The Olive-Egger thread!

[dolfi]

If they lay blue eggs, you breed to a brown egg layer, I use Marans, but any brown egg layer will do. The darker brown, the darker olive the crosses are. Sometimes they still lay brown eggs though

blue/green egg layer + dark layer

I have seen this picture before but can't clearly understand. Yet the ameruocanas that lay the two eggs I hatched might have been a brown egg dad. Would that work or not. Of course I plan to purchase the right breed but it's hard to find. I have been doing some homework and it seems that you can't trust the hatcheries. Any suggestions?

 

[chickengr]

I have seen this picture before but can't clearly understand.
Yet the ameruocanas that lay the two eggs I hatched might have been a brown egg dad. Would that work or not.

Of course I plan to purchase the right breed but it's hard to find. I have been doing some homework and it seems that you can't trust the hatcheries. Any suggestions?

if your blue egg chicks have a brown egg dad they should be OEs. although 1 colour can win in the 1st generation - that is what I have been told. it is from the 2nd generation more likely they will be more olive - and that depends on what you breed them to. complicated.

hatcheries all over the world shouldn't be trusted. try to find a breeder near you.

 

[morbius18]

Most local feed stores here carry easter eggers in the spring. I think even Tractor supply does. If you have true Ameraucanas then you just need a dark layer. Black copper Marans are always for sale here on Craigslist. Since you are doing mixes, having a pure show quality bird doesnt matter at all. Plus people practically give the roosters away.

Making olive eggers doesn't really require the 'right breed'. There are so many ways to do it that every bird is unique!

 

[dolfi]

Most local feed stores here carry easter eggers in the spring. I think even Tractor supply does. If you have true Ameraucanas then you just need a dark layer. Black copper Marans are always for sale here on Craigslist. Since you are doing mixes, having a pure show quality bird doesnt matter at all. Plus people practically give the roosters away.

Making olive eggers doesn't really require the 'right breed'. There are so many ways to do it that every bird is unique!

So if
I understand correctly an Ameraucanas with a brown layer can give me an Easter Eggers or an olive egger

 

[morbius18]

So if
I understand correctly an Ameraucanas with a brown layer can give me an Easter Eggers or an olive egger

Correct, The Ameraucana is the blue part, you just need the brown part for the olive egger. The easter eggers are just mixed breeds, with any shades of blue, white, pinkish and brownish. Some consider olive eggers to be easter eggers too since they lay colored eggs.

So blue + brown = usually green

 

[morbius18]

This chart might be easier. You can use easter eggers, ameraucana, aracauna, or legbars for the blue part. The Marans usually lay the darkest eggs, so they are chosen for the brown part to give really olive colored eggs.

 

[aart]

EE's can work, especially if you use a blue laying hen under a dark brown 'laying' cockbird,
because you know she has at least one blue gene because she is laying blue.

BUT....the chances of the blue gene passing from a blue laying EE to offspring is half the chance compared to using a pure bred blue layer who would definitely have 2 blue egg genes.

You'd have to pay big bucks to get a true ameraucana from a reputable breeder....buyer beware.

I got some nice olive eggers from a Wellsummer cock over a blue laying EE hen.

 

[Maran Mama]

Mine looks darker in real life than it shows in the picture. My husband said "Now we can have green eggs and ham".

 

[morbius18]

Here is one I have. Easter egger x marans cross

 

[Maran Mama]

That looks like mine. They are so pretty. I love the colorful cartons of eggs.