Olive Egger breeding project

[kitzichickens]

Hi there, I currently have a Welsummer rooster, in with easter egger hens. I’m wondering if I breed my welsummer to my blue laying Easter eggers, wouldn’t that be considered a first generation Olive Egger with the chance of having a speckling gene?

 

[NatJ]

Hi there, I currently have a Welsummer rooster, in with easter egger hens. I’m wondering if I breed my welsummer to my blue laying Easter eggers, wouldn’t that be considered a first generation Olive Egger with the chance of having a speckling gene?

Yes, that sounds correct to me.

The only thing I'm not sure about: some Easter Eggers carry the gene for not-blue eggs, even if they themselves lay blue eggs. So you might get some daughters that lay olive and some that lay dark-ish brown. Or you might get just olive eggers, if all of your Easter Eggers are pure for the blue egg gene. You won't know until the daughters start to lay, unless you want to pay for genetic testing on the hens.

 

[Somshine]

If you had pure Ameraucanas that would be a sure blue shell. Easter eggers could possibly be... or not.

 

[kitzichickens]

Yes, that sounds correct to me.

The only thing I'm not sure about: some Easter Eggers carry the gene for not-blue eggs, even if they themselves lay blue eggs. So you might get some daughters that lay olive and some that lay dark-ish brown. Or you might get just olive eggers, if all of your Easter Eggers are pure for the blue egg gene. You won't know until the daughters start to lay, unless you want to pay for genetic testing on the hens.

Okay awesome! Thank you so much, I just wanted to make sure that I had the right line of thinking… I have a couple daughters from them that should be starting to lay any day and was wondering what their actual breed would be. So exciting!!

 

[NatJ]

I have a couple daughters from them that should be starting to lay any day and was wondering what their actual breed would be.

No actual breed, but Olive Egger is the common name for the kind of mix you are making.

 

[kitzichickens]

No actual breed, but Olive Egger is the common name for the kind of mix you are making.

Okay sweet. Thanks again!

 

[Emmaloveschickens9156]

Even if the daughters lay brown eggs, you crossbred a blue egg layer with a dark egg layer, so regardless of the color of the daughter’s eggs, they would still be considered an olive egger.

 

[NatJ]

Even if the daughters lay brown eggs, you crossbred a blue egg layer with a dark egg layer, so regardless of the color of the daughter’s eggs, they would still be considered an olive egger.

I would not call them Olive Eggers unless they actually lay olive-colored eggs, just like I wouldn't say a chicken lays brown eggs or white eggs if it actually lays a different color.

 

[Emmaloveschickens9156]

I would not call them Olive Eggers unless they actually lay olive-colored eggs, just like I wouldn't say a chicken lays brown eggs or white eggs if it actually lays a different color.

Well I guess it depends

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I would not call them Olive Eggers unless they actually lay olive-colored eggs, just like I wouldn't say a chicken lays brown eggs or white eggs if it actually lays a different color.

Same. Especially if I was getting first generation (the 2nd+ generation of Olive eggers do carry about ½ the chance to get brown layers), I'd be pretty miffed if mine ended up just as brown and not olive because the proper cross shouldn't produce any brown layers