Hen determines egg color? Maybe, not.

[Sandy-Acton]

Hi and Hello,

I am very pleased with my 5 month old mix, BCM x Buff Brahma pullet, recently began laying dark brown eggs. I had bought two BCM chicks, told they were female, turned out to be roosters.

I had been reading up on egg color of crossbreeds. I was disappointed from internet reads, that say the hen holds the key to egg color, and the rooster does not influence the color at all.
I hatched chicks from a Black Copper Marins rooster crossed with a Buff Brahma hen, she lays light brown/tan eggs. Two of the chicks look like BCM hens, and as mentioned, the eggs are very dark compared to mama hens eggs.

So, from my experience, the hen may determine egg color, tan, green, brown: but not depth of the color. I hope to hatch eggs from my barnyard mix with BCM roo and see if the eggs get darker.

1st pic shows BCM roo in (background) and Buff Brahma (foreground) which seem to produce black chicks.
2nd pic is the egg of hen compared to new pullet dark egg color

 

[NatJ]

I had been reading up on egg color of crossbreeds. I was disappointed from internet reads, that say the hen holds the key to egg color, and the rooster does not influence the color at all.

As you discovered, that is wrong.
The genes from the mother AND the genes from the father will determine what color eggs their daughters lay.

The problem with internet articles about whether a rooster can "influence" egg color is that they can mix up two different things.

Rooster _does not_ influence egg color: of the hens he is living with and mating with. The hens lay the same color eggs no matter what rooster is present or not.

Rooster _does_ influence egg color: of his daughters (and any chicks descended from his daughters or sons.)

So, from my experience, the hen may determine egg color, tan, green, brown: but not depth of the color. I hope to hatch eggs from my barnyard mix with BCM roo and see if the eggs get darker.

The blue egg gene can also be inherited from either parent (makes eggs blue, green, or olive depending on how much brown is on the outside of the egg). There is NO egg color gene that comes only from the mother.

Yes, using the BCM rooster with your barnyard mix hen should also produce daughters who lay darker eggs than their mother.

2nd pic is the egg of hen compared to new pullet dark egg color

Nice!

But be aware, it is also common for hens to lay lighter eggs when they have been laying for a while. So the hen might have laid slightly darker eggs when she first started, and the pullets may lay somewhat lighter eggs once they have been laying for a while. It is likely that the pullets will always lay darker eggs than their mother, just the degree of difference may change depending on how long each has been laying.

 

[Sandy-Acton]

As you discovered, that is wrong.
The genes from the mother AND the genes from the father will determine what color eggs their daughters lay.

The problem with internet articles about whether a rooster can "influence" egg color is that they can mix up two different things.

Rooster _does not_ influence egg color: of the hens he is living with and mating with. The hens lay the same color eggs no matter what rooster is present or not.

Rooster _does_ influence egg color: of his daughters (and any chicks descended from his daughters or sons.)


The blue egg gene can also be inherited from either parent (makes eggs blue, green, or olive depending on how much brown is on the outside of the egg). There is NO egg color gene that comes only from the mother.

Yes, using the BCM rooster with your barnyard mix hen should also produce daughters who lay darker eggs than their mother.


Nice!

But be aware, it is also common for hens to lay lighter eggs when they have been laying for a while. So the hen might have laid slightly darker eggs when she first started, and the pullets may lay somewhat lighter eggs once they have been laying for a while. It is likely that the pullets will always lay darker eggs than their mother, just the degree of difference may change depending on how long each has been laying.

Thank you so much for info.
I have raised chickens for eggs only since the 90's. The last couple years I experienced roosters. Another whole world of chicken communication and rituals. Then, I tried incubation, got 5 chicks out of 8 eggs. So exciting. Then I got a broody hen and tried that. Only 4 out of 12. Which is fine by me. I experienced chicken math and rapidly went from 5 to 12 chickens. But it is fun watching mama teach her chicks.

Question. Wondering, then, I have two Easter Eggers, they have not layed yet. Mating them with BCM could potentially create a different/darker (assuming) green egg. They should start laying soon.
Lovin' Chickens!

 

[NatJ]

Question. Wondering, then, I have two Easter Eggers, they have not layed yet. Mating them with BCM could potentially create a different/darker (assuming) green egg. They should start laying soon.

Yes, if they lay green eggs, mating them to the Black Copper Marans is likely to produce daughters that lay darker green eggs.