The Olive-Egger thread!

[HHandbasket]

Hi, Wynette...

I kinda felt bad, too, at how my messages might have come across. I'm not gonna lie... I'm really, REALLY disappointed that my girl most likely will not lay olive eggs & she came from your eggs (I got her from gryeyes). I have a limited amount of space in my coop, and I have chosen my birds specifically to get the variety of egg colors. It's nothing against you or gryeyes (who is an absolute doll & has the coolest yard) or anyone... It's just that now I have a bird I don't need taking up space in my coop & I'm attached to her and don't wanna get rid of her because she's been here over a month now. But as far as my goal of having a variety of egg colors, I'm gonna have to look elsewhere now for an olive egger that will lay an olive egg, and that's aggravating.

Nothing personal against anyone that bred or sold or sent or gave away birds or eggs.

There is always the tiny chance she may still lay an olive egg, although based on what others have said about having straight-combed olive eggers laying dark brown eggs, I'm not gonna hold my breath.

 

[Wynette]

Oh, trust me - like I said, I'M disappointed, too. I wish there was a way to ENSURE that the blue egg gene passes down, but there just isn't. Typically 1st generation birds always have pea combs, but the 2nd gens....some have straight. Not many, though! Maybe you will get lucky! I would say...figure out how you can sell her now, just in case. Maybe if you found a really nice family that she'd got, it would make it easier to let her go!

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
One of my *potential* OEs just started laying. The eggs are dark with speckles just like a welsummer. Not olive, but still dark and very pretty.
They should show color from at least one of the parents so I would expect something nice for you either way. Why would you just get a plain brown egg when neither parent is a "plain brown egg" bird? Gee- maybe she'll lay a white egg

Seriously, don't give up hope.

Because if you don't get the blue egg gene, and you lose much of the dark egg genes from the Marans because of the mixed-breeding, then what do you think you get? Often times a not-so-dark brown egg, like I said "plain brown".

No need to be argumentative if you don't understand, I'm happy to explain.

I don't need a genetics lesson, thanks. Here's what research I've read says:

http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi...=frameset;view=image;seq=394;page=root;size=s

pages 383 and 384

 

[Medicine Man]

Quote:
Because if you don't get the blue egg gene, and you lose much of the dark egg genes from the Marans because of the mixed-breeding, then what do you think you get? Often times a not-so-dark brown egg, like I said "plain brown".

No need to be argumentative if you don't understand, I'm happy to explain.

I don't need a genetics lesson, thanks. Here's what research I've read says:

http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi...=frameset;view=image;seq=394;page=root;size=s

pages 383 and 384

The original question was pertaining to a cross involving Marans, right? Your cross is with Welsummers, right? The source you cite is regarding Barnevelders.

Aside from confusing the Marandaise breeds, you're also confusing a White Leghorn, RIR, and a blue-laying breed/race. That antiquated document does not necessarily apply. Can we stop now?

 

[Medicine Man]

All of these olive eggs are from the same hen...

In this example, she had run out of Marans pigment...

 

[Medicine Man]

F1s...

(100% pea-combed)

Beyond...

(75% pea-combed)

very slow-feathering...2.5 weeks...

 

[Medicine Man]

Quote:
Sure there is...breed toward that goal and all it will take is time. Most people are just content to keep producing mutts and more mutts, selling eggs by the dozen and then you get what we have here...failure to communicate...

 

[Muggsmagee]

Quote:
I'm about to start a similar project working toward lavender, feather shanked, bearded/muffed OEs. Maybe with copper hackles. I'm calling them Olivenders.

I've been playing with the chicken calculator, but I wish I had a better grasp of feather color genetics, especially what is dominant/recessive and how alleles are expressed.

Do you want Lavender OE's or Isabel Birchen OE's ?

To do the Lavenders you'll need a Lav Ameraucana x Black Marans (or BC with very, very little coppering) then take that offspring and cross it back to either another Olive Egger with the same breeding or a Lav Ameraucana (which may ruin the olive coloration)

It will be a tricky business, and honestly I'm not sure of how you can keep a proper olive colored egg AND the lavender color without constantly breeding siblings to each other. Because taking them back to the Lav Ameraucana will just make green eggers.

I need an updated picture...this is my Lav Am (mom) X BCM (dad) at 1 month. She came out pure Lav. She is now about 4 months and I can't wait for her first egg.

 

[NicoleRM]

Quote:
Wow, are you sure there's no way she could be pure Ameraucana? From what I understand, the F1s of that cross should all be black split to lav.

 

[Muggsmagee]

Quote:
Wow, are you sure there's no way she could be pure Ameraucana? From what I understand, the F1s of that cross should all be black split to lav.

Her mom was the only Ameraucana in my BCM pen at the time...and she had been in there for a few months before I hatched her eggs. This little girl hatched from a blue egg. No other roo near her momma. The other OE's from her blue eggs are black (pullets) and the boys have come out black w/ a bit of coppering in their hackles. So far, she is the only offspring, out of 2 batches of 9 chicks, showing lav colors.