What age did your bantam cochins start laying?

[Ilovemychicks08]

What happened to your EE if you don't mind me asking?

I rehomed them as i live in town and was wanting show chickens in which i couldnt show them.
I made a mistake though especially about my Maple she was so sweet.
I definitely want some again when i live where i can own more.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

If they lay blue eggs, does that mean they have 2 copies of the blue egg gene? And does that mean they will produce olive eggers if mated with a welsummer rooster?

I do think they have 2 copies of the the blue gene.
Im not sure about the genetics sorry

 

[MayBerg]

I do think they have 2 copies of the the blue gene.
Im not sure about the genetics sorry

That member @NatJ knows all about the genetics, but I don't know how to tag people to a thread.

 

[MayBerg]

BTW, how are your Bantams doing? Are the eggs getting any bigger?

Mine still remain tiny. It's ok though, they are the only eggs my kids eat because they are so small.

 

[NatJ]

That member @NatJ knows all about the genetics, but I don't know how to tag people to a thread.

That is how you tag someone. You got it right!

If they lay blue eggs, does that mean they have 2 copies of the blue egg gene? And does that mean they will produce olive eggers if mated with a welsummer rooster?

A hen can lay blue eggs if she has one copy of the blue egg gene or two copies of the blue egg gene.

If she has two copies of the blue egg gene, she will give one to every one of her chicks. If she has only one copy of the blue egg gene, she will give the blue egg gene to about half her chicks, and the not-blue egg gene to the other half of her chicks.

If you mate her with a Welsummer rooster, either all chicks will be olive eggers (the hen had two blue egg genes and gave one to each chick), or half the chicks will be olive eggers and the other half will lay brown eggs (the hen had one blue egg gene and one not-blue egg gene, so each gene went to half of her chicks.)

 

[MayBerg]

That is how you tag someone. You got it right!


A hen can lay blue eggs if she has one copy of the blue egg gene or two copies of the blue egg gene.

If she has two copies of the blue egg gene, she will give one to every one of her chicks. If she has only one copy of the blue egg gene, she will give the blue egg gene to about half her chicks, and the not-blue egg gene to the other half of her chicks.

If you mate her with a Welsummer rooster, either all chicks will be olive eggers (the hen had two blue egg genes and gave one to each chick), or half the chicks will be olive eggers and the other half will lay brown eggs (the hen had one blue egg gene and one not-blue egg gene, so each gene went to half of her chicks.)

Thank you so much for your answer.
I guess the only way to know is to actually mate her and grow out babies.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you so much for your answer.
I guess the only way to know is to actually mate her and grow out babies.

A few years ago that was true, but there is now a DNA test. You can send in a few feathers or a drop of blood, and someone will test that and let you know how many blue egg genes your hen has.
https://iqbirdtesting.com/blueegg

Paying for the test is usually cheaper than raising a bunch of chicks to laying age, and it certainly saves time in getting the answer, but it may not be worth the money if you would raise the chicks anyway.

 

[MayBerg]

A few years ago that was true, but there is now a DNA test. You can send in a few feathers or a drop of blood, and someone will test that and let you know how many blue egg genes your hen has.
https://iqbirdtesting.com/blueegg

Paying for the test is usually cheaper than raising a bunch of chicks to laying age, and it certainly saves time in getting the answer, but it may not be worth the money if you would raise the chicks anyway.

@NatJ Let me ask you this: Do you think this blue egg with a welsummer rooster will give offsprings that lay a nice freckly dark olive egg? Or does it have to be another type of blue, or another breed for rooster?

 

[NatJ]

@NatJ Let me ask you this: Do you think this blue egg with a welsummer rooster will give offsprings that lay a nice freckly dark olive egg? Or does it have to be another type of blue, or another breed for rooster?

I think your hen who lays blue eggs, with a Welsummer rooster, should give at least some daughters that lay nice olive eggs, probably freckled.

That assumes the Welsummer rooster has the right genes for dark brown eggs with darker speckles on them (probably true, but since he doesn't lay eggs, there is no way to be sure until you see the eggs his daughters lay.)

A different breed of rooster will not help. A different individual Welsummer rooster might be better or worse, but you won't know without raising daughters from each one and comparing.

From this hen, if you skip the DNA test, you will not know whether to expect olive eggs from half of her daughters or from all of her daughters. But since you know that she does lay blue eggs, that means she has at least one blue egg gene, so at least half of her daughters should inherit that. If she really has two blue egg genes, then all of her daughters will inherit a blue egg gene from her, and they will all lay blue/green/olive eggs (olive in this case, because of the rooster being a Welsummer.)

If you want to sell chicks at hatch, and tell the buyers "all chicks will lay olive eggs" or "half of chicks will lay olive eggs and the other half will lay brown," then you might want to get the DNA test on the hen so you know which statement is correct. If you want to hatch chicks for your own flock and you are happy to get some olive eggs, with a chance of some laying brown, then I would just use this hen and probably not bother with the DNA test (unless you are curious and impatient, in which case you might be willing to pay for the test just to get your answer sooner. I've done that a few times myself.)

 

[MayBerg]

I think your hen who lays blue eggs, with a Welsummer rooster, should give at least some daughters that lay nice olive eggs, probably freckled.

That assumes the Welsummer rooster has the right genes for dark brown eggs with darker speckles on them (probably true, but since he doesn't lay eggs, there is no way to be sure until you see the eggs his daughters lay.)

A different breed of rooster will not help. A different individual Welsummer rooster might be better or worse, but you won't know without raising daughters from each one and comparing.

From this hen, if you skip the DNA test, you will not know whether to expect olive eggs from half of her daughters or from all of her daughters. But since you know that she does lay blue eggs, that means she has at least one blue egg gene, so at least half of her daughters should inherit that. If she really has two blue egg genes, then all of her daughters will inherit a blue egg gene from her, and they will all lay blue/green/olive eggs (olive in this case, because of the rooster being a Welsummer.)

If you want to sell chicks at hatch, and tell the buyers "all chicks will lay olive eggs" or "half of chicks will lay olive eggs and the other half will lay brown," then you might want to get the DNA test on the hen so you know which statement is correct. If you want to hatch chicks for your own flock and you are happy to get some olive eggs, with a chance of some laying brown, then I would just use this hen and probably not bother with the DNA test (unless you are curious and impatient, in which case you might be willing to pay for the test just to get your answer sooner. I've done that a few times myself.)

Thank you so much for your answer. Right now I am learning about my chickens. Not sure who I am gonna keep. But for sure I am keeping Puff-puff for her bright blue eggs. I have 1 red sexlink I am keeping for her huge terracotta eggs. Praying that once Owlette starts laying, she gives me bright green eggs. Olive is still young, but hopefully by end of October I will know if she lays olive or brown. If brown egg, she is gone.

In all, I need to decrease the amount of chicken to 8 + 1 rooster. The black copper marans, we will see.