Pink Egg Project Interest?

[ZurcherFarms]

I would love to selectively breed to acquire a hen who's offspring would reliably produce pink hued eggs, however realize this is a near impossible task for one person, as to do it right I'd have to hatch 1000s of eggs, then raise them till laying age, culling 98% of the birds. It could literally take a lifetime! However I've thought of a cooperative, mutually beneficial way that a lot of us could possibly achieve this goal in a shorter time by working together, and balancing out the costs of raising the birds so the burden doesn't fall on one person/breeder. There would be multiple levels or memberships in the program, and a single person could easily hold several positions at one time, depending on how involved they want to be.

Regional/State Project Coordinators "book keepers"

• Keep track of all participants in their area, (people and birds)
• Non-coordinator breeders/hatchers report back to them with wing clip numbers/results
• Check in with raisers to see if any birds are laying pink
• Dismiss birds/wing numbers from program if not meeting standards
• Communicate with other Coordinators to develope breeding direction, short term goals, standards, ect
• Directly monitor breeders in their area to ensure basic standards are being met

Breeders (often hatchers/raisers too)

• Maintain roosters and breeding pens
• Work with Coordinators to acquire new roosters/donor hens
• Must be NPIP certified, have a designated quarantine area away from other flocks
• Either hatch eggs or distribute eggs to hatchers, document egg shell colors per standards set
• Report directly to Coordinators
• Work with donors/Coordinators to figure logistics of transporting donor birds

Hatchers (often also raisers too)

• Incubate and hatch chicks
• Wing band chicks per standards set, and report numbers to Coordinator
• Distribute chicks to raisers, report to Coordinators who received them and which numbers, etc
• Must be able to keep track of batches, so lineage can be confirmed. Needs plan in place to separate eggs if needed.

Raisers (often donors too)

• Receive chicks from hatchers to raise until at least laying age
• Donors receive chicks free or at discount
• Can sell infertile eggs for income to help recoup feed costs
• Can't sell or re-home chicks without first contacting coordinator unless they've been dismissed from the program already
• Report to coordinator if any hens are laying pink, and work as a donor to keep that hen in the program another year
• Work with Coordinators to re-home unwanted roosters

Donors (often raisers)

• "Donate" "lend" or possibly sell, current pink laying hens for a set amount of time in order to breed, to Coordinators or breeders. Hens must consistently produce pink eggs, not just randomly pink eggs.
• Earn membership in the project to receive discounts on future chicks
• Can earn membership status through monetary contributions as well, as per standards set, through Coordinators

Researchers

• Work with Coordinators/breeders/hatchers to improve project through scientific studies
• Receive updated lists of which birds, and lineages are consistently producing pink
• Conduct studies, draw blood, analyse genome etc on project birds

Hopefully, by giving researchers the opportunity to analyze a large amount of pink laying birds from different sources and breeds, they will be able to more quickly make correlations between the genes that produce these pink hues. This in turn could theoretically shorten the time it takes to get to our end goal.

Once a strain, or multiple strains of consistent pink layers are produced, then all Coordinators, breeders, and hatchers in the program at that time will be the first to receive breeding stock. Raisers and donors will get the option of discounted chicks (per standards set). At that time Coordinators can work with their individual breeder group to further develope the strain into preferred color feathering, shape, consistency of egg size, quantity, etc. While staying connected with other Coordinators to ensure genetic diversity, consistency, etc. Ultimately once refined, these birds could achieve breed status.

If you may be interested or would like to be on a list for more information regarding the project, please comment below.

I am located in Nebraska, however Coordinators can be set up in any area or State. I've contacted The University of Nebraska-Lincoln if any of their faculty would be interested in this research opportunity, however have not heard back yet. Depending on how many are interested in participating, and where geographically they are located several university's could be involved.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Interesting and well thought out project.

What breeds would you plan on starting with?
There are some South American breeds that lay pink eggs.
The Croad Langshan in the UK supposedly lays plum eggs.
I had a JG that laid pinkish eggs.
I have a couple Penedesencas that lay a plum egg (supposed to be intense reddish maroon) but I suspect the aren't really plum but rather have a thin layer of calcium over the reddish maroon resulting in plum. Their pigment is applied earlier in the shell building process, similar to the blue in blue/green layers.

 

[ZurcherFarms]

I am open to all opinions, but I'd like to start with any birds that have a pink shell, and not just a bloom that makes it look pink, like the Croad Langshans. I think if we are breeding for a bloom effect, it may hurt the overall project. Now with that being said, if there are any Croad Langshan owners that have consistently pink or plum eggs, and it doesn't appear to just be a bloom, I wouldn't exclude those from the project.

The first hurdle is to acquire a rooster that hatched from a pink egg to breed to.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Salmon Faverolles lay pink eggs.

 

[Lostchicken]

I have two Americana's and I am getting pink eggs. I was hopping for blue or green.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I have two Americana's and I am getting pink eggs. I was hopping for blue or green.

Then you have Easter Eggers and not real Ameraucanas.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Salmon Faverolles lay pink eggs.

They are suppose to be creamy tinted. Do White Faverolles lay pinkish too?

I have two Americana's and I am getting pink eggs. I was hopping for blue or green.

I wouldn't use those since the pink is the result of various brown pigments on top of a bit of blue.

It would have to really start with breeds that start out laying a pink egg, not a combination of pigments.
I'd look at some JGs or even Plymouth Rocks.
Penedesenca or Empordanesa crossed with Faverolles may be an idea.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I don’t know about white Faverolles.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

To the best of my knowledge, Salmon and White are the only two varieties of Faverolles.

Maybe a white bird by crossing White Faverolles with White Empordanesa.

 

[Amer]

My RIR lays pink eggs with white spots. The breeds may vary, but I think choosing pink eggs to hatch is the easiest go around. I have no idea if pink eggs are common in RIRs. I also had Salmon Favs and JG lay pinkish eggs, but I don't have them anymore, so no possible comparison.