What do these crosses give?

[Welshies]

Doesn't Cackle Hatchery in Montana sell them? Fairly expensive, but you only need some initial breeding stock and then the occasional outside rooster if you do it right... And Cackle is supposed to have nice stock, for a hatchery.

I'm in Canada, and only get my birds from local breeders. Too expensive to ship day old chicks into the -4F (-20C) average Rockies.

 

[The Moonshiner]

It's always going to be a gamble with EEs because they can lay any color eggs and carry any egg color genes.
Here's how it works. The eggs start as white. The blue gene turns the egg shell blue. Blue is dominate to white. So we'll call it the white gene for conversation. It's not actually a white gene per say but the lack of any modifying gene. So...
Two white genes equals white eggs and all offspring receiving a white gene.
Two blue genes equals blue eggs and all offspring receiving a blue gene from that parent.
If they have one white gene and one blue gene the eggs will be blue because blue is dominate to white but their offspring can receive one or the other gene. White or blue.
Blue and white eggs are an either or. Either its blue or its white.
Brown egg genes are a whole different deal. As mentioned there are several genes involved in brown eggs. Hence the such wide variety in shades of brown eggs.
So you're always working with blue or white and then whether brown is involved or not.
Brown on white equals brown. Brown on blue equals green.
If you have a hen that lays blue eggs she either has two blue genes or one blue and one white. If she lays green eggs you have the same. Either two blue, or one of each plus some brown egg genes.
If you're breeding for blue eggs the white gene and any brown genes are your enemy. If for green white is your enemy.
It is true once you bring in the brown genes its hard to get rid of them completely. I have limited experience but for me with selective breeding it takes 3 or 4 generations.
Some examples.
If you breed an EE that has one blue gene and one white gene to a brown egg layer (australop) the brown egg layer will automatically contribute one white gene. Remember brown eggs are also genetically white. The EE will contribute either a blue gene or a white gene. So right there 50% of your eggs will not be blue or green.
If you breed two EEs together that both carry one blue and one white you have a 25% chance at an offspring having two blue genes, 50% chance at one of each and 25% chance at no blue gene.
Everytime you add brown yours adding white. Also the brown is turning your blue eggs green. So. Once you bring in white you are increasing the odds of non blue or green eggs. Everytime you add brown yours also greatly increasing your odds for green instead of blue.
Its easy to turn a blue egg green but really hard to go from green back to blue.
With your EE to EE breeding you will be getting white or brown eggs along with your blues and greens.
With your EE to australop breeding you will end up with about half green and half brown if the EE carries one blue and one white gene.
If you're breeding all different egg colors or unknown egg colors together it doesn't take long until that's what you end up with. About half laying green and half laying brown.for your goals it would be extremely helpful to start with a rooster that is known to carry two blue genes and no brown genes. Whether it be a true ameraucana, legbar or EE.
I will add I had hatchery "americanas" that I raised for generation and got nothing but blue eggs. Its my opinion that at least some hatcheries sell "americaunas" that are pure for blue eggs. If you could find offspring of birds that where sourced from a hatchery I would get those over a breeders backyard crosses EEs.

 

[Welshies]

It's always going to be a gamble with EEs because they can lay any color eggs and carry any egg color genes.
Here's how it works. The eggs start as white. The blue gene turns the egg shell blue. Blue is dominate to white. So we'll call it the white gene for conversation. It's not actually a white gene per say but the lack of any modifying gene. So...
Two white genes equals white eggs and all offspring receiving a white gene.
Two blue genes equals blue eggs and all offspring receiving a blue gene from that parent.
If they have one white gene and one blue gene the eggs will be blue because blue is dominate to white but their offspring can receive one or the other gene. White or blue.
Blue and white eggs are an either or. Either its blue or its white.
Brown egg genes are a whole different deal. As mentioned there are several genes involved in brown eggs. Hence the such wide variety in shades of brown eggs.
So you're always working with blue or white and then whether brown is involved or not.
Brown on white equals brown. Brown on blue equals green.
If you have a hen that lays blue eggs she either has two blue genes or one blue and one white. If she lays green eggs you have the same. Either two blue, or one of each plus some brown egg genes.
If you're breeding for blue eggs the white gene and any brown genes are your enemy. If for green white is your enemy.
It is true once you bring in the brown genes its hard to get rid of them completely. I have limited experience but for me with selective breeding it takes 3 or 4 generations.
Some examples.
If you breed an EE that has one blue gene and one white gene to a brown egg layer (australop) the brown egg layer will automatically contribute one white gene. Remember brown eggs are also genetically white. The EE will contribute either a blue gene or a white gene. So right there 50% of your eggs will not be blue or green.
If you breed two EEs together that both carry one blue and one white you have a 25% chance at an offspring having two blue genes, 50% chance at one of each and 25% chance at no blue gene.
Everytime you add brown yours adding white. Also the brown is turning your blue eggs green. So. Once you bring in white you are increasing the odds of non blue or green eggs. Everytime you add brown yours also greatly increasing your odds for green instead of blue.
Its easy to turn a blue egg green but really hard to go from green back to blue.
With your EE to EE breeding you will be getting white or brown eggs along with your blues and greens.
With your EE to australop breeding you will end up with about half green and half brown if the EE carries one blue and one white gene.
If you're breeding all different egg colors or unknown egg colors together it doesn't take long until that's what you end up with. About half laying green and half laying brown.for your goals it would be extremely helpful to start with a rooster that is known to carry two blue genes and no brown genes. Whether it be a true ameraucana, legbar or EE.
I will add I had hatchery "americanas" that I raised for generation and got nothing but blue eggs. Its my opinion that at least some hatcheries sell "americaunas" that are pure for blue eggs. If you could find offspring of birds that where sourced from a hatchery I would get those over a breeders backyard crosses EEs.

I can't get from a hatchery, not now, and it is EXTREMELY expensive up here.
The chicks would die during shipping at this time in the year.
I am looking for a breeder's Ameraucanas, or at the least, a pure Ameraucana roo to put over some EE hens.
So, if I understand correctly, the EExBrahma hens would lay olive eggs?

 

[The Moonshiner]

An EE crossed with a brahma COULD give you any color egg. Most likely it would be brown or green. Least likely would be white or blue. Olive egger is possible but I sure wouldn't ever bet on it.

You're missing the point and I don't know any other way to tell you.....
You can not predict what any cross with any EE or any EE to EE breeding unless you know exactly what genes the EE carries.

 

[Welshies]

An EE crossed with a brahma COULD give you any color egg. Most likely it would be brown or green. Least likely would be white or blue. Olive egger is possible but I sure wouldn't ever bet on it.

You're missing the point and I don't know any other way to tell you.....
You can not predict what any cross with any EE or any EE to EE breeding unless you know exactly what genes the EE carries.

Hmmm, alright. Thanks anyways. The issue is, I can find an Ameraucana roo, but chicks are hard to find up here, and I have either a backyard-cross EEs for $10 each or EExBrahma for $5 each.

 

[The Moonshiner]

That's all you need is an ameraucana rooster. His genes are known. No white, no brown, just blue.
You can breed him to anything and produce EEs.
He will pass on one gene for blue. Nothing else. All his chicks will lay some shade of blue or some shade of green.

 

[Welshies]

That's all you need is an ameraucana rooster. His genes are known. No white, no brown, just blue.
You can breed him to anything and produce EEs.
He will pass on one gene for blue. Nothing else. All his chicks will lay some shade of blue or some shade of green.

Even a brown laying hen?
So the Ameraucana is definitely the way to go, then.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yes. For sure the way to go.
Everything he produces is going to get a blue egg gene from him. Nothing else.
If the chick gets a white gene from mom eggs will be blue. Usually a lite blue.
If chick gets a blue gene from mom it will lay blue.
If chick gets white and brown it will be green.shade of green will depend on what brown genes it gets.
If it gets blue gene and brown genes from mom same thing. Green eggs but shade will not be known.

 

[Welshies]

Yes. For sure the way to go.
Everything he produces is going to get a blue egg gene from him. Nothing else.
If the chick gets a white gene from mom eggs will be blue. Usually a lite blue.
If chick gets a blue gene from mom it will lay blue.
If chick gets white and brown it will be green.shade of green will depend on what brown genes it gets.
If it gets blue gene and brown genes from mom same thing. Green eggs but shade will not be known.

Awesome. Thank you so much. Sorry for all my confusing explanations!