What are the chances of building a Production of Super Blue / Green egg layers ?

[Acschmitt]

We have been crossing our EE/Amer roo with our White Leghorn , Rhode Island Red , and Buff Orpington hens to produce a super blue/green egg layer, Leghorn cross hatched yellow with black spotting, now their color has went white with a few scattered black feathers most have pea-combs, all Rhode Island Red cross hatched shades of Mahogany with white wing tips all single comb but one , the two Buff Orpington crosses look almost identical to the RIR cross, just buff with white wing tips, I have started picking through all the little cuties, We will not be keeping the single comb crosses, only pea-comb chicks which I hear is a way of upping the chance of them laying the blue/green, just wonder if they will retain the same laying ability as the breed stock.

 

[draye]

We have been crossing our EE/Amer roo with our White Leghorn , Rhode Island Red , and Buff Orpington hens to produce a super blue/green egg layer, Leghorn cross hatched yellow with black spotting, now their color has went white with a few scattered black feathers most have pea-combs, all Rhode Island Red cross hatched shades of Mahogany with white wing tips all single comb but one , the two Buff Orpington crosses look almost identical to the RIR cross, just buff with white wing tips, I have started picking through all the little cuties, We will not be keeping the single comb crosses, only pea-comb chicks which I hear is a way of upping the chance of them laying the blue/green, just wonder if they will retain the same laying ability as the breed stock.

They should and maybe a little better. Crossbreds seem to lay a bit better than parent stock.

 

[draye]

I have a question on the white chicks with black spots.
If breed to another color will the white with black spots go away on the offspring of that bird?

 

[cubakid]

Arkansas State University has created a Blue bird that lays Blue eggs at high frequency. They are bred to the egg performance of a leghorn(maybe not quite as high) and blue eggs.

 

[nicalandia]

Leghorn cross hatched yellow with black spotting, now their color has went white with a few scattered black feathers most have pea-combs

this is because the white leghorn carry the Autosomal Dominant white(I/I), that makes a self black bird into a self white bird, when you cross this birds to normal colored hens the chicks will carry only one copy of the dominant white gene(I/i+) heterozygous(one copy of) dominant white are known as leaky whites, they have some black color leaking

They should and maybe a little better. Crossbreds seem to lay a bit better than parent stock.

No,

the small percentage of Heterosis obtain from cross breeding two unrelated breeds will be negated by the unsurmauntable egg laying gap that exist between white leghorn and EE/Ameraucana...

the best bet for the Thread starter is to select the white chicks with peacombs and cross them back to leghorn this will infuse more leghorn genes and will make them more productive than the first F1, and geting them close to leghorn laying standards

 

[Acschmitt]

This is the only all white blue egg layer, do you think she will work for this project? (sorry old pix),

 

[tadkerson]

We have been crossing our EE/Amer roo with our White Leghorn , Rhode Island Red , and Buff Orpington hens to produce a super blue/green egg layer, Leghorn cross hatched yellow with black spotting, now their color has went white with a few scattered black feathers most have pea-combs, all Rhode Island Red cross hatched shades of Mahogany with white wing tips all single comb but one , the two Buff Orpington crosses look almost identical to the RIR cross, just buff with white wing tips, I have started picking through all the little cuties, We will not be keeping the single comb crosses, only pea-comb chicks which I hear is a way of upping the chance of them laying the blue/green, just wonder if they will retain the same laying ability as the breed stock.

I will tell you my experience with producing a production blue egg layer. I mated leghorn over easter eggers ( good egg producers) and synthesized a bird that produced eggs very well ( a little less than leghorn) but the blue eggs were very light in color. I am not just saying they produced well I have the data and statistical analysis to back up what I claim. A production blue egg layer will not produce dark blue eggs- they do not produce enough pigment to make nice blue eggs.

Acshmitt,

The female you have will work. Are planning on using white leghorns?


Tim

 

[1muttsfan]

Are you trying to breed white in too?

Hybred Vigor is the name for the increased production seen in SOME first-generation crosses. Some breeds cross much better than others, and sometimes a 3-way cross using certain specific breeds in each generation will increased production. Through much trial and error these breedings lead to crosses such as Isa Browns and Golden Comets that are closely guarded secrets. For example, crossing a leghorn and another breed should lead to better egg production, but may be much better when crossing with certain other breeds.

Crossing a blue egg-layer with 2 blue genes with a white egg layer will produce birds that lay all blue eggs, but the eggs will be lighter in color and the birds will carry only 1 blue egg gene. Crossing them back with another white egg layer will lead to only half the offspring laying blue eggs.

It is more complicated than you think!

Cream Legbars and a few other breeds have regular combs and lay blue eggs - they are excellent layers of really nice eggs, breeding was originally based on crosses with Araucanas and brown Leghorns

 

[tadkerson]

1muttsfan,

If you are referring to me, I understand the genetics behind the blue egg and the concept of hybrid vigor.

Tim

 

[nicalandia]

crossing a leghorn and another breed should lead to better egg production,

No.. no amount of heterosis will close the gap between a highly productive white leghorn and any known breed..