Olive Egger and egg color

[Meg-in-MT]

Can someone explain to me why olive eggers don't always lay olive colored eggs?

ETA: If the olive egger lays any other color than "olive", does that make it an EE?

 

[Meg-in-MT]

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Photo of the “Matcha” green egg to give you an idea of what to expect. Pictured on white paper in indoor light next to a red sex link egg.

 

[Minky]

I got these (just F1) from random barn yard mix, (ok, not random, but a marans/mix over a CLB/EE mix hen) so I am hoping my pure BCM and pure CLB make eggs that are at least this dark/green! I don't want to have to wait for F2.

I really like the matcha egg from previous page. Looks just like my morning matcha!!!!!

 

[Meg-in-MT]

This is out of an Ameraucana, I believe. A little extra ink in her cartridge, but it was only the one.

I put it in the incubator and it was infertile. Fun to find, though!

 

[Minky]

I hope you'll post pictures when they start laying. I get a couple fairly good olives, but I've seen way darker ones. I'm not sure who's laying the nice dark brown egg, either welsummer or bcm. Pretty certain it's the bcm.

I need to set up some cams to catch them.

You should be able to tell the welsummer eggs from the marans eggs by the shape. see mine below. Both from pullets. BCM is 21 weeks, Welsummer mix 18 weeks old. Marans have no pointy end.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

It’s annoying when your OEs don’t lay olive eggs. Mine lays brown eggs, it’s a legbar cross “olive egger” I bred a ameraucana to a maran to hopefully get some OE.

I have an ameraucana/BCM cross that lays what we call "matcha" green eggs. Not quite olive, but pretty. If you cross your F1 (what mine is) back to a BCM then you will likely get dark olive green eggs in the F2s, but also increase your chances of getting brown eggs. Egg color genetics are fascinating!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I love this green egg. What is the lineage of this bird? Id love to make a hen that lays that. Will you share?

Of course! She is a hybrid from an ameraucana, purebred not EE, crossed with Black Copper Marans.
I just went out to get a new photo of her and found her sitting in the nest box getting ready to lay an egg I expect! She’s a fairly prolific layer has been laying almost daily since she completed molting. I say six eggs a week on average. Standing photo was from a few weeks ago, her tail had not come completetly in after molting. She has the orange eyes and feathered legs of the Marans and the beard and muffs of the ameraucana.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Here is the new olive egg. Quite a big difference from what I was getting last year. One of these days I hope to catch her in the act!

 

[TJAnonymous]

Feel free to share a picture, if you like! That's too bad when that happens. All that anticipation and then getting nothing like you thought you would.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about... I collected these eggs this morning. The only colored egg layers I have are the Ameracaunas I purchased from McMurray Hatchery. The blue egg you see (next to the green one) is an infertile Cream Legbar that I just took out of the incubator. Those eggs from my girls look pretty solidly green to me....