Olive Egger laying brown eggs?

[Angel980]

Hi all,

I was told my hen is an olive egger(Cream Legbar crossed with Blue Splash Maran) but today she laid her first egg and it's a dark brown( pic of egg to the far right, the lil one). Does that mean she's not a true olive egger?

Thank you

 

[nuthatched]

Not all ees or olive eggers will lay colored eggs. I don't see any obvious cream leg bar characteristics

 

[Pumperkinz]

Even hatcheries on olive eggers + ee's will state there is a small percentage chance for them to lay brown eggs. She looks awfully like a blue birchen/copper marans (which lay a similar color egg to what you've shown).

 

[Minanora]

Oh, you're not alone!

So I have a whole thread about my sapphire olive Eggers.... One of my 5 lays green eggs. Those eggs are what I consider larger medium size eggs. Lol she was supposed to lay large eggs. Oh Hoovers, you messed up. (ETA: Hoovers had stated that 5% could lay brown eggs. 4 out of what was 6 isn't 5%)

All 4 of my brown laying hens lay various shades and textures of eggs. Their eggs are larger so it doesn't bother me. They lay large and sometimes smaller extra large eggs.

They're great birds though. Friendly but not lap chickens and don't really like up be held.

Edited for clarity. I get stuck in my own head a lot.

 

[nuthatched]

Oh Hoovers, you messed up.

Hoovers or any hatchery hasn't any control on the particular genetics and abilities of any bird.

 

[Minanora]

Hoovers or any hatchery hasn't any control on the particular genetics and abilities of any bird.

Totes, I just think it's hilarious because at the time they advertised that 5% may lay brown eggs. It's chicken math! Just a different kind.

ETA: I didn't mean to imply that they controlled genetics, lol. I see how what I said could be read that way. I'll edit for clarity.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Does that mean she's not a true olive egger?

It means egg genetics are a little complicated.

Not all CCL are homozygous for blue egg gene.. unless they've had testing done, it may be hard to tell.

I agree though.. she should still have SOME crest. Maybe the CCL was not homozygous for crest either.. LOTS of low quality hatchery birds out there.. representative of the breed but not great breeding traits.

My "OE".. that were supposed to be Welbar from Ideal but developed crest around 4 weeks old.. actually keeps osculating between the plain dark brown and some green/olive..

With Marans it's said not to accept/believe the egg color (rather shade) until around egg #21 as the reproductive system is coming online and working out it's kinks. Some early eggs will be much lighter or darker than their normal average. This will also be true for the blue part of the spray booth in my experience.

Even though there is no standard of perfection.. If she never lays an olive colored egg.. then she's just an egger. Maybe a chocolate egger.

Congrats still on your first egg form her!

 

[Mrs. K]

Well on the opposite side, I have a beautiful production red hen, classic colorization of a production red hen. Red and white... just a pullet - fantastic layer of GREEN eggs!