Brown-from-white layer set for UK debut

As a rule brown hens lay brown eggs and white hens lay white eggs.

But with most rules there are exceptions and, thanks to breed company Joice & Hill, producers can soon look forward to seeing white birds out on the range while the eggs in the nests will be brown.

That's because the company is introducing the Dekalb Amberlink white-feathered brown egg layer to the UK. The bird—which is the result of reverse-crossing the parent lines—has been a popular choice in South Africa for many years and when Hendrix Genetics acquired the Dekalb stable in 2000 they decided to resurrect the breed for the European market.

It has been performing well, particularly on organic systems, in the Netherlands with a major advantage claimed to be its good feathering.

Less aggressive behaviour and retaining feathers is a trait often associated with breeds of white layers. To have these characteristics along with brown eggs is something that could prove popular with free range and organic producers in the UK, believes Joice and Hill sales director Nick Bailey.

"We are not suggesting that the Amberlink is going to replace brown-feathered layers in the UK but we wanted to give producers over here the opportunity to try it," he told the Ranger.

"There's no doubt that free range and organic systems offer many challenges and keeping feathers on birds is one of them. Like most white birds, the Amberlink appears to be less prone to feather pulling than strains of brown layers."

Although he admits there is no evidence to back up the theory, Mr Bailey believes feather pulling in brown birds could be connected to the fact that the under feathers are white.

"When brown birds lose feathers it exposes the under feathers which are white in colour. Does this then encourage further feather pulling? With the Amberlink, all the feathers are the same colour."

Mr Bailey says producers choosing the Amberlink can expect to get around the same number of eggs as the company's top-selling brown layer, the Bovans Goldline, although egg weight is likely to be lower with the white bird, according to figures published by Hendrix.

"Much of the data collected so far is from flocks in Holland where producers don't receive a premium for large eggs so the birds are fed and managed accordingly," explained Mr Bailey. "But we expect larger eggs from the Amberlink once the bird is kept under standard UK free range management, particularly with the higher-spec rations we use here."

Many of the Amberlink flocks in Holland have been successfully managed without beak-trimming, although Joice & Hill is not advocating that as standard practice.

"While it demonstrates the quiet temperament of the bird it's too early to suggest that as a general recommendation," says Mr Bailey.

Day-old parent stock is being placed in the UK this month and the first commercial chicks—which will be hatched out in Joice & Hill's 10 million capacity hatchery at Eye, near Peterborough—will be available next April.

Orders for the birds have already been taken and one of the first was from BFREPA member Des Bradley.

Des keeps 66,000 free range layers in Lincolnshire and, as a long-standing customer of Joice and Hill, is keen to try the breed.

"While we get very good results from the Goldline it's still important to try new developments as they come along," says Des, who with 12 separate flocks is well-placed to embark on some trial work of his own.

"I'm certainly attracted by the better feathering that is common with white strains of layer. We don't always manage to keep the feathers on the birds as well as I'd like and it's one of those management problems I'm keen to overcome."

And Des threw down an interesting challenge for the breed companies.

"While white-feathered layers have long been recognised for their less aggressive behaviour, they've tended to fall short on egg size compared to brown birds.

"If it's easier to breed for egg size rather than non-aggressive behaviour—which has low heritability—perhaps one way of making progress with the pecking problem would be for breeders to develop white strains that lay brown eggs and then breed for improved egg size."

And while Des keenly looks forward to receiving his flock of Amberlinks next summer, they won't be the first in the UK. There is already 6,000 of the birds being trialled on a free range farm—also in Lincolnshire—and the Ranger plans to follow their progress with interest.