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My first post was in regards to producing a line of EE. As is, it works fine. I should have added that 2nd generation(sometimes even first) down, as long as roosters of another breed are used, only half of the hens will lay blue or green eggs.
I can't tell if you referring to my first post or to the concept of strictly only blue eggs or some blue eggers. From the above I can't tell if the rest of your cross hens laid tinted or green eggs.
In any case, it is possible to get blue eggers. I will agree it is not "that easy" to develop a line of strictly only blue eggers.
In an egg trade, I got 2 doz blue eggs, not a single green or tinted egg in there. They hatched out chicks that were obvious "complete mongrels". Crests, frizzle, naked necks. silky feathers were present in various chicks. At maturity, most laid blue eggs, with the occasional lay blue-green or light green eggs.
When some were bred to true araucanas, about half laid green eggs.. (rest either turquoise or pale blue). Some of the hens from this cross were bred with pure Asil rooster. Half of the hens laid tinted, the rest laying either blue, blue-green.. very few laid green eggs.. some pullets laid green eggs but when they were older, their eggs started coming up turquoise.
I still have a 3/4 Cornish hen(cornish was of the show stock type) and she lays blue eggs. That hen was from a cross using a cornish rooster then breeding a daughter back to him. 3 of my naked necks descended from the above mutts lay blue..
Crosses with other breeds did produce more green eggers. I bred a hatchery naked neck rooster with two of my blue egger NN hens, got 4 pullets which started laying last month, two lay tinted, two lay green eggs. Oddly, they have a half sister out of the same rooster with another hen, she lays white eggs.
Do you have pictures of your columbians? I bet they are really pretty.. I'm really surprised at how few colors were accepted in the standard.. it would be great to see more colors accepted.
