Beards

[Mike Gilbert]

The best way to improve egg color is to set only the best colored eggs to hatch, and save only roosters to breed from that are out of those nicely colored eggs.   The problem may be something so simple as the O gene being present in only the hetero condition (one gene instead of the two needed).    if that is the case it is pretty easily overcome within a closed flock.   

[John W Blehm]

The best way to improve egg color is to set only the best colored eggs to hatch, and save only roosters to breed from that are out of those nicely colored eggs.   The problem may be something so simple as the O gene being present in only the hetero condition (one gene instead of the two needed).    if that is the case it is pretty easily overcome within a closed flock.

Another problem could be that they carry a brown eggshell color inhibitor gene (pr) that could produce a true blue egg that can look washed out without brown tint.  Many fanciers prefer more turquoise eggs and some brown tint is required.  If that is the case the breeder needs to try to breed out the recessive inhibitor gene thru severe selection and maybe test mating.  If it is prominent and outcross would help.

[Mike Gilbert]

The pr gene is a sex linked recessive according to Sellers.   I was under the understanding that it prevented brown in the eggshell, but did not affect blue.   But maybe more recent studies have shown otherwise.   If so, I would like to see the report(s).   Also, I had read years ago that pr has a detrimental affect on a hens health and/or egg production, but maybe that has been updated as well?   "Science" is always coming up with new information that contradicts the old.

[John W Blehm]

I was under the understanding that it prevented brown in the eggshell, but did not affect blue.

That's my understanding also.

[Shari Nees]

Did you get them directly from Kat?  Or someone with Kat's stock?  Because everyone I know that has Kat's stock, bought directly from her, have the same colored eggs as I do.

Mine, lay medium/Large eggs.

The 3 deepest Blue eggs, are from Kat's birds.  The 3 lighter blue eggs are from my Legbars.

[John W Blehm]

The 3 deepest Blue eggs, are from Kat's birds.

Very nice.

[Dennis Heltzel]

I got them from Larkrise (BYC name) and found out later from a reliable source that they originated from Kat's line. I bought eggs and they were much better colored than the eggs from my pullet that hatched from them. Recently her egg color has gotten better and now seems to be very close to my Legbars (which have awesome egg colors, but many of their crests are poor). At least I think they are her eggs, she is in a pen of pullets I am holding to breed from and I thought I pulled all the Legbars from there, but the other breed in there (Welbars) looks a lot like a legbar with no crest, just a subtle shade of color off.

A friend really wants my Wheaten pullet and I'm on the fence about whether to sell her or setup a breeding pen and see if her eggs are more fertile now. Smart money says I'll keep her because it's hard to resist the temptation to try to get some chicks from her. I just need to build a few more breeding pens . . .

[Shari Nees]

Ah, so you got them from someone that had some of Kat's line.   So, that person's breeding is what caused the light eggs, not Kat.

The birds I have now, are directly from Kat's hatching eggs.  Once I start breeding and raising them, they will be my line, as I make the choices on who to breed to whom.

Would be like blaming Paul or John, for poor Quality birds.... even though the original person that bought their stock, had been raising them for awhile and made bad choices.  So everyone would think, the poor egg color or what ever, is directly from Paul or John's stock, when it wasn't the case at all.

Is my take on it.

[Shari Nees]

The 3 deepest Blue eggs, are from Kat's birds.

Very nice.

Thank you John.  Am quite happy with them.