Show Posts
451
Breeding / Genetics of egg color
« on: February 08, 2017, 04:18:39 PM »
Can someone explain the genetics behind egg color to me? I have been focusing on type the last three seasons, while of course only setting blue eggs, but this year I would like to focus in on egg color more closely. I have marked the eggs that are the deepest shade of blue, and plan to mark those chicks for identification later on.
Is egg color influenced by the cock, hen, or both? I read somewhere online that it is influenced by around 13 genes...I don't know if that is true or not. If anyone has any reading material that they can recommend, I would be appreciative.
Each year I hatch and keep several hundred chicks. Unfortunately, this season a wheaten pullet that hatched from a blue egg grew up to lay a pink egg. My bloodline originated from one of the directors, and they are definitely true Ameraucanas. The other pullets that I kept from that pen lay blue eggs. Do I need to consider culling the cock from that pen? I raise for show and he has great type, so I would prefer not to. However, I do want to be sure that I keep egg color in mind. It is definitely a balancing act. Most of my pens are set up with one cock over five hens, so I can't say for certain what hen she came from. I would like to get my pen sizes smaller, say one cock to three hens, but that will involve building more pens, and I am trying to give my husband a little break from coop and pen building. LOL!
Is egg color influenced by the cock, hen, or both? I read somewhere online that it is influenced by around 13 genes...I don't know if that is true or not. If anyone has any reading material that they can recommend, I would be appreciative.
Each year I hatch and keep several hundred chicks. Unfortunately, this season a wheaten pullet that hatched from a blue egg grew up to lay a pink egg. My bloodline originated from one of the directors, and they are definitely true Ameraucanas. The other pullets that I kept from that pen lay blue eggs. Do I need to consider culling the cock from that pen? I raise for show and he has great type, so I would prefer not to. However, I do want to be sure that I keep egg color in mind. It is definitely a balancing act. Most of my pens are set up with one cock over five hens, so I can't say for certain what hen she came from. I would like to get my pen sizes smaller, say one cock to three hens, but that will involve building more pens, and I am trying to give my husband a little break from coop and pen building. LOL!