Green Egg Envy: Our attempts at breeding our own olive eggers!

[venymae]

I have always wanted a colorful egg basket. While white, brown, and even blue egg layers are available in my area.
BUT, green eggs are not. And since I would love them to accent my color basket, I thought,
"why not breed them myself?"
This will be my notes, thoughts and results page, so feel free to follow and chime in while I have a fun backyard experiment!​

 

[N F C]

Good luck with your project! The olive eggs are pretty.

I just saw your location...does Manhappiness = Manhattan? I grew up in the NE corner of KS and have been to/through Manhattan many times.

 

[b.hromada]

Best of luck to you! Sounds like fun, enjoy!!

 

[venymae]

Good luck with your project! The olive eggs are pretty.

I just saw your location...does Manhappiness = Manhattan? I grew up in the NE corner of KS and have been to/through Manhattan many times.

Thank you both! Yes, we were in Manhattan, although we recently moved.

 

[venymae]

My pops has a nice little flock of production Rhode Island Red hens. They lay nice brown eggs, several which are beautifully speckled. They are who we are going to use as our brown egg mums. The RIR roosters had been absent since mid summer.

Recently, on the my local thread, a wonderful lady was giving away a pure bred Araucana Rooster.
Why, you ask?
Because (dun dun dun!) he had a TAIL!!!
The show standard in the US does not permit tails (the standards are actually missing a couple vertebrae if I remember correctly) so he must have been a throwback. However, he still was a BEAUTIFUL rooster and is a great breed for BLUE eggs.
The other half I needed!



He was however 2+ hours away. Too far. I was sad. AND THEN THE LADY SAID SHE WAS COMING MY WAY ANYWAY AND WOULD BRING HIM!
Lady luck must have been visiting me!
Buddy is young still (7ish months) and has been with the girls for almost 3 months now.




HOWEVER, my pops said his breakfast eggs had the fertile bullseyes, and he's seen buddy getting his groove on with the ladies.
So, I took a chance and set 8 eggs for the New Years Day Hatch-a-long.
Round one of the Green Egg experiment is on it's way!


I have high hopes for #4. It's dark and has LOTS of speckles.

 

[venymae]

So, I found this chart giving a basic "here's how green egg genetics work". Apparently I most likely will not be making "olive eggers" but a "green easter egger". And I'm totally O.K. with that! I can't wait to see the different shades that are produced! I just want green eggs, and though dark would be nice, I'm ok with a variety of shades!​

 

[AshlyMommaWard]

Congratulations on beginning your green egg project! Best wishes for a great hatch. Commenting to follow along.
Will be beginning my own olive & easter egger projects next spring and can't wait!
Happy holidays

 

[junebuggena]

That Araucana isn't a recognized color, and that comb looks more like a rose comb than a pea comb. I hate to break it to you, but he might not even be part Araucana. True Araucana are even harder to get than true Ameraucana. He's pretty, but I wouldn't be counting on green egg laying pullets from him.

 

[Percheron chick]

He also has a tail and too much waddles.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I am jealous, I'm going to follow this thread and live vicariously through you. Good luck, that's a real pretty rooster.