The Olive-Egger thread!

[bamadude]

Funny screen name wino

 

[WashingtonWino]

Haha thanks! I'm a winemaker in Washington state so it seemed to make sense. Needless to say my job is awesome....

 

[JFreeman]

I'm happy to report that she got a good local home. I must say that I'm impressed with the size and disposition f the MPC olive Egger chicks, they are the tamest chicks I've had yet and they are big and plump.

Cool. I haven't bought any from MyPetChicken, though I've heard really good things.

I have two pure Ameraucanas and I am on a waiting list for four CCLs from a local breeder. I'm starting my own line of OEs soon! Yay! I will need to buy some Marans soon... I'm picky on their egg color, and I have sold every BCM I have bought because they weren't laying dark enough eggs, and they were from a local breeder that has stock from show lines.

 

[fishmanwill]

I am trying to decide what to do with my olive egger cockerels. We ordered some olive egger chicks that are a cross of black copper marans and blue ameruacuana. Well I have 2 that are cockerels. I think we are going to start breeding our own olive eggers with the same cross. I asked about breeding olive eggers and found out that breeding olive eggers to olive eggers you get a chance of getting blue layers again out of the breeding. So basically they can't be used to breed just olive eggers, since you might get blue eggs and we are after olive eggers. Is that correct? We already have enough other roosters around here, so I guess if they can't be used to breed other olive eggers, then I need to find them a new home. Is that breeding correct that they will produce blue egg layers along with olive eggers if breed with other olive eggers? Thank you.

 

[dekel18042]

Yay! I will need to buy some Marans soon... I'm picky on their egg color, and I have sold every BCM I have bought because they weren't laying dark enough eggs, and they were from a local breeder that has stock from show lines.

One thing to be aware of in having your own dark layers, I have several types of marans and welsumers is that the egg color from each hen is not fixed. It is fluid and lightens as the hen lays further into her clutch. Each clutch starts with incredibly dark eggs which lighten over time. Which means at the end of a clutch, the best layers have the lightest eggs. Not light by any means, and still much darker than my other brown layers, but not as dark as they had been. My poorest layers have the darkest eggs.
I've noticed on some sites the sellers state right out that the eggs you are buying are from hens that have started with dark eggs (They'll have pictures of different colors) but you are purchasing eggs towards the end which are lighter and the price is much less, for the same genetics.
The darkest eggs I ever saw were from a friend out of show lines and were in my incubator. Not one hatched. When I opened them up, not one had even started. A huge disappointment especially since every EE egg (my own) hatched exactly on day 21 right on schedule.
Depending on what they're bred with, OE cockerels can produce a rainbow of colored eggs.

 

[JFreeman]

Good to know. All the BCM I have had started out with lighter eggs with dark spots or had a faded appearance, dark on bottom, light on top.

 

[aart]

So this broody:

Sat on these eggs:


That were laid by this EE hen:


And hatched out these chicks:


That were sired by this Welsummer cockerel:


They are living in the coop partition and will join the main flock in a week or so.

These 20 wo girls(Welsummer sire over blue laying EE) should be laying any day(or week<rolleyes>) now......
......hoping for a darker green, but might get Welsummer Terra Cotta, either way will be nice to see what they give.
They've been mixing a lot more with the flock instead of hiding in the coop the last week, Woody is paying them more attention just hanging out and I believe at least one of them had submitted to him.


The one on the left has the hens beard and comb, so am hoping that means the blue egg gene passed.
But they all have Wellie legs.....time(siiigh) will tell.

So here, finally, all 3 pullets from the above quotes have started to lay over the past 4 days...1 from each bird, I assume.
Was surprised that none are Wellie 'coated', tho I suppose that could change as things come into 'tune'.....
........interesting that the 'olive' egg is same shape as hens and I'd guess that it came from the bearded lady.

 

[gimmie birdies]

neat story, I had EE eggs that were long too...

 

[Manningjw]

So here, finally, all 3 pullets from the above quotes have started to lay over the past 4 days...1 from each bird, I assume.
Was surprised that none are Wellie 'coated', tho I suppose that could change as things come into 'tune'.....
........interesting that the 'olive' egg is same shape as hens and I'd guess that it came from the bearded lady.

I am surprised how light the green is coming from a Welsummer. Do you know how dark the egg was he hatched from? He is a pretty rooster, looks like you had a good broody and healthy chicks from those eggs. Did all 3 have pea combs? Very interesting stuff.

 

[gimmie birdies]

My dark green is from a Black copper maran and a Blue Isbar cross.