gone far enough down the rabbit hole here.

I apologize if you thought I was taking you to a rabbit hole, if you were referring to me. Perhaps I misunderstood That's the problem with the internet... easy to read one sentence a dozen different ways!

 

[marilyn1954]

Well the owner of this site posted this, look at number 5
5 Fun Chicken Facts
1. Chickens aren’t flightless – they can get airborne enough to get over a fence.

2. Female chickens are called pullets until they’re old enough to lay eggs, when they’re known as hens.

3. Hens can lay eggs without the assistance of a rooster (they only need roosters to lay fertile eggs that will hatch).

4. Backyard chickens commonly live for 10 years or more if they stay healthy.

5. You can usually tell the color egg a hen will lay by looking at her earlobes.

Sources: Smithsonian.com, BackyardChickens.com, MyPetChicken.com

 

[marilyn1954]

Here is the whole article
Why are chickens popular right now?
Rob Ludlow, owner of the chicken enthusiast site BackyardChickens.com, says interest in raising backyard chickens has spiked in recent years. His site, which started with just 50 members in 2007, now has an active membership of more than 235,000 members, with roughly 200 people joining each day, he says.

So, why the growing interest of late?

Ludlow, who is also co-author of such backyard-chicken-themed books as “Raising Chickens for Dummies” and “Building Chicken Coops for Dummies,” says people are increasingly interested in becoming more self-sufficient, and that chickens are easier to raise than cows, pigs and even large gardens. You can have a handful of egg-laying hens in a relatively small yard without drastically changing your lifestyle, he says.

“Chickens eat bugs, generate fantastic fertilizer and even make you breakfast.”

There’s also increasing preference for eggs from chickens that were raised humanely, Ludlow says. When you collect eggs from your backyard flock, you know exactly how they were treated, fed and cared for, he explains.

A third element driving the backyard chicken trend, says Ludlow, is growing awareness of how fun and easy it actually is to do. “[Chickens are] a multipurpose pet,” he says. “They eat bugs and weeds in your yard, generate fantastic fertilizer and [even] make you breakfast.”

Things to know before getting started
So let’s say you’re a complete newbie when it comes to this backyard chicken business, but you think you’d like to give it a try. Where on earth do you start?

First, you need to make sure that it’s legal to keep a small flock of chickens in your community. You don’t need to live in a rural area to raise chickens; some big cities, like Chicago, allow for it (Editor’s note: See our fun map identifying chicken-friendly suburbss around Chicago).

Rules and ordinances vary widely, so check in with your municipality to inquire. (Tip: Even if it’s legal in your town, you might want to avoid getting a rooster. Enthusiasts will tell you that it can be a surefire way to annoy neighbors.)

Next, decide what stage/age of chicken you’d like to acquire: eggs that you’ll hatch, baby chicks, or grown hens. Ludlow’s website goes through the pros and cons of each option:

Hatching eggs: They require a good incubator and have specific humidity and temperature requirements. You may also need to hand-rotate the eggs, and, once they hatch, you’ll need to know how to care for baby chicks in a climate-controlled environment. Like caring for “baby anythings,” this can be a lot of work, Ludlow says.

Chicks: Whether you buy the baby chicks locally or by mail, know that they will need a lot of care until they’re “feathered out” at about 8 weeks, says Ludlow.

Grown hens: If you get grown hens, you’ll need to be ready with a secure coop or “chicken tractor” (a mobile containment unit) with nesting boxes, roost and roof. There are a ton of options out there, Ludlow says. (Be sure to check with local officials first, because some municipalities have fees and other requirements for coops.)

How much should you budget?
Costs will vary widely by state, by the breed and age of chicken, etc. But Ludlow offers the following estimates of costs required to raise backyard chickens:

Chickens: To buy a chicken, estimate $3 to $30 per hen, depending on breed and age (chick vs. hen).

Coop: Anywhere from $50 for a secondhand or recycled coop to $600 for a new one; DIY instructions abound.

Feed: $3 to $4 per bird, per month, depending on whether it’s commercial chicken feed, your own mix, or if you let chickens forage for bugs and seeds in your own yard.

Extra start-up costs: A feeder, water and, if you’re raising chicks, a brooder (a heated enclosure), may run you $60, Ludlow says.

Miscellaneous: Budget $10 per month for miscellaneous supplies like wood shavings (for bedding) or egg cartons for your eggs.

Other things to consider
Eggs. The number of eggs a chicken will lay depends on three things, says chicken supplier MyPetChicken.com: the breed (those bred for egg production can lay an egg per day); the hen’s age (they begin laying eggs at 4 months of age, but lay best during their first year); and the season (in the winter, egg production drastically decreases). A healthy, young hen bred for egg-laying can lay almost an egg a day, the site says.

Waste. One aspect many people overlook is the, er, waste that comes with raising chickens. According to the Urban Chickens Network, three hens can produce about 5.5 pounds of droppings per week. Some people compost some of it to fertilize their own gardens (check local ordinances; some don’t allow the practice), while others sell it (or give it away) as fertilizer to other gardeners.

Time. Once you’ve set up the coop and outdoor area for your chickens, you’ll then need to feed them, change their water, clean the excrement, etc. “[The time commitment] varies considerably, but in general, a flock of five to six chickens is less work than an inside dog or cat,” Ludlow says. “Fortunately, chickens are easier to care for than most other pets.”

5 Fun Chicken Facts
1. Chickens aren’t flightless – they can get airborne enough to get over a fence.

2. Female chickens are called pullets until they’re old enough to lay eggs, when they’re known as hens.

3. Hens can lay eggs without the assistance of a rooster (they only need roosters to lay fertile eggs that will hatch).

4. Backyard chickens commonly live for 10 years or more if they stay healthy.

5. You can usually tell the color egg a hen will lay by looking at her earlobes.

Sources: Smithsonian.com, BackyardChickens.com, MyPetChicken.com

 

[sayga]

(Crested) Cream Legbars have white ear lobes.

My crested cream legbar rooster has white with iridescent blue earlobes.... I'm in agreement with everyone else on here who is saying there is correlation in some breeds but no hard and fast rule, but I just wanted to point this one out. I would call my crested cream legbar's earlobes blue!

 

[Chris09]

Well the owner of this site posted this, look at number 5
5 Fun Chicken Facts
1. Chickens aren’t flightless – they can get airborne enough to get over a fence.

2. Female chickens are called pullets until they’re old enough to lay eggs, when they’re known as hens.

3. Hens can lay eggs without the assistance of a rooster (they only need roosters to lay fertile eggs that will hatch).

4. Backyard chickens commonly live for 10 years or more if they stay healthy.

5. You can usually tell the color egg a hen will lay by looking at her earlobes.

Sources: Smithsonian.com, BackyardChickens.com, MyPetChicken.com

The key word in sentence 5 would be usually.. (Most of the time; less than always) In other word earlobe color will not alway to tell you egg color.
There are a number of chickens that prove that the earlobe color has nothing to do with egg shell color.

.Also according to the American Poultry Association a pullet is a pullet until one year of age.

 

[Rhandi74]

Twilight's earlobe is tinted blue. I do not expect a blue egg, but she has not started laying yet. I will keep you guys updated. She is a mixed bantam breed from TSC.