What do you get....

[lazy gardener]

My EE roo carries one copy of blue egg gene. Approximately half of his dtrs lay varying shades of blue/green/aqua/olive, and the others lay brown. He also makes beautiful black sex link pullets (when put over a barred or cuckoo rose combed hen) that have petite little walnut combs.

 

[The Moonshiner]

A brown egg laying breed crossed to a blue egg laying breed will produce offspring that lay green eggs. If you want varying shades of green eggs I suggest getting an ameraucana rooster and a mix of light brown egg layers and dark brown egg layers (like Black Copper marans) @The Moonshiner am I correct?

Yes.
If it was me I'd skip on any EE and get a true ameraucana rooster. If you like black that would work nice.
Then get more cuckoo marans, barred rock and crested creme legbar hens.
Black ameraucana rooster over those three breeds would give you blue, green and olive eggers and they would be sex linked so you could sale them as sexed pullet EEs and OEs at hatch. Then sell males for whatever you could.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

As cold as your temps get, if it were me, I'd get birds that have no wattles/very small wattles and small combs like cushion, smaller type walnut or smaller strawberry combs. Since this last cold stint, some of the roosters with pea combs have been touched, I have a purebred Silkie that's frozen the top of his comb.

The only roosters in the rooster shed that haven't been touched are the roos with cushion combs and the strawberry combs.

 

[Welshies]

Yes.
If it was me I'd skip on any EE and get a true ameraucana rooster. If you like black that would work nice.
Then get more cuckoo marans, barred rock and crested creme legbar hens.
Black ameraucana rooster over those three breeds would give you blue, green and olive eggers and they would be sex linked so you could sale them as sexed pullet EEs and OEs at hatch. Then sell males for whatever you could.

Personally I don't want nor can do those breeds (barred rocks, legbars, marans).
I will focus on the Australorps, and Ameraucanas for now.
I don't ship up here as we are in the Rockies and it's quite expensive. I only use local birds from local breeders.

As cold as your temps get, if it were me, I'd get birds that have no wattles/very small wattles and small combs like cushion, smaller type walnut or smaller strawberry combs. Since this last cold stint, some of the roosters with pea combs have been touched, I have a purebred Silkie that's frozen the top of his comb.

The only roosters in the rooster shed that haven't been touched are the roos with cushion combs and the strawberry combs.

I agree. Mind you it gets so cold up here I had a rose comb roo lose his entire comb just from the cold- he was in an open air coop.

 

[bruceha2000]

Definitely get the Ameraucana roo then. Guaranteed to have 2 blue genes so the offspring from crossing with the BAs will get at least 1 and lay green.

Of course, just because a hen lays green eggs doesn't guarantee she will pass that blue egg gene on to her offspring if she isn't crossed with a bird carrying 2 blue genes. There is nothing we can see in a bird that will tell if it is carrying the blue gene, the only way to know is to see what the second generation lays

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I agree. Mind you it gets so cold up here I had a rose comb roo lose his entire comb just from the cold- he was in an open air coop.

I have one with a true rose comb. He was touched last year. So far he's ok this year...but the rose comb is definitely not my favourite comb. I have no idea what he is, he sprung from the EEs and possibly the Cuckoo Marans. He's an anomaly here.

 

[Welshies]

I have one with a true rose comb. He was touched last year. So far he's ok this year...but the rose comb is definitely not my favourite comb. I have no idea what he is, he sprung from the EEs and possibly the Cuckoo Marans. He's an anomaly here.

I far prefer the pea combs.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I far prefer the pea combs.

I'm surprised how much mine have been touched now, that top row is white on quite a few of them.

But then I have two that have straight combs that have barely been touched.
I guess they'll move from replacement breeders to select breeders.

 

[Welshies]

I'm surprised how much mine have been touched now, that top row is white on quite a few of them.

But then I have two that have straight combs that have barely been touched.
I guess they'll move from replacement breeders to select breeders.

My flock as well. My Australorp has no frostbite.

 

[BokBokBeginner]

Yes.
If it was me I'd skip on any EE and get a true ameraucana rooster. If you like black that would work nice.
Then get more cuckoo marans, barred rock and crested creme legbar hens.
Black ameraucana rooster over those three breeds would give you blue, green and olive eggers and they would be sex linked so you could sale them as sexed pullet EEs and OEs at hatch. Then sell males for whatever you could.

Sorry to jump in but I am wondering if this works the same for a pure lavender Araucana roo as it does for an Ameraucana?