The Olive-Egger thread!

[aart]

My son wants,to try his hand at getting some olive eggers in his flock. We have had chickens for 11 years. After looking into it, through this site, this is his plan...

He is going to pick up some eggs on Sunday from an NPIP breeder that are true Ameraucanas laying blue eggs. He'll put those in the incubator and has ordered Cuckoo Marans chicks to be picked up the same time that these should hatch.

The cuckoo Marans don't lay as dark of an egg, but should be dark enough. The BCM are very hard to find right now. Even hatching eggs. Also, the Cockoo Marans should be sexlinked because the barring pattern will only go to the males when you have a non barred rooster over a barred hen.

How does that sound? Is that a good plan?

Yep, that oughta work.
Some cucko marans can lay dark...some are real light...you'll just have to wait and see what you've got.

I just picked up some BCM eggs local.....can't find real Am's around here tho.

 

[melbah]

There are some BCM eggs an hour and a half away for 8.00 an egg. He can't afford that!

 

[aart]

There are some BCM eggs an hour and a half away for 8.00 an egg. He can't afford that!

Yep, that's what they can go for.
These were 20 a dozen with extras thrown in, but they aren't show or even known lines.
Pretty dark tho, time will tell, which is what I am looking for....
....should be better than the Wellie cockbird I have been using.

 

[thlayli]

I just picked up 2 little 6 week old Blue Wheaten Ameraucana cockerels today, and I'm already excited for future olive eggers! I've got Buff Orpingtons, RIRs, Lavender Orpingtons, and two BCMs. Does anyone know what the babies of these roosters crossed with a Lavender Orp hen will look like? Will the pea comb/green egg link show up in any offspring from those breeds? I'm practically dancing I'm so excited, because I super lucked out and got these little guys got free!

 

[otakalhasas]

Sorry... he would save a rooster from the true Ameraucanas and breed to the cuckoo marans.

I'm not understanding this. To get an olive egger, does one have to have a roo from blue egg breed and breed to a hen from brown egg breed? Can't it goe either way, gender wise? I've got a Cuckoo Marans roo in a run with three Cream Legbar hens and I thought this would give me olive eggers. Am I wrong (won't be the first time!!!!!!)?

 

[thlayli]

I'm not understanding this.  To get an olive egger, does one have to have a roo from blue egg breed and breed to a hen from brown egg breed?  Can't it goe either way, gender wise?  I've got a Cuckoo Marans roo in a run with three Cream Legbar hens and I thought this would give me olive eggers.  Am I wrong (won't be the first time!!!!!!)?

Yeah I thought the blue egg gene was dominant so as long as one parent had it, regardless of it was a hen or roo, then the babies could be olive eggers if the other parent was a brown egg layer breed?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yeah I thought the blue egg gene was dominant so as long as one parent had it, regardless of it was a hen or roo, then the babies could be olive eggers if the other parent was a brown egg layer breed?

I'm not understanding this.  To get an olive egger, does one have to have a roo from blue egg breed and breed to a hen from brown egg breed?  Can't it goe either way, gender wise?  I've got a Cuckoo Marans roo in a run with three Cream Legbar hens and I thought this would give me olive eggers.  Am I wrong (won't be the first time!!!!!!)?

I believe they were just posting on what they were using. It was that way for them to get sex linked olive eggers not just olive eggers.
Yes either parent can be a blue egg breed.
The other parent has to be a dark brown egg breed not just a brown egg breed.
In my experience it has to actually lay a fairly dark brown egg or they end up being a green egg layer instead of anything near an olive colored egg.

 

[thlayli]

I believe they were just posting on what they were using. It was that way for them to get sex linked olive eggers not just olive eggers.
Yes either parent can be a blue egg breed.
The other parent has to be a dark brown egg breed not just a brown egg breed.
In my experience it has to actually lay a fairly dark brown egg or they end up being a green egg layer instead of anything near an olive colored egg.

Looks like I'm pinning my hopes for future olive eggers on my BCMs then! Not that I would mind green eggs either. C:

 

[The Moonshiner]

I just picked up 2 little 6 week old Blue Wheaten Ameraucana cockerels today, and I'm already excited for future olive eggers! I've got Buff Orpingtons, RIRs, Lavender Orpingtons, and two BCMs. Does anyone know what the babies of these roosters crossed with a Lavender Orp hen will look like? Will the pea comb/green egg link show up in any offspring from those breeds? I'm practically dancing I'm so excited, because I super lucked out and got these little guys got free!

If they are true ameraucana then they will have two pea comb genes and two blue egg genes.
Pea comb is dominate over single so all would be pea comb. (Is you rir single or rose comb?)
All will get one blue egg gene so when crossed with the dark brown egg marans you will get olive eggs or close to olive colored eggs. If your marans lay a lighter to medium brown egg they will just be green eggs.
Your other breeds lay brown eggs so their offspring will lay green eggs not olive colored.
Crossed with your lavender orps all chicks will be blue or black.

 

[thlayli]

If they are true ameraucana then they will have two pea comb genes and two blue egg genes.
Pea comb is dominate over single so all would be pea comb. (Is you rir single or rose comb?)
All will get one blue egg gene so when crossed with the dark brown egg marans you will get olive eggs or close to olive colored eggs. If your marans lay a lighter to medium brown egg they will just be green eggs.
Your other breeds lay brown eggs so their offspring will lay green eggs not olive colored.
Crossed with your lavender orps all chicks will be blue or black.

My RIRs are single combed. And like I said, I guess I'm pinning my olive egger hopes on my BCMs! They're only 3 1/2 months old so no eggs for a while yet, but from what I'm reading (they were surprise substitutes into my order) they can be expected to lay nice dark brown eggs. I know the other breeds lay eggs that are varying shades of brown, but hey green is my favorite color so bring on the EE babies!