breeding a cream OE rooster with a Blue OE hen = ?

[flockofdovz]

We recently bought chicks from a small homestead breeder and all ended up being roosters that only have green and blue egg genetics. We are considering keeping 1-2 of the roosters for a few months to breed to our small flock of hens (different breeds) for more variation in feather/egg colors.

We have 2 Blue Olive Egger hens from a hatchery that are under a year old. They lay mint green and light olive hued eggs. If we breed them with the cream F1 OE rooster, what will the resulting feather color be? Splash of cream/grey feathers?

We also have a buff homozygous blue-egg laying rooster (3rd photo). If we crossed the the Buff blue-gene rooster (Ameraucana X Legbar parents) with our Blue OE hens, what would the resulting feather AND egg colors be?

Is it possible for an OE hen to lay blue eggs if covered by a homozygous blue-egg rooster? What are the feather colors of crossing Buff x Blue (grey)??

We also have ISA Brown hens that we love for their L brown eggs 7 days per week. If we crossed them with the Buff homozygous blue-egg rooster, would the resulting chicks have crests and lay large green eggs in large quantities?

Does anyone know of a website with infographics or photos that show the resulting feather color combinations within a breed, such as Buff x Blue? I already have egg-color infographics that explain green and blue egg genetics.

Thanks!

 

[NatJ]

I don't have answers for all of your questions, but I can help with some of them.

We also have a buff homozygous blue-egg laying rooster (3rd photo). If we crossed the the Buff blue-gene rooster (Ameraucana X Legbar parents) with our Blue OE hens, what would the resulting feather AND egg colors be?

What are the feather colors of crossing Buff x Blue (grey)??

Daughters would probably lay green eggs of various shades. There is a chance of some daughters laying actual blue eggs, or ones dark enough to be considered olive.

Feather colors: you might get 50% chicks that grow blue feathers, and 50% that grow black feathers. Or you might get 25% each of those, and the other half of chicks will have some other color or pattern (gold with black patterning of some sort, gold with blue patterning of some sort, silver with black or blue patterning, something like that.) With the buff-colored rooster as a father, if you get chicks that grow silver feathers, they must be males. Depending on what genes the hens are hiding under their blue feathers, gold chicks might be females, or might be some females and some males.

For the chicks that grow black or blue feathers, they will probably have some leakage of gold or silver as they grow up.

Is it possible for an OE hen to lay blue eggs if covered by a homozygous blue-egg rooster?

The Olive Egger hen will lay the same color eggs, no matter what rooster she mates with.

The rooster's egg color genes will affect what color eggs his daughters lay (because they inherit genes from both their father and their mother.)

We also have ISA Brown hens that we love for their L brown eggs 7 days per week. If we crossed them with the Buff homozygous blue-egg rooster, would the resulting chicks have crests and lay large green eggs in large quantities?

Probably yes about the chicks, but you might get crests on half the chicks rather than all the chicks.

 

[flockofdovz]

The Olive Egger hen will lay the same color eggs, no matter what rooster she mates with.

The rooster's egg color genes will affect what color eggs his daughters lay (because they inherit genes from both their father and their mother.)

Thanks for the response! On the above quote, just to clarify, I knew that a hen's egg color doesn't change, but I was referring to her "daughters," as you call them. It is exciting to consider that my Blue OE hen could produce daughters that lay blue eggs, if I cross her with the homozygous blue-egg rooster I just raised as a chick.

 

[NatJ]

Thanks for the response! On the above quote, just to clarify, I knew that a hen's egg color doesn't change, but I was referring to her "daughters," as you call them.

Oh, good. Some people seem to think a hen's egg color actually will change if they put a different rooster in the pen with her, which is why I thought you were asking that too.

It is exciting to consider that my Blue OE hen could produce daughters that lay blue eggs, if I cross her with the homozygous blue-egg rooster I just raised as a chick.

If she lays olive eggs, it is more likely that her daughters will lay green not blue, but it is not a certainty.

If you want hens that lay actual blue eggs (rather than green or olive), take whichever daughter lays eggs that are closest to blue (lightest green) and breed her back to the blue-egg rooster. That should give offspring with genes for eggs in the blue to light green range. Or get a hen that lays white eggs, and breed her to the blue egg rooster. That should give some nice blue-eggers.

 

[flockofdovz]

If you want hens that lay actual blue eggs (rather than green or olive), take whichever daughter lays eggs that are closest to blue (lightest green) and breed her back to the blue-egg rooster. That should give offspring with genes for eggs in the blue to light green range. Or get a hen that lays white eggs, and breed her to the blue egg rooster. That should give some nice blue-eggers.

This is the egg spectrum we have from our flock right now. The 2 eggs on the far left are from our 2 Blue (Grey-feathered) OE hens. One appears to be almost blue, and the other is more olive. I was hoping to determine which hen lays which egg and then I am dreaming of crossing the olive-egg-hued-female to the F1 OE rooster I am raising right now. I'm hoping for a darker olive egg from any daughters. And then I would cross the blue-egg-hued-female (that far left egg) to the buff homozygous blue-egg rooster I'm raising for a darker blue egg from any daughters. What do you think? I'm not sure I can even keep both roosters long enough to breed them...That egg on the far left often looks mint green, too. Depending on the light, it can appear mint green or light blue....maybe it's the bloom that changes it each week? Note, the ISA Brown eggs are far right, and are quite dark. I'm hoping to cross them with the F1 Olive Egger I'm raising to see if I can get even darker brown eggs from any daughters, or hues of green.

 

[NatJ]

This is the egg spectrum we have from our flock right now. The 2 eggs on the far left are from our 2 Blue (Grey-feathered) OE hens. One appears to be almost blue, and the other is more olive. I was hoping to determine which hen lays which egg and then I am dreaming of crossing the olive-egg-hued-female to the F1 OE rooster I am raising right now. I'm hoping for a darker olive egg from any daughters. And then I would cross the blue-egg-hued-female (that far left egg) to the buff homozygous blue-egg rooster I'm raising for a darker blue egg from any daughters. What do you think?

If "olive" only refers to eggs that are very dark green, I think your "Olive Eggers" may just be laying green eggs (especially the lighter one.)

Yes, breeding the hens that way does sound like a good plan: one pairing for the lighter blue/green shades, one for the darker.

I'm not sure I can even keep both roosters long enough to breed them...

That would obviously make it hard to do any kind of a breeding project!

That egg on the far left often looks mint green, too. Depending on the light, it can appear mint green or light blue....maybe it's the bloom that changes it each week?

It could be the bloom, at least partly, but I think it is more likely a variation in the amount of brown on the egg. Green eggs are blue with a coating of brown on the outside, just like brown eggs are white with a coating of brown on the outside. The amount of brown can vary a bit from one day to another. It also tends to be darkest when pullets or hens first start laying, and get gradually lighter as they keep laying.

Note, the ISA Brown eggs are far right, and are quite dark. I'm hoping to cross them with the F1 Olive Egger I'm raising to see if I can get even darker brown eggs from any daughters, or hues of green.

Wow, those are dark! Yes, those hens might have the genes to give you daughters that lay nice dark eggs! I had been expecting ISA Brown eggs to be more like the ones in the middle of the carton.