The Olive-Egger thread!

[aart]

I'm a beginning backyard chicken farmer. This site says to limit the breeds you have to a favorite one, yet you all are talking about all these different breeds you have. I'm confused.

SomeONE on this site might have said that.....but don't believe everything you read, even this.....haha!

It's more often recommended that you get 2-3 chicks of a different few breeds to experience them then decide your favorite.

 

[trailrider330]

I'm a beginning backyard chicken farmer. This site says to limit the breeds you have to a favorite one, yet you all are talking about all these different breeds you have. I'm confused.

I think what you might be referring to is the recommendation that if your intent is to become a reputable breeder, and you are new to breeding birds, you might be better off just focusing on one breed. That way you get to know the breed well and can focus on getting your flock to meet SOP standards. Once you are well-versed in your chosen breed, you could then branch out and try to breed others to SOP. The premise is that if someone is new to breeding, and tries to focus on too many breeds at once, it is generally more difficult for them to get their breeds to meet SOP because there is a bigger learning curve and they may get discouraged.

If, on the other hand, you are a backyard chicken farmer, then I say, "the more, the merrier". Getting a variety of birds can add a lot of interest and diversity to your flock, their personalities, and your egg basket.

 

[Pipe Dreaming]

I hatched out some potential OE chicks- BCM over EE's. I was going to sell all of this batch, but I can't resist these 2 cuties.

I'm hoping for OE'S! The 2nd one looks to have a peacomb.. is it too soon to tell?

 

[otakalhasas]

I hatched out some potential OE chicks- BCM over EE's. I was going to sell all of this batch, but I can't resist these 2 cuties.


I'm hoping for OE'S! The 2nd one looks to have a peacomb.. is it too soon to tell?

I have no idea how anyone could resist these two! They are adorable!!!!

 

[aart]

I hatched out some potential OE chicks- BCM over EE's. I was going to sell all of this batch, but I can't resist these 2 cuties.


I'm hoping for OE'S! The 2nd one looks to have a peacomb.. is it too soon to tell?

You won't know if they are OE's until they lay.

 

[Pipe Dreaming]

That's the hard part. I'm getting Wheaten Ameraucanas so next year if I want a few more OE'S, I won't have to wait until they start laying..

 

[bbhorsefly]

I'm a beginning backyard chicken farmer. This site says to limit the breeds you have to a favorite one, yet you all are talking about all these different breeds you have. I'm confused.

Where does it say that? As beginners, how do we know what our favorite is until we try them all? Heehee I started my very first flock 10 months ago. And I got a varied mix on purpose. I wanted different egg colors and different feathering so I could easily tell who was laying what. I've purchased 11"Ameraucana/Easter Eggers," 1 Olive Egger, 4 Buckeye, 5 Buff Orpingtons, 1 black orp, 1 splash orp, 2 bantam Cochin, 2 Cochin/slw crosses, and 2 buff brahma. After losses and selling off all the roos, I'm down to a Silver Ameraucana roo, Buff Brahma roo, 5 Easter Egger pullets, 1 olive Egger pullet, 2 Buckeye pullets, 1 Buff Orp pullet, and 1 bantam Cochin pullet. 12 out of 29! But I get 1 olive, 1 green, 2 blue, 1 blue/green/gray/speckled/depending on the day, 1 cream bantam size, 1 regular size cream, and 3 slightly different brown eggs. All of them look distinctly different too! Even "the twins"(Buckeyes) have different leg colors. Now I have a chick order due next month with one to two of another 8 different breeds! Most of the new girls will lay brown eggs so I'm hoping that isn't too confusing. My husband expects that one day I'll find a breed that I love and want to seriously breed. Things would have to change at that point, but I'm wondering if I won't just want to keep my rainbow flock and rainbow egg basket indefinitely!

 

[chickengr]

I had bad luck with hatching. only 3 BCM hatched, no OE. I put 3 more eggs under the duck broody and the rats already got 1. I am offering them a special dinner tonight, hope they will leave this world as soon as possible.

 

[Manningjw]

That's the hard part. I'm getting Wheaten Ameraucanas so next year if I want a few more OE'S, I won't have to wait until they start laying..

Yes and no. Just because they are sold at Wheaten Ameraucanas doesn't necessarily mean whoever was breeding them was better or worse than whoever bred the EE's at making sure there wasn't a single bird that was homozygous for blue eggs in their breeding pen. If you spend any time in the Ameraucana thread, you will note some people have issues with birds hatching with clean faces which shows not only the rooster has a single bearding gene but also at minimum one of the hens does as well. That shouldn't happen in stock that is well selected and is 'pure bred'

I would put pretty good odds on your EE based OE on having the blue egg gene but as it has already been alluded to, you cannot be certain until they lay eggs.

 

[Catandherchicks]

Where does it say that? As beginners, how do we know what our favorite is until we try them all? Heehee I started my very first flock 10 months ago. And I got a varied mix on purpose. I wanted different egg colors and different feathering so I could easily tell who was laying what. I've purchased 11"Ameraucana/Easter Eggers," 1 Olive Egger, 4 Buckeye, 5 Buff Orpingtons, 1 black orp, 1 splash orp, 2 bantam Cochin, 2 Cochin/slw crosses, and 2 buff brahma. After losses and selling off all the roos, I'm down to a Silver Ameraucana roo, Buff Brahma roo, 5 Easter Egger pullets, 1 olive Egger pullet, 2 Buckeye pullets, 1 Buff Orp pullet, and 1 bantam Cochin pullet. 12 out of 29! But I get 1 olive, 1 green, 2 blue, 1 blue/green/gray/speckled/depending on the day, 1 cream bantam size, 1 regular size cream, and 3 slightly different brown eggs. All of them look distinctly different too! Even "the twins"(Buckeyes) have different leg colors. Now I have a chick order due next month with one to two of another 8 different breeds! Most of the new girls will lay brown eggs so I'm hoping that isn't too confusing. My husband expects that one day I'll find a breed that I love and want to seriously breed. Things would have to change at that point, but I'm wondering if I won't just want to keep my rainbow flock and rainbow egg basket indefinitely!

bbhorsefly-
I like your logic - the best of both worlds. Color in the yard and in the egg basket. That's my goal.