My Barred Olive Egger project chicks

[onthespot]

Here are what I have so far this year out of my olive egger project. Not much to show for how many eggs I set, but I really had slim odds with the birds I was working with. I feel lucky to have at least gotten this far in one season. There were three black olive egger hens that laid good olive colored eggs, only one had a beard. The barred hen with the beard, and a single barred gene roo that had no beard. Also a blue cuckoo marans that was used sparingly. None of the parent stock were homozygous for beards, barring or pea combs. Talk about setting yourself up for a lot of disappointments! I set a LOT of these eggs and here is the keeper stuff to grow out for next try. The good thing is I have a roo that looks to be double barred gene, pea combed and a beard!!! YAY! He was in the sell pen until a couple days ago I noticed he was growing a beard. How did I not see that earlier??? I have been watching for it like a hawk. Maybe the "hawk" needs her eyes checked. Do beards sometimes show up later?
Anyhow, here are my barred babies, all with pea combs, some with beards.

 

[GardienneWings]

I have my extra Dominiques roos freeranging with some hatchery Ameraucana hens and I get some barred, some partially barred, and some silver babies. They are just mutts but super layers of HUGE eggs, some green , some puke olive, and some pink brown. We use those as our "eatin' eggs" and the pure stuff from the pens as our "settin' eggs".

val

 

[onthespot]

The reason I am trying to set the barring genes is so you could sex the day olds and not waste double the feed growing out a bunch of olive NOT-eggers if you didn't have to. I sell the olive eggs for hatching here locally, $2/egg, eat them, feed them to the dogs, whichever wheel is squeaking that day gets the eggs.

 

[monarc23]

pretty cool Patty

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Nice project! If you are looking, I have a cuckoo marans x ameraucana, cockerel, who is looking to be like a nice bird. He is a medium blue with some barring and has muffs. He is so fluffy he looks henish from behind but is definitely a boy. I think he's going to be better as a breeder than for freezer camp.