Who to breed with whom

[BucksBoo]

I was told that if I breed an Easter egger with a Maran that I will get more Easter eggers. Is that correct? Can it be any Maran?

 

[NatJ]

I was told that if I breed an Easter egger with a Maran that I will get more Easter eggers. Is that correct? Can it be any Maran?

Mostly correct. If you have an Easter Egger hen (lays blue or green eggs), then you can cross her to ANY rooster (Marans or not), and at least some of her daughters will lay blue or green eggs. How many of her daughters? Depending on the genetics of the Easter Egger hen, either half her daughters or all of them.

(Easter Egger roosters pass on the same genes for egg color as hens do, but because they do not lay eggs, you cannot be positive that any specific rooster will have the gene that causes blue/green eggs. With a hen, if she lays that color eggs, then she must have the genes to do so.)

 

[BucksBoo]

Mostly correct. If you have an Easter Egger hen (lays blue or green eggs), then you can cross her to ANY rooster (Marans or not), and at least some of her daughters will lay blue or green eggs. How many of her daughters? Depending on the genetics of the Easter Egger hen, either half her daughters or all of them.

(Easter Egger roosters pass on the same genes for egg color as hens do, but because they do not lay eggs, you cannot be positive that any specific rooster will have the gene that causes blue/green eggs. With a hen, if she lays that color eggs, then she must have the genes to do so.)

 

[BucksBoo]

Thank you. That was very helpful.