Trying to produce more colorful egg layers

[Hillsdalehaven]

I have an Easter egger rooster I’m wanting to breed with my legbars, RIR and marans. What do i need to do to get colorful egg laying chickens. My daughter loves her colored eggs and sells them at the farmers market. Will an Easter eggers rooster be a gamble?

 

[NatJ]

The daughters from Legbar mothers will lay blue or green eggs.

The daughters from Rhode Island Red and Marans mothers may lay brown eggs or green eggs, depending on the genetics of the rooster. Daughters of the Marans will lay darker brown eggs, or darker green eggs, than daughters of the RIR.

Many of the Easter Eggers from hatcheries are pure for the blue egg gene, and if he is like that, he will pass it to all of his chicks, and his daughters will lay green eggs (blue + brown).

But some Easter Eggers have only one gene for blue eggs, and if he is like that, only half of his chicks will get the blue egg gene and the rest will have not-blue. So you'd get half green eggers and half brown eggers.

And some Easter Eggers do not have the blue egg gene at all. If he does not have the blue egg gene, he cannot pass it on to his chicks, and all his daughters will lay brown eggs.

So if you want to be CERTAIN of getting blue-egger or green-egger chicks, either hatch only Legbar eggs or get a rooster that is known to be pure for the blue egg gene.

But if you want a variety of egg colors, then using this rooster with all of your hens will probably work fine. You will either get several shades of blue/green, or you will get blue/green and several shades of brown.

Once his daughters are laying eggs, you will know more about what egg color genes he has, so you can decide whether to get a different rooster for future years.

 

[Hillsdalehaven]

The daughters from Legbar mothers will lay blue or green eggs.

The daughters from Rhode Island Red and Marans mothers may lay brown eggs or green eggs, depending on the genetics of the rooster. Daughters of the Marans will lay darker brown eggs, or darker green eggs, than daughters of the RIR.

Many of the Easter Eggers from hatcheries are pure for the blue egg gene, and if he is like that, he will pass it to all of his chicks, and his daughters will lay green eggs (blue + brown).

But some Easter Eggers have only one gene for blue eggs, and if he is like that, only half of his chicks will get the blue egg gene and the rest will have not-blue. So you'd get half green eggers and half brown eggers.

And some Easter Eggers do not have the blue egg gene at all. If he does not have the blue egg gene, he cannot pass it on to his chicks, and all his daughters will lay brown eggs.

So if you want to be CERTAIN of getting blue-egger or green-egger chicks, either hatch only Legbar eggs or get a rooster that is known to be pure for the blue egg gene.

But if you want a variety of egg colors, then using this rooster with all of your hens will probably work fine. You will either get several shades of blue/green, or you will get blue/green and several shades of brown.

Once his daughters are laying eggs, you will know more about what egg color genes he has, so you can decide whether to get a different rooster for future years.

What a wealth of information. Thank you so much!

 

[sourland]

Depending upon his genetics, he might be a gamble. A true Ameraucana rooster would be a better bet.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have an Easter egger rooster I’m wanting to breed with my legbars, RIR and marans. What do i need to do to get colorful egg laying chickens. My daughter loves her colored eggs and sells them at the farmers market. Will an Easter eggers rooster be a gamble?

Easter Eggers can carry any egg color gene, so you won't know unless you breed him.

 

[Nigel27]

An Easter egger may not even carry the blue gene. Even two olive eggers bred together could produce 25%brown layers. Definitely a gamble. An olive egger rooster would produce 50% coloured layers but if you find a rooster of a blue or green egg laying breed, all of his offspring will carry the blue gene. Good luck! If your guy is derived from Americauna he’s more likely to carry the blue gene if he has a pea comb, not so if derived from CCL

 

[MysteryChicken]

An Easter egger may not even carry the blue gene. Even two olive eggers bred together could produce 25%brown layers. Definitely a gamble. An olive egger rooster would produce 50% coloured layers but if you find a rooster of a blue or green egg laying breed, all of his offspring will carry the blue gene. Good luck! If your guy is derived from Americauna he’s more likely to carry the blue gene if he has a pea comb, not so if derived from CCL

Ameraucana.

 

[Pork Pie]

Question already answered, but these links may be of interest:

https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/gms1-genetics-of-egg-color/

https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/gms2-breeding-for-blue-eggs/

https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/gms3-breeding-for-other-egg-colors/

 

[Hillsdalehaven]

The daughters from Legbar mothers will lay blue or green eggs.

The daughters from Rhode Island Red and Marans mothers may lay brown eggs or green eggs, depending on the genetics of the rooster. Daughters of the Marans will lay darker brown eggs, or darker green eggs, than daughters of the RIR.

Many of the Easter Eggers from hatcheries are pure for the blue egg gene, and if he is like that, he will pass it to all of his chicks, and his daughters will lay green eggs (blue + brown).

But some Easter Eggers have only one gene for blue eggs, and if he is like that, only half of his chicks will get the blue egg gene and the rest will have not-blue. So you'd get half green eggers and half brown eggers.

And some Easter Eggers do not have the blue egg gene at all. If he does not have the blue egg gene, he cannot pass it on to his chicks, and all his daughters will lay brown eggs.

So if you want to be CERTAIN of getting blue-egger or green-egger chicks, either hatch only Legbar eggs or get a rooster that is known to be pure for the blue egg gene.

But if you want a variety of egg colors, then using this rooster with all of your hens will probably work fine. You will either get several shades of blue/green, or you will get blue/green and several shades of brown.

Once his daughters are laying eggs, you will know more about what egg color genes he has, so you can decide whether to get a different rooster for future years.

Here’s a pic of him.

 

[NatJ]

He looks pretty!
But looking at pictures gives me no idea what genes he carries for egg color.

There is a linkage between pea comb and the blue egg gene, but they can be linked in any combination. Examples:
pea comb, blue egg in Ameraucana
not-pea, blue egg in Cream Legbar
pea comb, not-blue egg in Brahma
not-pea, not-blue egg in Rhode Island Red

Many Easter Eggers have the linkage of pea comb, blue egg like Ameraucanas do, but some do not. Your rooster has a pea comb, but I don't know if his pea comb is linked to the blue egg gene or not.