The Olive-Egger thread!

[Hangtown Farms]

That's not exactly accurate. Only 3% of non-pea combed chicks will have the blue egg laying gene. This is due to linked genes on the chromosome. The genes for pea comb and blue-egg-laying are very close so they generally transfer to the gametes together. Think of it like blond hair and blue eyes in people, they *usually* go together.

Long story short, pea combed chicks are your best chance. Single combed chicks have only a 3% chance of carrying the blue gene - most likely they'll just lay brown eggs.

If pure ameraucanas are being used as the blue egg layer, all of the 1st generation chicks should have pea combs since the ameraucana parent shouldn't have any other genes for combs present. If you do get any with single combs, I wouldn't keep them. It's the F2 (second) generation that may have a high proportion of single combs, so you'd keep the pea combed chicks out of that group for the best chance of having olive eggers.

I must of been lucky then ?
All my Branevelder x lavender Ameraucana's that hatched from my friend lay olive eggs. some with pea combs some without. Of the 4 I got 3 hens 1 had a pea comb 2 did not and both laid a olive egg.

 

[mstricer]

Quick question, if I put my Olive-Egger roo with a cochin will I get bantam olive eggers? Or should it be a cochin roo with an olive egger girl.

No

Quote: You need a dark egg roo over a blue egg girl.

Quote: Barnevelder was the rooster correct?

 

[Hangtown Farms]

No
You need a dark egg roo over a blue egg girl.
Barnevelder was the rooster correct?

yes he was the rooster

 

[gladahmae]

You need a dark egg roo over a blue egg girl.

can you explain why it *must* be that way? from a genetics stand point? I know previously in this thread some were putting Ameraucanas over Marans hens and it was the general consensus that it should work to make OEs as well, although possibly with a slightly lower success rate. I'm not arguing with you about this, I'm just trying to get it all worked out in my head (and see if I need to acquire another roo over the winter) and this flies in the face of what I've previously read in this thread.

 

[KingR0o5t3r]

Has anybody on here croosed a gold cuckko maran roo, with an ameracuana hen(any variety)???? what were your results? can you post pics of chicks and adults if you have them? do they produce the olive eggs?

 

[heath_elisha]

can you explain why it *must* be that way? from a genetics stand point? I know previously in this thread some were putting Ameraucanas over Marans hens and it was the general consensus that it should work to make OEs as well, although possibly with a slightly lower success rate. I'm not arguing with you about this, I'm just trying to get it all worked out in my head (and see if I need to acquire another roo over the winter) and this flies in the face of what I've previously read in this thread.

I have a homegrown pea combed EE roo that I was going to put over marans this spring. Hoping for some olive eggers too...... I find this discussion to be of high interest to me. I love my roo............... and would love to see him produce olive eggers

 

[kahlua]

Ooooooh. Ok. This is an explanation that makes more sense to me.
So, since my roo will be and EE, and more than likely heterozygous for comb even though *he* has a peacomb, I may get a higher percentage of straight-combed chicks as a result.

Having fun making punnett squares in my brain figuring out how everything can pass down.

Seems like I'm planning on doing the inverse of what the traditional cross to make OEs (blue roo over dark layers instead of the more common dark roo over blue layers) but at this point I'd rather give what I've got a test run in early spring and then decide if I need to get my fingers on a marans roo and some blue layers.

Yes - he may be homozygous for pea comb, it's hard to be sure til you breed him.
As far as I know, egg color isn't sexlinked, so there's no reason it wouldn't work to use a blue roo over dark layers. Especially since you'll know exactly how dark the girls' eggs are - it might be a good thing. If my girls will ever start laying, I hope to have both types set up eventually. Blue wheaten am roo x wheaten marans pullets and wheaten marans roo x am and EE pullets.

 

[mstricer]

Quote: Sorry I do not know anything about that genetics thing, As for the Blues over the dark layer I have going on in another pen just to see what will happen. I know that most of the genetic people think we folks that don't know about it shouldn't be breeding. I look at standards of perfection in breeding my pures, and just play around with the Olive eggers for fun and the fact I like the egg color and to see how I can change the egg color. No I don't think you are arguing, everyone one has input and is helpful. I just go by what others have said. Like I said I do it for fun. I want an emerald egg (wishful thinking, as in the goose with the golden egg) My serious breeding is my d'Uccles. There is no standards for and Olive Egger, they are basically just and EE.

 

[buckabucka]

I had a surprise olive egg today! I bought a chick that hatched with some wheaten Ameraucanas, but she was brown, not the right color at all. The seller had no reason to keep her, but said she may lay a blue egg, since she hatched out of one.

As the pullet grew, I had no expectation of a blue egg. She has big yellow legs. Yesterday, DH said she was making a racket and in and out of the nest box, but he never found an egg. This morning, I found it, a tiny "fairy" egg in the dirt. It looked like a green olive with brown speckles. I wonder if it was a Welsummer cross? She's a pretty bird. I'll be interested to see if her full-size egg is the same color.

 

[mstricer]

Are you sure they didn't sell you EE's