The Olive-Egger thread!

[Little Wing]

Hi everybody!

I´m new at backyardchickens, I´m posting from central Spain to show you mi 3 months Olive Egger chickens. I did the following crosses:

BCM Roo (chocolate gen) X Partridge bearded EE Hen

Gold Araucana Roo (Rumpless) x BCM Hen (really dark egg layer)

The result is so heterogeneous: some chicks are rumpless (or not), peacombed (or simple), feathered legged (or not), with earings (or not)...

What do you think I should expect about the eggs they´ll lay? I read something about the error of crossing male blue-egg rooster and dark brown egg layers.















Here you are the pics I took yesterday, waiting for your reviews.

Best regards from Spain

Hi and welcome to BYC.
Those are some nice looking cickens you have.

I have crossed a blue egg roo with a dark egg hen and got OEs. I really don't think it matters which is which.

I would cull the ones with the straight combs if you are wanting OEs. A straight comb usually means that they did not inherit the blue egg gene. It isn't that way 100% of the time but most of the time a straight comb means, brown eggs.

Good luck with your birds!

 

[McApillo]

Thank you ronnot1 and little wing. I was afraid of that about combs, i got 60% straight combed chickens... It means I will only get a few olive eggers. Well, its my first experiment so i'll wait to see all the eggs they lay. Thanks for your responses, I hope yo learn more about OE genetics

 

[Bleenie]

2 of my OE's have Rose combs. I kept them because I liked the look. One is half wyandotte and the other is her daughter(with a wyandotte dad)

 

[FridayYet]

OE on this thread = Olive Egger. Yes, they're mixes/mutts specifically bred to lay olive eggs. I'm waiting on my White Americauna x Cuckoo Marans OEs to see what color green they lay. 19 weeks and counting....................................

 

[Little Wing]

Thank you ronnot1 and little wing. I was afraid of that about combs, i got 60% straight combed chickens... It means I will only get a few olive eggers. Well, its my first experiment so i'll wait to see all the eggs they lay. Thanks for your responses, I hope yo learn more about OE genetics

That is one problem with OEs. You have to hatch a lot of them to get a few good ones and you pretty much have to wait until they lay to know for sure. I sold one with a pea comb recently that I would have bet $100 (or 73 euro ) she would lay olive and they emailed me that she laid a light brown egg.

But you never know until they lay.

Good luck!

 

[McApillo]

I had the experience with EE, straight combs always ment no blue ir green colour in eggshell, wondered if OE rules were different...oh sh*t! Hahaha!

And guys, what about roosters? Do you recommend to choose one of this OE pullets ir use a pure breed one (araucana, marans)? I read F2 chickens (dark egg roo x OE F1 hen) made darker green eggs, but i love a big cockerel I got from last hatching (pea comb, feathered legs, tailed and bearded), from marans roo and EE hen. Does it worth the risk?

Thanks for all your responses

Pedro

 

[buckabucka]

I like using an OE rooster with a pea comb. I've crossed him with OE hens, along with a few dark brown and blue layers, to get a variety of different greens and olive.

 

[McApillo]

I like using an OE rooster with a pea comb. I've crossed him with OE hens, along with a few dark brown and blue layers, to get a variety of different greens and olive.

Hi buckabuka!

These are really good colours! I`ll probably select the pea-combed roo, to cross him again with the OE I got in the last hatching. Any other suggestion to choose the rooster? Any of you reccomend a purebreed dark egg guy as principal roo? Excuse me for such a lot of questions and my poor English... I´m a beginner with OE breeding...

 

[Little Wing]

Hi buckabuka!

These are really good colours! I`ll probably select the pea-combed roo, to cross him again with the OE I got in the last hatching. Any other suggestion to choose the rooster? Any of you reccomend a purebreed dark egg guy as principal roo? Excuse me for such a lot of questions and my poor English... I´m a beginner with OE breeding...

It depends on what color of egg the hen lays. If it is not olive and is green then you should breed her back to a dark egg roo to make the offsprings eggs darker. I don't think anyone has gotten OEs to breed true yet. I have only done F1 crosses and have not used an OE roo yet. Right now mine are BCM over EEs and Ameraucana over BCM.

 

[McApillo]

It depends on what color of egg the hen lays. If it is not olive and is green then you should breed her back to a dark egg roo to make the offsprings eggs darker. I don't think anyone has gotten OEs to breed true yet. I have only done F1 crosses and have not used an OE roo yet. Right now mine are BCM over EEs and Ameraucana over BCM.

Thanks little wing. And what about your F1 hens, do they lay olive eggs or just green ones as easter eggers do? My chickens are product of the sabe crosses you did.