breeding olive eggers

[carriesh]

i have received 4 olive eggers(not sure what breeds were used to create them). just wondering if i can breed the roosters with the hens? i have heard no.
Carrie

 

[carriesh]

also i have copper marans and easter eggers...can i breed those? and if so what would they be called? just a cross or a specific breed? also what color eggs would they lay?
thanks
carrie

 

[maryhysong]

Crossing Marans with EE is a popular way to make olive eggers. Breeding olive eggers together can give you different shades of greens and browns depending on the egg color genes that each chicken inherited.

 

[Pathfinders]

My favorite Olive Eggers were the product of Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas and Cuckoo Marans. They turned out a Blue Cuckoo and laid lovely olive colored eggs. I wish I'd had the time/space to continue with them, as I really liked them. Maybe someday I'll get back to them again...

 

[mommachick1]

Laura, do you have any pictures of your blue ameraucana/cuckoo marans cross? I think it sounds so cool. What shade of Olive egg did you get from these? Just wondering...

 

[mommachick1]

Good to know! I'm a newbie chicken owner and we have 3 EE hens and an unrelated black/lav split roo. We were planning on getting some Marans this Spring and try to get some Olive eggs. Like Carrie, I was under the impression that you shouldn't breed OE's to OE's, but now I know you can. Cool! Theresa

 

[Ashburnham]

The genetics of egg colour are interesting.
I have a project going to do the opposite of you-
I am crossing Araucanas with White Leghorn to hopefully produce a blue egg layer.

M

 

[donrae]

You can breed any breed of rooster to any breed of hen. They're all chickens and trust me, the roo will mate with any hen.

If you mate two different breeds, you get a mixed breed. Some mixed breeds have been given names based on the consistent results--olive eggers are one. There are a few different combos that can be used to make them, but the're mixed breed birds. Absolutely nothing wrong with breeding mixes, especially if you're after a specific result.


I have some brown leghorn/ee mixes that are my favorite layers. They lay huge light green eggs, the oldest one is 4 years old and is giving me about 3 eggs a week even in this gloomy winter!
I hatched out some of their eggs (under my homemade bsl roo) and am waiting for the pullets to start laying!

 

[FlomatonsFlocks]

You can breed any breed of rooster to any breed of hen. They're all chickens and trust me, the roo will mate with any hen.

If you mate two different breeds, you get a mixed breed. Some mixed breeds have been given names based on the consistent results--olive eggers are one. There are a few different combos that can be used to make them, but the're mixed breed birds. Absolutely nothing wrong with breeding mixes, especially if you're after a specific result.


I have some brown leghorn/ee mixes that are my favorite layers. They lay huge light green eggs, the oldest one is 4 years old and is giving me about 3 eggs a week even in this gloomy winter!
I hatched out some of their eggs (under my homemade bsl roo) and am waiting for the pullets to start laying!

So is the leghorn the roo and ee a certain breed of ee to make this work?

 

[RWise]

What we were told back in the mid 60's is to cross the pure breed to a RIR hen to get green eggs, and again for olive. And to cross to a leghorn for light blue eggs, and it worked.
Fast forward 50 years (or so) and what I get is rainbow eggers. I can no longer predict the color of an egg, and they are all over the place, pink, blue, light blue, brown. green. olive, (creamed coffee), I get all of these (and more) from one hen with one rooster. (both from green eggs)
Also mother nature has her say in this too, so just because you put a brown egg layer with a green egg layer is not a guarantee you will get all olive eggs.