The Olive-Egger thread!

[Ihilani Coffee]

I got my gray OE Olivia from My Pet Chicken back east. I was told she was BCM x either Ameracauna, or Legbar. Opinions on which? She doesn't look like my Ameracauna crosses, but that's definitely not the Marans comb either. If she was Legbar, wouldn't she have the crest on top of the head? I see some birds on here that look similar in build to her. I think J bar farms has some. Thought maybe some of you would have ideas. She is VERY vocal. Quite the personality. Just curious. Thanks!

She could easily be either a black copper or blue copper Marans crossed with a blue Ameraucana (or a black crossed with the blue copper). She's lovely!

 

[estamets]

I got my gray OE Olivia from My Pet Chicken back east. I was told she was BCM x either Ameracauna, or Legbar. Opinions on which? She doesn't look like my Ameracauna crosses, but that's definitely not the Marans comb either. If she was Legbar, wouldn't she have the crest on top of the head? I see some birds on here that look similar in build to her. I think J bar farms has some. Thought maybe some of you would have ideas. She is VERY vocal. Quite the personality. Just curious. Thanks!

She could be Legbar, too! She's not as slender, but her build could come from the BCM. Not all Legbars have crests, and some have very small crests, so she could be uncreated Legbar or the crest may not have passed down.

 

[chrissyr]

So I'm getting ready to put F2 (25%am x Marans 75%) in the incubator. I also have pure Marans eggs.
Anyone have a hard time tellin the F2 oe's from pure Marans?
The F1 were so easy to tell with pea combs and beards.
I'm wondering if F2s pop out beardless and straight combed
Any input would help

 

[ochochicas]

My F2 looks like a BCM but with a peacomb. She does not have a beard. Her sisters are blue and black and look exactly like BCM and they do not have a peacomb. They also lay brown eggs. None of them have beards,but they do have feathered legs.

 

[chrissyr]

My F2 looks like a BCM but with a peacomb.  She does not have a beard.  Her sisters are blue and black and look exactly like BCM and they do not have a peacomb.  They also lay brown eggs.  None of them have beards,but they do have feathered legs.  

oh dear, that's what I was worried about. That some would have no pea combs or beards.
Well I'll set those a few days apart from the Marans i guess.
I'm assuming the only ones that lay olive in the f2 are the pea combs? Anyone have a am cross with a straight comb that carries the blue gene? I've read the pea combs are in conjunction with blue gene. Wondering how true that is

 

[chrissyr]

My F2 looks like a BCM but with a peacomb.  She does not have a beard.  Her sisters are blue and black and look exactly like BCM and they do not have a peacomb.  They also lay brown eggs.  None of them have beards,but they do have feathered legs.  

ovhochicas , is your f2 an am cross or araucana cross? Your profile pic is lovely

 

[ochochicas]

My F2 is BCM x Ameraucana. She is the bird in my avatar. The rumpless factor is a mutation and the breeder assured me she is not Araucana. He kept her sisters (who all have normal tails) and I just have her. We keep in touch and all of his hens are laying brown eggs. My hen is 11 months old and has not laid a single egg. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with her being rumpless, or because she had a leg injury as a chick that caused her to grow abnormally slow. She is full size now, and her comb is becoming more and more red each day, so I am still hopeful that she will lay an OLIVE egg some day. If that doesn't work, I have some F1 chicks in the brooder now that are lovely.

My favorite pullet (on the right):


I hatched 3 BCM X legbar last month and they are all boys. What luck!

 

[chrissyr]

My F2 is BCM x Ameraucana. She is the bird in my avatar. The rumpless factor is a mutation and the breeder assured me she is not Araucana. He kept her sisters (who all have normal tails) and I just have her. We keep in touch and all of his hens are laying brown eggs. My hen is 11 months old and has not laid a single egg. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with her being rumpless, or because she had a leg injury as a chick that caused her to grow abnormally slow. She is full size now, and her comb is becoming more and more red each day, so I am still hopeful that she will lay and OLIVE egg some day. If that doesn't work, I have some F1 chicks in the brooder now that are lovely. My favorite pullet (on the right): I hatched 3 BCM X legbar last month and they are all boys. What luck!

thank you for the info. She is very pretty. I like the CL OE too! I hatched 16 CL last year: 13 were boys, lol. Wasn't fun

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

My F2 is BCM x Ameraucana. She is the bird in my avatar. The rumpless factor is a mutation and the breeder assured me she is not Araucana. He kept her sisters (who all have normal tails) and I just have her. We keep in touch and all of his hens are laying brown eggs. My hen is 11 months old and has not laid a single egg. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with her being rumpless, or because she had a leg injury as a chick that caused her to grow abnormally slow. She is full size now, and her comb is becoming more and more red each day, so I am still hopeful that she will lay and OLIVE egg some day. If that doesn't work, I have some F1 chicks in the brooder now that are lovely.

My favorite pullet (on the right):


I hatched 3 BCM X legbar last month and they are all boys. What luck!

If it was BCM cock/erel over a legbar, that black one on the right is a pullet as they are sexlinked. We make this cross.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

So I'm getting ready to put F2 (25%am x Marans 75%) in the incubator. I also have pure Marans eggs.
Anyone have a hard time tellin the F2 oe's from pure Marans?
The F1 were so easy to tell with pea combs and beards.
I'm wondering if F2s pop out beardless and straight combed
Any input would help

I've heard it's about 95% linked with the blue egg gene and pea combs.

YES it is difficult to tell from pure Marans, and therefore so VERY important to hatch separately and toe punch or wing band right away for permanent ID. There is large potential for really messing up the BCM gene pool when people breed what LOOKS like a Marans and isn't guaranteed to be so. PLEASE be careful everyone, when selling these F2, 3, 4 Olive eggers with BCM backcrossing, to loudly proclaim their breeding. Not that it matters down the road...what people do after they leave our hands is out of our control, but at least we can speak the truth in the moment.