The Olive-Egger thread!

[Chicken5555]

@southernhusky
Here are some eggs that my Marans/Ameraucana crosses are laying now. They range quite a bit from light green to olive and the only way to now for sure who laid the egg was to watch the chicken push it out LOL. I have an easter egger that lays the exact same shade of green as some of my half Marans girls. It's crazy, but it all depends on how many and which of the 13 brown egg genes they get from their Marans parent. A hint.... if you want a more intense olive color layer, cross one of the half breed chicks back to Marans (it can be the chick's parent) and about half of the chicks should give you that awesome olive green shade.

 

[southernhusky]

Too cute! non-feathered feet means that they did not hatch from the Cochin eggs. That means their mom is the Dominique. Since the mom is barred (striped) and the dad is not, then the chicks with a light dot on the head are boys. If any of the light colored chicks are from the same crossing the dot will be difficult to see.

EDITED to add - since they were hatched in the Fall, don't be surprised if they are a little late starting to lay eggs.

Thats what I was thinking(about being from Dominique) but they are feathering super fast. I'm trying to come up with what other hen they could have possibly been from but I agree I think its from the Dom hen. There were 2 salmon fave hens but even they have some foot feather too, although I'd imagine it would be even less if Dad didn't have foot feather, still I would imagine they'd have some foot feather.

Those are some pretty eggs. My Marans hens don't lay dark either so any olive egger chicks will lay about like that I would think. 2 are splash and 1 is blue so I only have a small chance of getting black copper marans chicks but I will eventually end up with a few for my flock.

 

[Chicken5555]

Thats what I was thinking(about being from Dominique) but they are feathering super fast. I'm trying to come up with what other hen they could have possibly been from but I agree I think its from the Dom hen. There were 2 salmon fave hens but even they have some foot feather too, although I'd imagine it would be even less if Dad didn't have foot feather, still I would imagine they'd have some foot feather.

Those are some pretty eggs. My Marans hens don't lay dark either so any olive egger chicks will lay about like that I would think. 2 are splash and 1 is blue so I only have a small chance of getting black copper marans chicks but I will eventually end up with a few for my flock.

Not necessarily... One of my half French Marans Olive Egger girls has lightly feathered legs and feet. My other half French Marans is heavily feathered. Their brother was lightly feathered on the legs as a chick but has no feathers on his legs now. Why that happened is a mystery to me, but not all offspring from the same parents will be the same as each other.

Also, I just hatched three chicks from my half French Marans with the lightly feathered legs/feet. Two of those three have bare legs like their father. Genetics is like rolling a handful of different color dice.... you can toss them all day and never get the exact same combination.

Splash are so pretty. A blue with good edging is gorgeous too. If your Marans rooster is black, then half of his children from the blue Marans hen will be black. Black + Splash always produces blue.
If your Marans is blue, then only a quarter of the blue hens' chicks will be black.

 

[southernhusky]

Not necessarily... One of my half French Marans Olive Egger girls has lightly feathered legs and feet. My other half French Marans is heavily feathered. Their brother was lightly feathered on the legs as a chick but has no feathers on his legs now. Why that happened is a mystery to me, but not all offspring from the same parents will be the same as each other.

Also, I just hatched three chicks from my half French Marans with the lightly feathered legs/feet. Two of those three have bare legs like their father. Genetics is like rolling a handful of different color dice.... you can toss them all day and never get the exact same combination.

Splash are so pretty. A blue with good edging is gorgeous too. If your Marans rooster is black, then half of his children from the blue Marans hen will be black. Black + Splash always produces blue.
If your Marans is blue, then only a quarter of the blue hens' chicks will be black.

My CM Roo is Blue and there are 3 Splash hens and 1 Blue hen so yep, slim chance of getting Black, mostly Blues and Splash.

Had 3 more chicks hatch today with a 4th pipped, so up to 18 including the mixes and silkies. Fingers crossed on my Cream Legbar eggs that are set(I think they're developing but they are almost as hard to see when candling as the Marans are >.< )

So far all of the Copper Marans eggs that hatched had chicks with feathered feet(slim possibility of earliest eggs sired by a Salmon fave Roo, most likely by Blue Copper Marans or Cream Legbar). They have all been black, grey or light grey. I'm thinking now I will try to sell some of these unknown parentage chicks, just because of timing and personal reasons, preg with baby that *was* due in Jan but I recently found out I will be induced, most likely just after Christmas. My husband already has a lot to handle with 2 toddlers and our kennel, LOL, thankfully he has my uncle and girlfriend here to help, they like the chickens but tending to grown chickens at the barn is a little different. Plus I have a full incubator set as it is as of Nov 16th. I was so excited when my CM and Legbars finally started laying I couldn't wait to set and hatch. Time to get started on those outdoor chick pens for sure.......it finally got to freezing temps for the first time tonight.

 

[Chicken5555]

My CM Roo is Blue and there are 3 Splash hens and 1 Blue hen so yep, slim chance of getting Black, mostly Blues and Splash.

Had 3 more chicks hatch today with a 4th pipped, so up to 18 including the mixes and silkies. Fingers crossed on my Cream Legbar eggs that are set(I think they're developing but they are almost as hard to see when candling as the Marans are >.< )

So far all of the Copper Marans eggs that hatched had chicks with feathered feet(slim possibility of earliest eggs sired by a Salmon fave Roo, most likely by Blue Copper Marans or Cream Legbar). They have all been black, grey or light grey. I'm thinking now I will try to sell some of these unknown parentage chicks, just because of timing and personal reasons, preg with baby that *was* due in Jan but I recently found out I will be induced, most likely just after Christmas. My husband already has a lot to handle with 2 toddlers and our kennel, LOL, thankfully he has my uncle and girlfriend here to help, they like the chickens but tending to grown chickens at the barn is a little different. Plus I have a full incubator set as it is as of Nov 16th. I was so excited when my CM and Legbars finally started laying I couldn't wait to set and hatch. Time to get started on those outdoor chick pens for sure.......it finally got to freezing temps for the first time tonight.

Congratulations with your baby! It feels like just yesterday that I was in your exact same shoes. My husband was a blessing (and still is) when it came time for me to be in the hospital.

I totally understand about selling the unknown parented chicks. My Ameraucana kept falling off the girls so we put our younger white leghorn in the pen to show how to get the job done. The leghorn was a pro so we assumed all of our olive eggers' eggs would be sired by the leghorn. It turned out (based on the chicks' down coloring) that almost half of the chicks that hatched are in fact the Ameraucana's offspring. All of the half leghorns will be sold and their dad gets the boot now that we know my blue egg roo is functional LOL.

 

[southernhusky]

Congratulations with your baby! It feels like just yesterday that I was in your exact same shoes. My husband was a blessing (and still is) when it came time for me to be in the hospital.

I totally understand about selling the unknown parented chicks. My Ameraucana kept falling off the girls so we put our younger white leghorn in the pen to show how to get the job done. The leghorn was a pro so we assumed all of our olive eggers' eggs would be sired by the leghorn. It turned out (based on the chicks' down coloring) that almost half of the chicks that hatched are in fact the Ameraucana's offspring. All of the half leghorns will be sold and their dad gets the boot now that we know my blue egg roo is functional LOL.

Thank you! We have our hands full haha but I get so much enjoyment out of the chickens that hubby doesn't try to stop me! LOL Home full time so nothing to do but play with critters and kids!

 

[cmccullough1390]

We got eggs

Baelfire and her first beautiful egg love my Olive Egger she just laid her first

Midnight and her first egg she lays near every day

Scarlet and her first Egg she lays every other day

 

[tlmotzkus]

BREEDING QUESTION ????? last year I crossed a crested cream legbar rooster and welsummer hens and the pullets just started laying very nice olive eggs. I am very happy with the results. now what rooster should I put over my pullets to improve these olive eggers ????? I currently have crested cream legbar rooster and a lemon maran rooster.

 

[aart]

BREEDING QUESTION ????? last year I crossed a crested cream legbar rooster and welsummer hens and the pullets just started laying very nice olive eggs. I am very happy with the results. now what rooster should I put over my pullets to improve these olive eggers ????? I currently have crested cream legbar rooster and a lemon maran rooster.

Do some of each!

 

[cmccullough1390]

   BREEDING QUESTION  ?????    last year I crossed a crested cream legbar rooster and welsummer hens and the pullets just started laying very nice olive eggs. I am very happy with the results. now what rooster should I put over my pullets to improve these olive eggers ?????  I currently have crested cream legbar rooster and a lemon maran rooster.

I believe with the legbar you'll get more blue eggs and if you go with a Maran you'll end up with darker eggs