Sapphire Gem Olive Eggers

[Jersey20uofm]

I bought a sapphire olive egger from hoovers back at the end of July. Shes always in the egg box in the morning but when we collect eggs they are only brown or white. This morning she was in the box and only brown eggs were collected. She must be laying a brown egg which I am super disappointed about! I wanted the olive colored eggs. I have enough brown layers already. I have a CCL rooster and they look very much a like except he looks like he has some rust on his back feathers.

 

[Momma Kat]

Unfortunately mine passed away a month apart, October and in November. The second one I know depression brought it on. She was healthy and going strong. The first one, I have no clue what she died of. Healthy one day and then near death the next. They were never apart. They shared an amazing bond. The second one cried and didn’t want to leave her sister. It was really something to see.
Sure do wish it hadn’t happened The photo was their last evening together. BB (on the left) was nudging her sister and trying to get her to eat. It broke my heart losing not just one, but both of them.
-Side note,
They were also on the smaller size. Slightly bigger than my Polish hen.

 

[Chick-InnKeeper]

I recently purchased 5 sapphire gem Oliver egger chicks from a local hardware store. They carry “ pullets only “ from Hoover Hatchery. As I don’t know anything about these chicks breeding or what to expect, I emailed Hoover. They all look a little different color wise and I was told that they are auto sex so they were all female. Hoover told me that they are auto sex but that is not how they sex their chicks. I also asked what the cross breeds are and they said they can not disclose that. They are about 5/ 6 wks now and one is created and is a lighter gray. One of them appears to have slate legs. View attachment 1678387 View attachment 1678387 View attachment 1678389 View attachment 1678388 Does anyone have any of there chickens from Hoover and can give me any info?

I would love to know how your chicks turned out? How you determined males/females? Olive eggs or not? I recently bought the same chicks and they are 2 1/2 weeks old and very curious to what I actually have. They look exactly like yours. Some are much larger than others but we’re all sold as pullets. Thanks!
Sorry just read more of this thread and got my answers...still learning to navigate the site!

 

[Dsonneshein]

I bought a sapphire olive egger from hoovers back at the end of July. Shes always in the egg box in the morning but when we collect eggs they are only brown or white. This morning she was in the box and only brown eggs were collected. She must be laying a brown egg which I am super disappointed about! I wanted the olive colored eggs. I have enough brown layers already. I have a CCL rooster and they look very much a like except he looks like he has some rust on his back feathers.

We get a pinkish-brown egg from our Sapphire Olive Eggers...we got them from Tractor Supply in April. Like you, disappointed as we wanted olive-colored eggs.

 

[miche1138]

If these are truly bred correctly - and Hoover hasn't had the best track record with breeding this breed correctly - then all chicks that are solid colored are females, and all that are barred are males.

I also think they lay brown eggs, not olive, unless they are now making even more crosses and calling them Sapphire Gems. Hoover has them listed under their Brown Egg Layer section on their website.

However looking more they seem to have "Sapphire Olive Egger" which is maybe what you got, but those would be different than the Sapphire Gems. Those do appear to be crested. If they are also a black sex link and bred the way the Sapphire Gems are, which it sounds like Hoover is saying they are by calling them "autosexing" (the correct term is sex-linked), then males would also be barred and females solid.

I know this is a long shot with the dates post but you seem very knowledgeable. Coukd you help me figure out if I have an sapphire Olive Egger or a sapphire gem? He is approx 4-6??

 

[gimmie birdies]

I had a saphire gem, I hear they are layers, and don't live long. I rehomed her after that because I didn't want her to go too soon and be sad. She laid a large tan/pink egg with purple spots.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I know this is a long shot with the dates post but you seem very knowledgeable. Coukd you help me figure out if I have an sapphire Olive Egger or a sapphire gem? He is approx 4-6??

If sapphire gems are brown layers then those so called olive eggers are easter eggers as you need a dark brown egg gene over blue for olive not brown over blue

 

[miche1138]

If sapphire gems are brown layers then those so called olive eggers are easter eggers as you need a dark brown egg gene over blue for olive not brown over blue

I understand how that works. However I never seen his hatching egg, I bought him from big box store. . I think he is a Sapphire Olive Egger based on his white ear, not tufted.

 

[nicalandia]

Has anyone ever got a Olive Egg out of these pullets?

 

[Pyxis]

I know this is a long shot with the dates post but you seem very knowledgeable. Coukd you help me figure out if I have an sapphire Olive Egger or a sapphire gem? He is approx 4-6??

It would be hard to say without test breeding him, since all the mixes can look alike. If you breed him to hens that lay brown eggs, if he's an olive egger, some of the female chicks that hatch would lay olive/green eggs. If he's a a Sapphire Gem, they'd all lay brown eggs. That's gonna be your best bet to figure it out for sure

Is he crested at all? The crest seems to come from Hoover presumably using Cream Legbars in the cross, so him being crested would also be an indication that he's an OE and not a Sapphire Gem.