The Olive-Egger thread!

[Manningjw]

Well bummer. The two black Ameraucanas (black X lavender) I bought as pullets aren't. They're cockerels.

Can I lurk here anyway?

It was suggested to keep the best one and put him over BCM pullets, but hey, I have too many males as it is. IF I do this once (because they have to get to a decent butcher weight anyway), can I then successfully (for OE) take any pullets back to the BCM (or blue copper)? Does it matter which sex is which color when you do this? I know lots of folks put a BCM over Am pullets and then backcross to the BCM for better olive color, but I'm a newbie. I know it's not the same as a backcross to a BCM sire, but...

The second generation cross back to BCM "should" yield 50% of the off spring carrying blue egg gene. This will also create a darker colored olive egg. Select for pea combs in the second generation cross and you should have about a 95% chance of an olive egger for each hen with pea comb.

 

[draye]

I haven't got mine started yet but come spring I will.
Meyer Hatchery is now selling Oliver Eggers (quite expensive too).

 

[Little Wing]

Does Meyer cull the straight combed chicks?

 

[Manningjw]

Does Meyer cull the straight combed chicks?

If they do not they are not breeding Ameraucanas.

I should restate that - if they have any straight comb chicks, the parent stock were not Ameraucanas.

 

[chicken pickin]

If they do not they are not breeding Ameraucanas.

I should restate that - if they have any straight comb chicks, the parent stock were not Ameraucanas.

I don't think that is necessarily true. Most chicks will get the pea comb from the Ameraucana, while some chicks could possibly get the straight comb from the Marans. But I have never raised Amerauncana so I don't know first hand what happens when they are bred with other breeds.

 

[draye]

Does Meyer cull the straight combed chicks?

Quote:

If they do not they are not breeding Ameraucanas.

I should restate that - if they have any straight comb chicks, the parent stock were not Ameraucanas.

I don't think that is necessarily true. Most chicks will get the pea comb from the Ameraucana, while some chicks could possibly get the straight comb from the Marans. But I have never raised Amerauncana so I don't know first hand what happens when they are bred with other breeds.

Actually I think they said they are breeding them 3 different ways. Look them up on the web and check out their online catalog.

 

[Little Wing]

How can they say you WILL get a chicken that lays an olive egg? 100% OEs has not been my experience.

I have a question on the straight and pea comb. I have been making SBEL and all of them have been pea combed, but some of the OEs I have made with the same roo have come out straight combed. The SBELs are Lavender Ameraucana / White Leghorn and the OEs are the same roo over Marans. Why haven't I gotten any straight combs from the Leghorn crosses?

 

[ronott1]

How can they say you WILL get a chicken that lays an olive egg? 100% OEs has not been my experience.

I have a question on the straight and pea comb. I have been making SBEL and all of them have been pea combed, but some of the OEs I have made with the same roo have come out straight combed. The SBELs are Lavender Ameraucana / White Leghorn and the OEs are the same roo over Marans. Why haven't I gotten any straight combs from the Leghorn crosses?

The pea comb Gene is closely associated with the blue egg gene. It is not linked. You will get white egg shells with pea combed OEs.

 

[Little Wing]

The pea comb Gene is closely associated with the blue egg gene. It is not linked. You will get white egg shells with pea combed OEs.

Then how can they say that you will get olive eggs for certain?

 

[ronott1]

Then how can they say that you will get olive eggs for certain?

They are crossing one time with known double blue egg shell gene Hens. They must have used a method of determining that the hens are Double Gened. A guess? Genetic testing.

They are not going to F2.