What breeds for colorful eggs?

[Stacykins]

Quote:
So the pea comb is the key? I'm confused about the EE vs Americauna thing. I have 2 hens that are real close to start laying that were sold to me as EE's, but they look just like the pics I see of true Blue Wheaton Americaunas. I have ordered 8 new chix that were advertised as Americauna, so will they really be EE's.

If I have Rock roo's breed with the EE or Americauna hens what will the offspring be and/or what will be dominant, comb, leg color, egg color?

The breed is Ameraucana, not Americana or Americuana. If a hatchery spells it Americana, you are getting an EE (though you are getting an EE anyway). The difference between EE and Ameraucana and Araucanas is that there is no standard. EEs are mutts that have the goal of laying blue or green eggs, but it isn't required. They can have any comb, feather color, leg color, egg color, etc. Ameraucanas and Araucanas both have strict breed standards because they are established breeds recognized by the APA.

The pea comb has been strongly linked to the blue egg gene. But not all chickens with pea combs lay blue eggs, especially if they are EEs.

 

[colebarnhart]

Quote:
So the pea comb is the key? I'm confused about the EE vs Americauna thing. I have 2 hens that are real close to start laying that were sold to me as EE's, but they look just like the pics I see of true Blue Wheaton Americaunas. I have ordered 8 new chix that were advertised as Americauna, so will they really be EE's.

If I have Rock roo's breed with the EE or Americauna hens what will the offspring be and/or what will be dominant, comb, leg color, egg color?

The breed is Ameraucana, not Americana or Americuana. If a hatchery spells it Americana, you are getting an EE (though you are getting an EE anyway). The difference between EE and Ameraucana and Araucanas is that there is no standard. EEs are mutts that have the goal of laying blue or green eggs, but it isn't required. They can have any comb, feather color, leg color, egg color, etc. Ameraucanas and Araucanas both have strict breed standards because they are established breeds recognized by the APA.

The pea comb has been strongly linked to the blue egg gene. But not all chickens with pea combs lay blue eggs, especially if they are EEs.

I just suck at spelling, sorry

I understand the EE's are mutts, but if I did have a true Ameraucana and breed it with a Rock roo, then the offspring would be an EE, is that correct? Or if the offspring from the rock roo and an EE would also be an EE, or just even more of a mutt that wouldn't have that many EE traits (i.e. blue egg, pea comb, green legs)

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

My Jersey Giant lays brown eggs and frequently puts dark brown speckles all over her eggs. Although some are just plain brown.

 

[Stacykins]

Quote:
Whoops, gotcha.

A purebred Ameraucana bred to a rock roo would produce an Olive Egger more than likely. Kind of a spin off on the EE. The blue is a dominant shell color of the two shell colors, blue and white. Brown eggs are actually white eggs with pigment laid over the base shell in the oviduct. So when a blue egg layer like an Ameraucana is bred to a brown egg layer like a Rock, the result in a green/olive hued egg since the base egg color is still blue, but there is brown pigment put down on the outer layer. I bet the egg from the combo would be more green. Olive colors tend to be produced from the result of a mix like black copper marans plus a blue egg layer.

Hopefully I am making sense? If you crack open a brown egg, the inside of the shell is white. If you crack open a blue or green egg, the inside of the shell is blue.

 

[colebarnhart]

Quote:
Whoops, gotcha.

A purebred Ameraucana bred to a rock roo would produce an Olive Egger more than likely. Kind of a spin off on the EE. The blue is a dominant shell color of the two shell colors, blue and white. Brown eggs are actually white eggs with pigment laid over the base shell in the oviduct. So when a blue egg layer like an Ameraucana is bred to a brown egg layer like a Rock, the result in a green/olive hued egg since the base egg color is still blue, but there is brown pigment put down on the outer layer. I bet the egg from the combo would be more green. Olive colors tend to be produced from the result of a mix like black copper marans plus a blue egg layer.

Hopefully I am making sense? If you crack open a brown egg, the inside of the shell is white. If you crack open a blue or green egg, the inside of the shell is blue.

Oh wow, I thought the blue was some sort of a color coating also. So now it makes sense how you can get the olive color. Thanks so much! Learn something new everyday on the BYC!

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
So the pea comb is the key? I'm confused about the EE vs Americauna thing. I have 2 hens that are real close to start laying that were sold to me as EE's, but they look just like the pics I see of true Blue Wheaton Americaunas. I have ordered 8 new chix that were advertised as Americauna, so will they really be EE's.

If I have Rock roo's breed with the EE or Americauna hens what will the offspring be and/or what will be dominant, comb, leg color, egg color?

EE are usually crosses or off color ameraucanas. I have both. EE since you don't know what they are crossed with it is hard to say. The rock roo will donate a brown coating to the egg color so you would probably get a greener egg IF they have a peacomb and lay blue/green eggs. If he is barred all your offspring will be barred too.

Ameraucanas will only come from breeders (i think someone mentioned that) so yes you will get ees.

Peacombs are key but not a guarantee of blue/green eggs.

There is a thread on here with ameraucanas and you can visit the club's website make sure you spell it correctly and search for ameraucana club. They will have pics of each variety in that breed. There is also an EE thread on here if you want to see pics and show off. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7256874#p7256874

There is also a thread to sex ees https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=463817 with pics. I like ee for all the colors they come in... and the eggs.

 

[10 point]

My wyandottes lay the pink egg so you should have that covered

 

[colebarnhart]

Quote:
So the pea comb is the key? I'm confused about the EE vs Americauna thing. I have 2 hens that are real close to start laying that were sold to me as EE's, but they look just like the pics I see of true Blue Wheaton Americaunas. I have ordered 8 new chix that were advertised as Americauna, so will they really be EE's.

If I have Rock roo's breed with the EE or Americauna hens what will the offspring be and/or what will be dominant, comb, leg color, egg color?

EE are usually crosses or off color ameraucanas. I have both. EE since you don't know what they are crossed with it is hard to say. The rock roo will donate a brown coating to the egg color so you would probably get a greener egg IF they have a peacomb and lay blue/green eggs. If he is barred all your offspring will be barred too.

Ameraucanas will only come from breeders (i think someone mentioned that) so yes you will get ees.

Peacombs are key but not a guarantee of blue/green eggs.

There is a thread on here with ameraucanas and you can visit the club's website make sure you spell it correctly and search for ameraucana club. They will have pics of each variety in that breed. There is also an EE thread on here if you want to see pics and show off. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7256874#p7256874

There is also a thread to sex ees https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=463817 with pics. I like ee for all the colors they come in... and the eggs.

Thanks very much to you and Stacykins, I'm starting to figure things out a little bit. I've tried to research it on certain threads and I get about 20 pages into it and still don't seem have answers, until now.

So the barring is dominate, are most of the traits from the roo dominant (i.e. leg color, comb, barring, etc)? I actually have several silver penciled rock roos and a baby barred roo on the way, so it will be interesting to see what I get, but that is 6 months + (which seems far away) before I get to the point of experimentation. But it's pretty much a definate thing that the "Ameraucanas" I ordered are EE's, so I guess it's really hard to say for you or anyone to tell for sure what traits would be passed on. But the pea comb isn't dominant even if it's from the mom? And therefore the blue egg will be attached to the pea comb so they could have blue, green, or olive eggs, or have a single comb like the rock and regular brown egg possibly, am I correct on that thought?

I also have a silver spangled hamburg roo with blue legs, what leg color would the offspring be from him and an EE hen and how do you get the "willow" leg color?

 

[coz74]

A "Cherry egger" is actually a strain of Rhode Island Red and lays brown eggs.

 

[colebarnhart]

Quote:
Murry McMurry hatchery offers a "rainbow layer" group of chickens, you could check that out and see which breeds lay what colors you want.