Which roo to keep? Does breed of roo contribute to offspring egg color?

[ChickenPox]

I have a pen of babies that should lay colored eggs coming up now.......EEs, Marans, Olive Eggers.......and of course have ample roosters of each breed, along with some wyandotte, cochin, swedish flowers, new hamshire, and buff orpingtons.

I want to keep one or two roos for fertilization (yes, barnyard mixes) and protection.

My question is.......would the rooster have any contribution to the potential egg color of the offspring? Say, for instance, I keep a Cochin roo and he covers an olive egger hen. Would the resulting offspring (assuming it is also a hen) lay colored eggs even if it is half colored egg layer? Would the color be diluted? What if I kept a Marans roo? If he covered an EE or an olive egger, what potential colors would the offpsring of that cross throw? Or does it even make a difference? What the roo is?

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
The rooster will contribute genes for the same color of egg from which he was hatched.
Best,
Karen

 

[ChickenPox]

thanks Karen! So if he is bred to a different breed hen, the resulting offsprings color will just be diluted? Or will it have any effect?

 

[tadkerson]

I have a pen of babies that should lay colored eggs coming up now.......EEs, Marans, Olive Eggers.......and of course have ample roosters of each breed, along with some wyandotte, cochin, swedish flowers, new hamshire, and buff orpingtons.

I want to keep one or two roos for fertilization (yes, barnyard mixes) and protection.

My question is.......would the rooster have any contribution to the potential egg color of the offspring? Say, for instance, I keep a Cochin roo and he covers an olive egger hen. Would the resulting offspring (assuming it is also a hen) lay colored eggs even if it is half colored egg layer? Would the color be diluted? What if I kept a Marans roo? If he covered an EE or an olive egger, what potential colors would the offpsring of that cross throw? Or does it even make a difference? What the roo is?

cochin x OE= a hen could produce green and her sister could produce brown / every hen produces green eggs
Marans x EE = same as above
Marns x OE= same as above

The male contributes an equal number of genes for egg color just like the female. The only time there may be a difference is if the genes are sex linked. Egg color is complicated; especially if one parent is a hybrid.

Tim

 

[ChickenPox]

Thank you! So in other words, it really doesn't much matter which roo I keep? LOL! This isn't a big deal, really.....just curiosity. I know genetics are complicated and at times unpredictable. But they are fun!