The Olive-Egger thread!

[seventreesfarm]

Thanks for the explanation and correction. I had the redish egg on the bottom based on the explanation given on the first post I quoted:
"...you're going to get anything and everything from normal olive green to normal dark reddish brown to anything else, including blue, mint green, green/brown speckled, avocado skin green, emu egg turquoise, etc..."

But I think the dark brown can cover that...

Let's try this again then:

 

[seventreesfarm]

What about F2 hens crossed with either an Amer or BCM roo?

I'm about ready to save back another oliver roo (the last one we had grew up to be a jerk, but his babies are good hens), and I have Amer roo over BCM or Amer roo over 2 diff F2 hens in the brooder right now. Also just loaded the incubator with Blue copper marans roo over a few F2s.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Ok so I Edited your original work and replaced the Redish egg with a Tan colored one, but it still you work so Thanks

My understanding from conversations with people breeding for OE is that it's not this simple even in the F2s. I am told that the only "guaranteed" way to get OE is in F1 and that not ALL F2 will lay a darker olive egg even when the F1 is an Ameraucana (double blue egg gene) cross. Am I missing something? I understand that most folks are using Ameraucana for the cross because of the pea combs being connected strongly to the blue egg gene. Perhaps the confusion is coming when the cross is NOT with Ameraucanas?

For instance, if I were to put a BCM cock over a CCL hen, I'd get a single combed OE. From your chart, F2s produced by continuing with the dark brown egger should be a darker OE but my understanding is it simply does not work this way. Others are using Isbar X BCM or Welsummer for their OE, even though the Isbars lay green. Since we are not talking a "breed" but birds that will lay an olive colored egg, what are the pros and cons on single comb vs. pea comb for the blue egg gene? Does it matter what the parentage is as long as they product lays olive tinted eggs (as with the Isbar cross)?

 

[maryhysong]

My understanding from conversations with people breeding for OE is that it's not this simple even in the F2s. I am told that the only "guaranteed" way to get OE is in F1 and that not ALL F2 will lay a darker olive egg even when the F1 is an Ameraucana (double blue egg gene) cross. Am I missing something? I understand that most folks are using Ameraucana for the cross because of the pea combs being connected strongly to the blue egg gene. Perhaps the confusion is coming when the cross is NOT with Ameraucanas?

For instance, if I were to put a BCM cock over a CCL hen, I'd get a single combed OE. From your chart, F2s produced by continuing with the dark brown egger should be a darker OE but my understanding is it simply does not work this way. Others are using Isbar X BCM or Welsummer for their OE, even though the Isbars lay green. Since we are not talking a "breed" but birds that will lay an olive colored egg, what are the pros and cons on single comb vs. pea comb for the blue egg gene? Does it matter what the parentage is as long as they product lays olive tinted eggs (as with the Isbar cross)?

I like using EE because the pea comb vs single comb helps me weed out the ones most likely to lay brown and not green. Waiting on a Nov hatched girl to start now to see if I have a true OE or not. mamma was an EE and daddy was a BCM. She looks like a BCM but with almost no copper.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

I like using EE because the pea comb vs single comb helps me weed out the ones most likely to lay brown and not green. Waiting on a Nov hatched girl to start now to see if I have a true OE or not. mamma was an EE and daddy was a BCM. She looks like a BCM but with almost no copper.

I think most people use a true Ameraucana for the cross because many EEs carry only one blue egg gene. At least this is what I've come to understand by talking to a LOT of OE people. I just don't get along with the Ams because of their flightiness and how tricky they can be to sex.

 

[jaxchic]

Hi. I bought this bird as a blue copper marans, but with the beard, I am beginning to think she is an olive egger.
I got her with some hatchmates. I got three white with blue spots, that were supposed to be olive eggers, and I got three blue marans...I was told an Ameraucana and blue copper marans was used to make the splash olive eggers. I sent this pic to the man I got them from and he said this is the only one he has seen like this.
So what do you guys think? Olive egger?

 

[seventreesfarm]

I think most people use a true Ameraucana for the cross because many EEs carry only one blue egg gene. At least this is what I've come to understand by talking to a LOT of OE people. I just don't get along with the Ams because of their flightiness and how tricky they can be to sex.

Yeah, I started out with EE crosses, but the egg color wasn't as predictable, and then I wanted to breed for certain feather colors too.
We had bad luck with a foam bator with our first Amer eggs, but now I have a homemade one that does great, so we're planning to bring in a new round of Ameraucanas to bump up our F1s. They are definitely smaller and flighty, but my latest cross with an Am roo and an F2 hen has yielded some robust chickies. I hope they are hens!

 

[seventreesfarm]

Hi. I bought this bird as a blue copper marans, but with the beard, I am beginning to think she is an olive egger.
I got her with some hatchmates. I got three white with blue spots, that were supposed to be olive eggers, and I got three blue marans...I was told an Ameraucana and blue copper marans was used to make the splash olive eggers. I sent this pic to the man I got them from and he said this is the only one he has seen like this.
So what do you guys think? Olive egger?

 

[JFreeman]

Hi. I bought this bird as a blue copper marans, but with the beard, I am beginning to think she is an olive egger.
I got her with some hatchmates. I got three white with blue spots, that were supposed to be olive eggers, and I got three blue marans...I was told an Ameraucana and blue copper marans was used to make the splash olive eggers. I sent this pic to the man I got them from and he said this is the only one he has seen like this.
So what do you guys think? Olive egger?

Looks like you have an Ameraucana/Maran cross. Looks a little like mine.

Here are my OEs at around 12 weeks old:


And my blue OE close to 22 weeks old (picture taken a few days ago):


Don't laugh too hard, she was trying her darndest to get away from me and phone that MUST have been attacking her.

 

[JFreeman]

Though looking at the comb, I have to agree with seventreesfarm. Regardless, she's definitely not pure Maran... Though a question to go along with it, can Maran/Ameraucana crosses throw straight combs that lay brown eggs?