The Old Folks Home

[Arielle]

I'm a little worried about SCG.

SCG are you out there? Hope you are feeling better today.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

That makes sense, so wouldn't the green/brown cross retain the blue gene?

 

[Bunnylady]

That makes sense, so wouldn't the green/brown cross retain the blue gene?

Most likely, but you'd also expect it to get the brown gene too. RIR's lay brown eggs; I've never heard of one that doesn't. As near as I can tell, the brown gene is dominant, too (Polish lay white eggs, but my Polish/Cochin x's lay light brown eggs like my Cochins). Green eggs (blue + brown) wouldn't surprise me at all, but blue (blue + non-brown) isn't an outcome I'd expect.

 

[Stumpy]

So am I to take it that blue-egg-laying hens are quite rare? (Remember that I am a newbie and completely ignorant of genetics.

)

We had quite a thunderstorm last night. We lost power about 10:30 amidst tremendous rain, lightning and wind. I was so concerned about my chickens. Our "driveway" this morning, two trees down:



I am so glad I had already moved my rolling coop which was attached to this run earlier in the summer (when I only had three young chickens)!

 

[Arielle]

What a beautiful vvvvvvview of the mountains!!!!!!!


Blue eggers are a number of birds. the ameraucans, eastereggers and arucana and the legbar.

I love the EE--a good layer of large blue eggs.

Rain has let up--time to run and feed everyone!

 

[Bunnylady]

Oh, boy, chainsaw time!

I don't know that blue egg laying hens are exactly rare, it's more like those that lay green eggs are more common. As long as you were breeding with birds that lay only blue or white eggs, I imagine you could crank out a whole bunch of blue egg layers without any problems, but if you had brown egg layers in the bunch, separating out the blue gene without getting the brown gene too would be a bit more difficult.

 

[Stumpy]

Thanks for the explanations. I think I understand a bit better now.

 

[Arielle]

I breed my easter eggers ( all lay a blue egg) to an ameraucana rooster.

If you go to feathersite, they have egg cards posted to give the full range of egg colors . Quite remarkable really.

 

[Stumpy]

Arielle, thanks. I will check that site. I would like blue eggs, but I have limited space right now and I am hoping to find a BCM or two in the spring for brown.

 

[dsqard]

Not an expert here but this is what I understand about egg color. Brown eggs are actually white eggs with a brown coating on them (if you look inside the shell it is white). Blue eggs are blue all the way through. Green eggs are blue eggs with the brown coating (think Ameraucana crossed with RIR = green). Olive eggs are blue eggs with a dark brown coating (think Ameraucana crossed with Marans = olive egg). I am not sure what is dominant but this is why you can have EE's that lay all different color eggs. Their genetic background may or may not carry the blue egg or brown coating gene. This is why most people who are working on project birds who are looking for blue colored eggs try to avoid using brown egg laying birds since from what I understand it is hard to get rid of the green egg color. On outcrossing, they will try to use a white egg laying bird to keep the blue egg color. Hope this helps?