# Egg Color Combinations...



## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

I think I want some colorful eggs in my laying flock since I will be trying to sell some of them - I think it's a good marketing ploy to be the only one in town with "rainbow eggs." Of course that does mean I need to understand the genetics if I am to make my own crosses and whatnot. Below is what I have figured out so far, correct me if I am wrong, or feel free to fill in the blanks. Sorry for the repeats. 

White Egg Layer X White Egg Layer = White Egg Layer 
White Egg Layer X Brown Egg Layer = ?? 
White Egg Layer X Blue Egg Layer = Blue Egg Layer
White Egg Layer X Green Egg Layer = ?? 


Brown Egg Layer X Brown Egg Layer = Brown Egg Layer
Brown Egg Layer X White Egg Layer = ?? 
Brown Egg Layer X Blue Egg Layer = Green Egg Layer
Brown Egg Layer X Green Egg Layer = ?? 

Blue Egg Layer X Blue Egg Layer = Blue Egg Layer
Blue Egg Layer X White Egg Layer = Blue Egg Layer
Blue Egg Layer X Brown Egg Layer = Green Egg Layer
Blue Egg Layer X Chocolate Egg Layer = Dark Green Egg Layer "Olive Egger"
Blue Egg Layer X Green Egg Layer = ?? 

Green Egg Layer X Green Egg Layer = Green Egg Layer
Green Egg Layer X White Egg Layer = ?? 
Green Egg Layer X Brown Egg Layer = ?? 
Green Egg Layer X Blue Egg Layer = ??

Bonus questions: Are speckled eggs an easy trait to pass on? And does it matter which one is which as far as sexes go? (i.e. if you want to breed for a green egg layer does it matter which one of the pair is the blue egg layer? Or does it work both ways?)


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

This might answer your question: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/why_are_chicken_eggs_different_colors

It appears that as you wash out the genetics for the breed of hen that you will also was out the genetics for egg color.


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## OldBrickHouseFarm (Sep 30, 2014)

WeeLittleChicken said:


> ...
> 
> White Egg Layer X White Egg Layer = White Egg Layer
> White Egg Layer X Brown Egg Layer = *depends*
> ...


I agree with Robin. But adding to the cited information and in answer to your questions, it may depend more on the breed/s of brown layers you are using.
Research is thin when it comes to shell pigments. The article mentions the chemical deposited that makes a brown egg. I suggest that there are many more pigments than one, especially when it comes to extremely dark laying breeds like Marans, Penedesenca, Welsummer and Barnevelders. After all, there are breeds of chickens in the world, primarily in South America, that lay pink, plum, yellow and orange eggs. Those colors won't come from just 2 chemical pigments. 
Good quality Marans eggs are called chocolate. Is it likely that the depth of color comes just from protoporphyrin?
Penedesenca eggs are supposed to be intense reddish maroon (marró rogenc intens). Again, unlikely to be from a single chemical.
Some have even suggested that the origin of the dark egg color originated from outcrossing with grey jungle fowl many moons ago, even though that pairing often created infertile offspring.
I want to add that there are a large number of genes involved in shell pigments. Crossing breeds to obtain desired colors sometimes backfires.

I had a Welsummer that laid extremely dark eggs, almost on a par with my Penedesencas. My brainstorm was to cross them to get another really dark egg. The results were less than disappointing. The offspring laid a normal brown egg at best. So the genes of both breeds creating the dark egg cancelled each other out. Likely the only chemical still produced in the uterus was the protoporphyrin - losing the chemicals that created the dark egg in both parents lines.
Crossing Penedesenca with Minorca yielded a pale tinted egg.
I occasionally get a plum egg from a few different generations. However, according to the Euro bioscience company Altech Poultry, that is the result of an additional layer of calcium applied after the pigment thereby creating a lilac or pink effect.

In summary, egg color genetics is complicated and not well known.

Blue is dominant so either parent can pass it on.


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

Fascinating. Doesn't really matter that much but it is a very curious subject. I was hoping to eventually cross some of my speckled-egg laying Welsummers with a Cream Legbar in the hopes of getting a speckled green egg. But I guess I will just play around and see. I loved the fact the barred rocks I had before had pink tinted eggs. I thought their lovely. Would love to see some of those pink, plum, yellow and orange eggs! I heard a rumor the blue eggs may have been the result of a chicken pheasant cross, something I thought would be impossible, but after seeing evidence of two chicken/duck crosses now I am not so sure!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Guineas and chickens will cross but the progeny are infertile. I would suspect the same is true for others.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

99.99% sterile. There has been documented cases of some crosses being fertile, though. Nature finds a way sometimes.


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## OldBrickHouseFarm (Sep 30, 2014)

Fiere said:


> ... Nature finds a way sometimes.


Jurassic Park 

As for blue eggs, I believe I read that they thought it was a disease that caused a gene mutation sometime along the way either in Polynesia or after they arrived in what is now South America. Blue, green, olive and khaki egg colors in North America, Europe, Oceania and elsewhere can trace their roots to the Araucana. 
I believe some other birds were imported to Europe/UK during the Falklands war and some of those birds lay various tinted and grey eggs.


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