The Olive-Egger thread!

[chickenlver2013]

I have a question! I just recently crossed my Easter Egger rooster over my Red Sex-Links and Barred Rocks. Since they are brown egg layers, will the babies lay olive eggs?

 

[chicken pickin]

I have a question! I just recently crossed my Easter Egger rooster over my Red Sex-Links and Barred Rocks. Since they are brown egg layers, will the babies lay olive eggs?

If your rooster happens to carry the blue gene and passes it on to the offspring, they might lay green, possibly brown. Not likely olive. He would need to be crossed to a dark brown egg layer to get olive.

 

[JFreeman]

I have a question! I just recently crossed my Easter Egger rooster over my Red Sex-Links and Barred Rocks. Since they are brown egg layers, will the babies lay olive eggs?

It depends on the genetics of your rooster, I would think... Some EEs throw pink egg layers so it's a possibility you'd get olive eggers, or you could get something else. At least, from what I've learned from genetics so far, that's what I would guess. I think it's a "You have to wait and see" kind of thing... I also have an EE I bred to my Wyandottes. Wyandottes lay cream-colored, and I have no clue what is in my EE's genetic background.

 

[JFreeman]

If your rooster happens to carry the blue gene and passes it on to the offspring, they might lay green, possibly brown. Not likely olive. He would need to be crossed to a dark brown egg layer to get olive.

Good point....

 

[chickenlver2013]

If your rooster happens to carry the blue gene and passes it on to the offspring, they might lay green, possibly brown. Not likely olive. He would need to be crossed to a dark brown egg layer to get olive. 

I don't know. The woman I bought him from said he was an Araucana. They're rumpless and have tufts. I posted on the breed and gender forum on here and people said he was an Americauna. I then posted on the Easter Egger thread and was told he was an Easter Egger. So knowing he's an Easter Egger who knows what's in his blood, but he made beautiful pullets.

 

[brittany4]

I'm about to go buy my chicks and want to try this olive egg thing. can anyone who knows how to do this make up a chart for crosses that will make the olive green egg? like blue egg hen x brown egg roo or how to pick chicks that will lay blue and roos who came from brown eggs? how do you figure this out when you hav'nt hatched them yourself? Are there traits the chicks have to know what kind of egg they will lay or what kind they came from? does the roo need to be any breed or does it matter?Do all sex linked chicks come hens light in color and roos in darker color?

 

[Penny Hen]

I don't know. The woman I bought him from said he was an Araucana. They're rumpless and have tufts. I posted on the breed and gender forum on here and people said he was an Americauna. I then posted on the Easter Egger thread and was told he was an Easter Egger. So knowing he's an Easter Egger who knows what's in his blood, but he made beautiful pullets.

Well the Ameraucana and the Easter Egger are close cousins. In fact sometimes closer. Let me explain. Ameraucanas who are bred to the Standard of Perfection for show come in only a certain number of accepted colors (feather color). If you cross the colors on each other AND are not working toward breeding for a new color that will breed true and eventually be added to the acceptable colors (Lavender is currently in this position) then even though they are 100% Ameraucana blood they are considered Easter Eggers by the Standard of Perfection.

Now Hatchery EE's have other breeds added into the mix. When the blue egg craze hit after the first Ameraucanas and Auracanas were exhibited ( I want to say that was at a Worlds Fair sometime between the 20's and the 40's. Any of you Poultry Historians who know for sure chime in), the hatcheries bred any blue egg roo they could lay hands on to anything that laid a near white egg and some brown eggs too. The amazing thing is that even with such a large influx of other genes most EE's still look like an Ameraucana. A bit larger and stouter but still obvious that they are "first cousins". In part it is the link between the pea comb and the blue egg gene that helped preserve that because those were selected to retain. And the friendly personality stayed with them as well.

If you have never read up on the history of these chickens of South American origin I reccomend reading Resolution's thread on them. He explains in a wonderful readable narrative how chickens were brought from Southeast Asia through the Polynesian Islands and eventually to South America. He really needs to write it up into a book. It is that good of a read. He explains how the Auracana, the Ameraucana, the British/Aussie Auracana (crested and tailed), the Easter Eggers, the Collanas (also rumpless), the Huastec (crested) , the Black Quechua Olmec (fibromelanistic), the Sweet Potaot Quechua, the Quechua de Areties (tailed with tufts) are ALL of the Quechua family (pronounced either Ket-wa or Kech-wa).

My favorite is his name for the Easter Eggers (the ones with additional breeds added) : North American Improved Quechua. And I know that nearly everyone on this thread has smiled that tight smile when someone told them that they had "mutt" birds. But if you are breeding for good egg laying and colors (blue, green, olive or pink or what have you) and egg size and thrift and foraging ability..... my friends you have North American Improved Quechua! A hardy adaptable landrace breed who can take it hot or cold, however Mother Nature wants to dish it out!

 

[sewandgrow]

Hello everyone,
I am usually on the Northern California board, but have a question about creating OEs. The only cross I have done so far is my Blue Copper Marans hens covered by a Blue & a Black True Ameraucana rooster. I am happy with the eggs the resulting pullets lay. What I was wondering is if I change to having my Black Copper Marans roosters cover my Black True Ameraucana hens would that make a difference. I have seen some posts where it sounded like the rooster makes a difference.
Thanks
Karen in Turlock California

 

[humboldtgrrl]

I'm thrilled to have my first Olive Egger in my Bator! I'm excited to see what it

will lay (hoping it's a girl!) Roo is either a Marans, Cream Legbar or Welsummer.

 

[vfem]

She's cute.I have one also, though mine was darker as a chick. She's 6 weeks old now. She is barred, doesn't have a crest, and she has feathered feet.

Yeah, she looks just like my Rooster OE I got for sure. The comb is HUGE and mine is only 6 weeks old now too.



This is when 'HE' was 4 weeks old. That comb is RED now!