should my EE’s eggs be more blue?

[FlyWheel]

Easter Eggers can lay just about any color.

(The two on the left were from my Cuckoo Marans and RIR.)

 

[aart]

or Taken from google images... (noting monitor/printer color differences may exist)

Am surprised that AC chart includes obviously green colors.

I've had great blues from a couple EE's, but more are greenish.
These were the best:

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Chickens homozygous for the blue egg gene lay darker blue eggs than chickens heterozygous for the blue egg gene.

 

[featherhead007]

All I got from that, was "Bluejeans"

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens it is a great community and website so we all agree
and many of us will say so

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Am surprised that AC chart includes obviously green colors.

I've had great blues from a couple EE's, but more are greenish.
These were the best:
View attachment 1969118

I agree with you and was surprised myself!

I see much discussion on their forum (Ameraucana Alliance) about improving egg color... As far as I can tell it appears as though some want to clean up the blue by breeding in white egg genes to get rid of any brown... BUT that pales out the blue and having *some* (brown) can give you a deeper blue...

Also, it seems as though even greenish shades of blue are still considered blue. My friend gets greener looking eggs from her pure Lavender Ameraucana than she does from her EE and crosses.

Most my ladies are molting or young so I haven't got to pull out my SOP and compare the egg shades to see where my Wheaten and Lavender bantam Ameraucana fall.

Also... it appears as though the male will contribute *slightly* more to the depth of egg color than the hen... from research done when I bred Marans.

 

[featherhead007]

I agree with you and was surprised myself!

I see much discussion on their forum (Ameraucana Alliance) about improving egg color... As far as I can tell it appears as though some want to clean up the blue by breeding in white egg genes to get rid of any brown... BUT that pales out the blue and having *some* (brown) can give you a deeper blue...

Also, it seems as though even greenish shades of blue are still considered blue. My friend gets greener looking eggs from her pure Lavender Ameraucana than she does from her EE and crosses.

Most my ladies are molting or young so I haven't got to pull out my SOP and compare the egg shades to see where my Wheaten and Lavender bantam Ameraucana fall.

Also... it appears as though the male will contribute *slightly* more to the depth of egg color than the hen... from research done when I bred Marans.

There is always spray paint, Is that an option? I'm kidding!

 

[aart]

BUT that pales out the blue and having *some* (brown) can give you a deeper blue...

But brown coating has nothing to do with the intensity of the blue pigment in the shell...totally different genes.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

But brown coating has nothing to do with the intensity of the blue pigment in the shell...totally different genes.

I understand that... maybe if you think about painting your house??? Put a dark color on a light background... don't get the color you are going for. Or vice versa like a primer coat???

Thanks for sharing your thoughts... I worked really hard to get the few bantam Ameraucana I have and will only be working with blue eggs. No browns or whites... or extra energy for projects (right now).

 

[Ridgerunner]

Am surprised that AC chart includes obviously green colors.

I've had great blues from a couple EE's, but more are greenish.
These were the best:
View attachment 1969118

Those are beautiful Aart. I never had any that deep blue.

I'm not a member but the AC has some people really serious about egg color. It's hard to discuss egg shell color if you don't look at the entire picture. At least I think that's why they are doing it. I really don't know.

The only thing simple about shell color is that you start with either blue or white. There are a ton or other things that affect actual shades and colors, not all of them genetic. The genetic side gets real confusing. Most "browns" are added on the outside of the shell, but there is another (at least) one that can tint the shell all the way through. One of those brown genes is sex linked, the pullets only get it from the father if he happens to have it. There is even one gene that can bleach out at least brown and give a whiter or less green egg. There are so many different genes involved in so many different combinations that it's no wonder you can get so many different shades.

Then there is the bloom. Different hens can put different thicknesses on which can affect shade or color. I suspect but don't know that the bloom itself may have different colors from one hen to the next. I think that's where pink or purplish colors can come from but that's me thinking.

Then there is the hen's laying process. Since most "browns" are added as a topcoat after the egg has formed in the shell gland, if something happens to speed up or delay the egg being laid more or less brown might be added.

And there is the thing I think Sour mentioned. The later in the egg laying cycle the lighter the shade tends to become. The "darkest" egg a hen is likely to lay is either a pullets first few eggs or the first eggs after a molt. It's as if she stores up something, maybe a catalyst, that gradually gets used up the longer she lays. I've had a hen that starts out with a reasonably dark brown egg lay an egg that starts to get pretty light just before she starts her molt.

I have not read anything I trust about certain foods that can be fed that affect egg shell color. There may be some, I just don't know. The raw material that forms the blue and at least most brown colors is dead recycled red blood cells. Red blood cells are getting old and worn out and die all the time. Their body is constantly making new ones. There should be a constant flow of raw materials but like everything else it's probably not that simple.

I have one chicken that I think is an EE. Should her eggs be more blue?

Kriss I feel like I'm hijacking your thread. But the bottom line is that her base color will not change but the shade probably will some. I would not expect it to get anywhere close to the color AART posted.