The Olive-Egger thread!

[Olive Oil]

How old was your Olive Egger when she laid her first egg? My girl is between 8-10 months and has yet to pay. Of course she hatched late in the summer so it's basically been winter her whole life but I'm sure hoping she starts laying soon. Here's her photo. Her name is Wendy

Mine have laid between 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 months, but I'm in CA! I bet it's what you're saying about her hatching in the summer and she's just holding out for more light and warmer weather. It helps that she's pretty!

 

[Olive Oil]

This is my first OE that I have bred. she (hopefully) is from an americana and a chocolate orpington. Not a lot of brow going on in that dad, but I am hopeful.

I have 2 OE roos right now. Cuckoo Maran x Americana. One is BIG and has more of the americana build. The other looks like the cuckoo maran. ANy thoughts on who might be a better keep?

Look for a pea comb. If she is an Easter Egger rather than an Ameracauna (95 ish % of them are) there is a good chance that one egg gene could be brown rather than blue. If she was sold to you as an Americauna (with an i) the odds go up even higher. Many hatcheries throw that "i" in there as a was of implying Ameracauna without outright lying about it. Anyway, if the chick inherits a brown gene from both parents, then it won't lay green. Question. Does your chocolate Orpington lay very dark eggs? I only have a buff Orpie, but her eggs are very light. I wouldn't think I'd get olive eggers from her. Possibly a very pale green. As for the roos to keep, I just know that a lot of people like to keep one with a pea comb (If it's AM in the cross and not another breed that lays blue such as Legbar) because there's a better chance of the bird carrying at least 1 blue egg gene if it has a pea comb.

 

[aart]

Well... I got my first "olive" egg today. I guess none of the brown genes made it through.

Give it a couple days, spray booth might not be up to snuff yet.
Was this cross one you did with your birds...so you're sure of parentage?

 

[nordicacres]

Beautiful eggs, nonetheless

 

[estamets]

Give it a couple days, spray booth might not be up to snuff yet.
Was this cross one you did with your birds...so you're sure of parentage?

not my own cross, but I trust the breeder. This girl is Wheaten Aneraucauna x Red Star.

Beautiful eggs, nonetheless

Thanks! I'm a fan.

 

[aart]

Quote: Ohh .....I assumed it was a legbar wellie cross because of the pic.

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

Look for a pea comb. If she is an Easter Egger rather than an Ameracauna (95 ish % of them are) there is a good chance that one egg gene could be brown rather than blue. If she was sold to you as an Americauna (with an i) the odds go up even higher. Many hatcheries throw that "i" in there as a was of implying Ameracauna without outright lying about it. Anyway, if the chick inherits a brown gene from both parents, then it won't lay green. Question. Does your chocolate Orpington lay very dark eggs? I only have a buff Orpie, but her eggs are very light. I wouldn't think I'd get olive eggers from her. Possibly a very pale green. As for the roos to keep, I just know that a lot of people like to keep one with a pea comb (If it's AM in the cross and not another breed that lays blue such as Legbar) because there's a better chance of the bird carrying at least 1 blue egg gene if it has a pea comb.

My chocolate lays VERY light brown eggs so I am not expecting much.

Thanks everyone for the seasoned advice. The cockerels are from a local gal. She said Ameraucana, but I don't really know. They were an impulse buy.

I had wanted to keep the one with the pea comb. He has the markings of a cuckoo maran with a little gold in the saddle. He seems to be catching up to his brother and he matured early (started mating weeks ago). Can't get photos to download, but I will post when I do.

I have two hens from the same parents as my cockerel.
Question: If my hen lays a blue egg and I mate it back to the brother (both are f1) will I get an olive egg?

If i am understanding this correctly, since her parents were blue (some combination of O-O and could be some recessive o or br) and brown (BR and probably another BR in there accounting for dark maran parent color), if she doesn't lay green that means she has two blue O-O (two as that is dominant gene in the set of 4 genes) and br-br (recessive)? Ergo she would pass a blue O gene and who knows. Her brother could have a number of combinations, but being from a maran he SHOULD have a dominant BR in their? Will I increase my chances of the offspring getting a BR by breeding back to the F1 brother?

Whew! Hope someone can help me out with this.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

The brown genes are a complex mix of several genes I have read somewhere between 11-13 or so different genes is the estimate. These genes are separate to the o wild type white or the O dominate type blue genes. The brown genes can actually work against each other, so 2 dark laying breeds bred together might produce lighter laying offspring instead of darker or same as parents. And just to complicate it more there are other genes that prevent the expression of the browning genes... Leghorns carry the suppressing genes btw. There are also lots of breeds that lay green eggs that have other comb types than pea.

So the only way to know for sure what your birds are hiding in their DNA for egg color is test breeding to a bird that does not carry O.

It is complicated.

The siblings mated together might produce a green egger, it is sadly always a wait and see thing not 100%.

Your Hen:

If both her parents where O/O she should be O/O and blue or green egg is result... if her parents where both O/o the offspring could be o/o, O/o or O/O with the O/o or O/O laying blue or green eggs but the o/o pullets would lay brown or white eggs. If her parents where say O/O & O/o they would produce all blue or green egg layers but only some would be O/O others would be O/o.

I hope that helps show the potentials in the DNA.

 

[gapey]

I posted in here a few weeks ago about my black copper marans possibly being an olive egger and people wanted me to post an update when she starts to lay. Well she laid her first egg today and it ended up not being olive but it is dark, maybe a 4 on the marans scale. It's funny both of my marans girls laid their first eggs today unless one of them laid two eggs. One is a little darker than the other and both are about the same size. The lighter one is from one of my buff orpingtons.

 

[Jevans31103]

Anyone have Olive Eggers, Delaware or Black Copper Marans hens for sale? I live in Palo Alto, Ca.