The Egg Anomalies Thread

[FunClucks]

@FunClucks now I have to google that gold x silver gene chart... I can remember the "gold male over silver female" but not the other way around

Ok, so are Australorps silver based? If so that would explain the silver leakage.

This page has a great gold / silver cart if you scroll down a little.

https://www.featherfernfarmstead.com/about-the-colors.html

So if the Australorps are silver based, then Ombre and Yoghurt would have an Australorp dad and a RIR mom. Then your one with the red leakage would have a RIR dad and an Australorp mom.

As for the feather tightness and character difference, I have had the whole spectrum of RIR's from the hatchery, I have had gorgeous deep colored larger ones and some really scrompy ones with paler feathers and smaller bodies. It's possible she just inherited her nervousness and different feathering from one of her parents. I've had the same experience with the Australorps too, they were not consistent from the hatchery at all.

There are over a dozen genes that impact the brown pigment on the egg shell, so what color she lays is dependent on how those genes were inherited and then how they interact. I'm not saying they did, but if they had used another breed, especially leghorn, to work on increasing the egg production, then they apparently have a zinc white gene that can be passed along and it somehow makes the eggs paler, I'm not sure how though that's way deeper genetics than I know!

Yeah, that would explain it, if they had an Australorp dad and RIR mom. The website stated RIR male x Australorp female, so I assumed that was what they were doing.

I did breeding of a very dark Production Red (very similar to RIR) male over a variety of differently feathered females, and the ones whose moms had silver leakage in their neck feathers and around the base of their neck - none of their babies ended up with silver leakage. Same patterning in the feathers, but it all turned gold (red). It was neat to see the genetics charts and predictions in action. The only straight up gray chicken I had, when bred with the male Production Red, produced a grey bodied chick with red leakage on neck/head, similar to what the Production Blues are supposed to look like.

 

[2ndTink]

Yeah, that would explain it, if they had an Australorp dad and RIR mom. The website stated RIR male x Australorp female, so I assumed that was what they were doing.

I did breeding of a very dark Production Red (very similar to RIR) male over a variety of differently feathered females, and the ones whose moms had silver leakage in their neck feathers and around the base of their neck - none of their babies ended up with silver leakage. Same patterning in the feathers, but it all turned gold (red). It was neat to see the genetics charts and predictions in action. The only straight up gray chicken I had, when bred with the male Production Red, produced a grey bodied chick with red leakage on neck/head, similar to what the Production Blues are supposed to look like.

Genetics are so interesting! I don't know much just some basics.

The production blues are really pretty. If your production red was gold based and the hens with the silver leakage would have been silver based, so it would follow the chart if all the pullets from that cross would not have silver leakage. I'm probably way over simplifying genetics here

 

[TheGreatEscapees]

Typically, you get either silver or red leakage, not both.

@FunClucks Just wondering, Does that mean silver is a recessive trait? Or is it just 50/50? I will say though, Her breast feathers are a bit like Blue Laced Red Wyandotte just the red is not so noticeable.

So if the Australorps are silver based, then Ombre and Yoghurt would have an Australorp dad and a RIR mom. Then your one with the red leakage would have a RIR dad and an Australorp mom.

Wow that is quite interesting! The unnamed PB is Spidey. I always wondered if Yogurt and Ombre were related, since the silver on their hackles is arranged in a similar pattern. Yogurt does have three feathers where a blue bar is present near her tail?

There are over a dozen genes that impact the brown pigment on the egg shell, so what color she lays is dependent on how those genes were inherited and then how they interact.

Very interesting! Her eggs seem to get a shade darker each day now. Now, they are approaching beige.

 

[FunClucks]

@FunClucks Just wondering, Does that mean silver is a recessive trait? Or is it just 50/50? I will say though, Her breast feathers are a bit like Blue Laced Red Wyandotte just the red is not so noticeable.

I have no idea. The genetics of leakage are quite complex. I know enough to recognize it and some basic info on how it might come about. If you go to the Genetics thread, and post a picture of this chicken, and explain how she was sold as a production blue, and show pictures of both her, her "siblings" and their eggs, and ask folks what combo of genes might cause the characteristics you are seeing (silver leakage around neck, egg color, feather tighness/softness, patterning, etc), they may have some really interesting info for you. Post some really good pictures of what you're asking about, and that will help folks assess.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/exhibition-genetics-breeding-to-the-sop.16188/

Wow that is quite interesting! The unnamed PB is Spidey. I always wondered if Yogurt and Ombre were related, since the silver on their hackles is arranged in a similar pattern. Yogurt does have three feathers where a blue bar is present near her tail?

Silver leakage on hackles is a pattern that is common in chickens, and tied directly to chicken genetics. They definitely don't have to be related to display this.

Very interesting! Her eggs seem to get a shade darker each day now. Now, they are approaching beige.

Sounds like your new layer (Ombre) is figuring out her egg production system, in a manner of speaking. Give her some time, about 3 months or so, and then see where she is on color. Sometimes there are glitches when new layers are first figuring things out.