What color eggs do you think they will lay? *Updated*

[Andora]

One of the chickens I hatched last summer just did the hen squat for me this morning. She had this confused look on her face like, "What am I doing?"

I'm so curious what color eggs these hens will lay. The hatch was a 100% hatch with four hens and one rooster! They mothers were two different Faverolles and the father was an Easter Egger.

All four of the hens look identical. They chat and croak like SF's, they have SF shaped bodies, five toes (though the fifth toes aren't quite normal), and they have green/blue Easter Egger legs. They are cute and friendly, a great mix. If I still had an EE roo I would make more of them!

This is Wings, the girl who refuses to stay penned up even with a clipped wing. She's the one who did the squat for me today. She's the only one I can tell apart out of the four because she's the most friendly and the escape artist. She just wants to hang out on the porch all day!

What color eggs do you think these girls will lay? They hatched from smallish tan eggs. The EE roo's sister hens lay big green blue eggs.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

I would expect green eggs from any of the girls with a pea comb, and cream/brown eggs from any with straight combs.

The blue (green) egg gene is almost always inherited with the pea comb gene.

Sounds like a neat cross. Post picture of the eggs and the girls when they lay!

 

[Andora]

I will be so excited if I have four new green egg laying girls! I think they have pea combs...they have strange combs that are mostly pea but not quite like the EE's combs. The Marans/EE cross I made also has the same type of comb. I call it the 90% pea comb.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

Pea combs are incompletely dominant, from what I have heard. So they are influenced by other comb types. Even if it's a weird pea comb it sounds like they got the pea comb gene, and most likely the blue egg gene too. Supposedly 3% of the time they aren't inherited together, but usually they are.

I've been reading up on this for my own Olive Egger project with some Ameraucanas and Marans. Still waiting on the eggs though!

 

[Andora]

I did an olive egger project with (Cuckoo) Marans and Easter eggers too, but the birds didn't fare so well over the beginning of winter for some reason. They just didn't thrive! I've only got one left. I thought it was a going to be a roo for awhile, but now I'm not so sure. I can't decide...I'm holding out hopes it might be a pullet. It's not bearded at all, it has bright orange eyes, and white Marans legs.

It has a very red 90% pea comb (lol) but it doesn't seem to be growing any distinct rooster feathers, and the comb and wattles aren't growing any larger even though the face is reddening. Yet at the same time it has HUGE feet with thick legs. It's about five months old now. I call it Pecker because it's over zealous and constantly tries to jump up and peck us, like it's trying to grab treats or something any time it sees our hands dangling down. My DD is scared of it.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

Which way did you make your EE/ Cuckoo cross? If it was a solid EE on a cuckoo hen, you would have sex linked coloration, so you wouldn't have to guess. The other way around, and you just have to wait and see.

I have a blue barred Olive Egger, who is a cross of a Cuckoo Roo on a Splash Ameraucana. She's pretty, but just over 3 months, so no eggs until closer to spring.

I'm "borrowing" a roo later this week. He's not crowing yet, but he is mounting the girls at his home. I can't really have a roo, but I'm hoping I can get a some fertile eggs before I have to send him away. He is 3/4 Marans, but still has the pea comb from his grandmother. I'm hoping to cross him with some other Marans to get some pullets that will be 7/8 Marans, genetically, but with the green gene for DARK olive eggs. We'll see if that all works.

 

[Andora]

I hope it works! Dark olive eggs would be pretty exciting.

Mine was an EE hen (from Ideal) who lays large bright green eggs and a Cuckoo Marans roo from a breeder. The chicks all looked the same, black barred or something pretty close...this bird has a few solid black feathers on the wings, but only a couple. The EE hen was solid black with some gold on the neck and wings.

 

[Andora]

She laid her first egg today!!!! It was a little bright green egg.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

Congrats! I feel bad that I'm not more excited for my brown eggs, since those chickens are doing just as much work, but I get more excited for the green and dark brown eggs!

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
Amen sister! Me too!