so what happens if i breed him with her? Will i get what i want?

[nursesammy]

I have the most beautiful cinnamon queen hen ever. And she lays eggs the size off large duck eggs. Shes great! Now if i breed her to a black copper maran[good lines] will i get a hen that lays large choc colored eggs?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Probably not as dark.

 

[nursesammy]

Oh yeah i should also mention my cinnamon queen [martha stewart] also lays very dark eggs for not being a maran. shes a cinnamon queens whos eggs are the color of cinnamon.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is not just one pair of genes that influence egg color, but several different pairs. The offspring will inherit different genes from each pair from each parent. Which genes will be inherited and which will be dominant, I don't know. It is very possible that the Cinnamon Queen has some recessive genes that she would pass on to her offspring and the resulting egg would even be less dark than her current egg, even if she is crossed with a Maran rooster. Odds of getting a darker than usual egg are pretty good. Odds of getting one as dark as a good Maran egg are not very good. Odds of getting a lighter egg are not real good either.

Same with egg size. Since the hen is laying a large egg, the offspring might inherit those genes from her. But them, the offspring might inherit genes from the rooster that influence egg size more.