Best cross for Olive eggs?

[jenifern]

HI I am wondering what breeds are best to cross to get olive egg layers?

 

[cstephens1987]

What shade of green do you want to shoot for?

 

[Redhead Rae]

HI I am wondering what breeds are best to cross to get olive egg layers?

The most common cross is a Maran rooster over Ameraucana hens so you can keep Maran hens in with them so you can get pure bred marans and known Olive eggers.

But you can use any dark egg layer with any blue egg layer.

 

[cstephens1987]

This thread has a ton of info pictures, etc
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-olive-egger-thread.131131/

 

[Redhead Rae]

@Lady of McCamley was it you who was trying f2 and f3 OE breedings to get really neat colors?

 

[Cyprus]

French Black Copper Maran stag over any blue egg layer hens works for deep olive.

 

[cstephens1987]

I think if you use a cuckoo marans you can auto sex your resulting eggers

 

[jenifern]

What shade of green do you want to shoot for?

Hoping for something deep and rich, like this image. I ordered some hatching eggs that are Wheaten Maran over Wheaten Ameraucana and I am hoping that will be a good match:

 

[The Moonshiner]

Black copper marans from a known line of very dark eggs over crested cream legbar hens.
To get true olive color you need the marans to be from a breeder that breeds for egg color otherwise you'll be producing green instead of olive green eggers.
I also like CCL rather then ameraucanas because they lay better and the cross produces sex linked chicks so you can guarantee pullets when selling.

 

[nicalandia]

The most common cross is a Maran rooster over Ameraucana hens so you can keep Maran hens in with them so you can get pure bred marans and known Olive eggers.

this.