The Olive-Egger thread!

[ronott1]

I have read and read, and just want to make sure I have this right. Please excuse the long post.

One of my roosters "Wylie" is my own cross. His father is Appenzeller Spitzhauben (white egg gene). His mother is Easter Egger (light olive eggs). His 3 sisters from the same parents are laying medium blue eggs.

Am I correct that Wylie will carrying the blue egg gene like his sisters, and guaranteed this because his fathers white egg gene will be cancelled out by other colors, and his sibling hens have proven to carry blue?

I have several brown egg breeds of hens I would like to cross him with for Olive eggs.

Also, If he carries blue gene and I cross with F1 Oliver egger (Cuckoo Marans roo / Easter Egger hen) will those eggs be olive or revert to blue?

Hens I would like to cross with are
Buff Orpington
Cuckoo Marans
Light Brahma
Rhode Island Red
Red and Black Sex Link

Any input and opinions appreciated....Thanks

First, the blue color is white recessive and blue dominant. You get a blue shelled egg if there is at least one blue. Both of the parents in your example could have only one blue. The rooster could have both recessive white.

In Genetics, a dominant gene takes over the expression of the trait. The recessive is still there and can be passed on to offspring.

I would guess that you would get some hens that do not get at least one blue egg shell gene. Those would have a white shell and then get some amount of brown. Usually those would be light brown to a darker brown.

There are up to 9ish brown coating genes so you will still get those. For the hens that have the blue egg shell gene, you will get a variety of green but could still get a rare hen that will lay blue--did not get any brown coating genes.

In your list of hens, the one with the best chance of getting a good dark coating and better OE colors would be the marans.
Added: All of the hen breeds listed have two recessive white. Unless the rooster has two blue shell genes, which the OE would not have, you will get some hens that lay brown to white eggs.

 

[pioneerchick816]

These are the eggs I'm currently getting until I get my OE (and some Whiting True Blues)this April. All these girls were born in July/August. And my one EE is an adopted run away from somewhere around my place lol. NEXT spring I'm getting a Maran Roo (the plan anyway) to cover my OE & WTB

to get some new chicks who will lay even darker hopefully

This is my first flock

 

[Curnow]

First, the blue color is white recessive and blue dominant. You get a blue shelled egg if there is at least one blue. Both of the parents in your example could have only one blue. The rooster could have both recessive white.

In Genetics, a dominant gene takes over the expression of the trait. The recessive is still there and can be passed on to offspring.

I would guess that you would get some hens that do not get at least one blue egg shell gene. Those would have a white shell and then get some amount of brown. Usually those would be light brown to a darker brown.

There are up to 9ish brown coating genes so you will still get those. For the hens that have the blue egg shell gene, you will get a variety of green but could still get a rare hen that will lay blue--did not get any brown coating genes.

In your list of hens, the one with the best chance of getting a good dark coating and better OE colors would be the marans.
Added: All of the hen breeds listed have two recessive white. Unless the rooster has two blue shell genes, which the OE would not have, you will get some hens that lay brown to white eggs.

Thank you so much for the explanation ...and keeping it in layman's terms.

I am finding there is more to chicken genetics that I thought when I started wanting to cross for specific traits. My chickens are a hobby and pets, however still considered livestock to the extent of regular egg sales that support the hobby.

Thank you again for the information, it was very helpful!

 

[catheygreer]

One at the bottom of exit chute, one at 8:00, and one tucked on bottom at 1:00.....look grayish to me.
Very difficult to get true colors in photos...and they can look different on everyone's screens.

Nice 'basket'....or 'rack'!

the 1st egg on the bottom left

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Yes, that one is actually a deep blue green. It must just look more grey to the eye in the photo, but it's not grey in real life...

 

[pennyJo1960]

You know though mine changed color as they warm up only as much
as if tend to olive or blue to start
5 this afternoon should be more when we go to close them

 

[otakalhasas]

These are the eggs I'm currently getting until I get my OE (and some Whiting True Blues)this April. All these girls were born in July/August. And my one EE is an adopted run away from somewhere around my place lol. NEXT spring I'm getting a Maran Roo (the plan anyway) to cover my OE & WTB to get some new chicks who will lay even darker hopefully

This is my first flock

BEAUTIFUL eggs - congrats on a very pretty 1st flock!

 

[freenerik]

My olive eggers are Welsummer/ Cream Legbar and BCM pictured while sitting last spring with White Ameracauna rooster. Unfortunately my CCL was killed this winter so I will need to replace him at some point. My Ameracauna however is extremely virile and almost all of last springs chicks ended up Easter egger or Olive eggers.

 

[Catandherchicks]

These are the eggs I'm currently getting until I get my OE (and some Whiting True Blues)this April. All these girls were born in July/August. And my one EE is an adopted run away from somewhere around my place lol. NEXT spring I'm getting a Maran Roo (the plan anyway) to cover my OE & WTB

to get some new chicks who will lay even darker hopefully

This is my first flock

Nice egg collection!

 

[Catandherchicks]

My olive eggers are Welsummer/ Cream Legbar and BCM pictured while sitting last spring with White Ameracauna rooster. Unfortunately my CCL was killed this winter so I will need to replace him at some point. My Ameracauna however is extremely virile and almost all of last springs chicks ended up Easter egger or Olive eggers.

Great variety of egg colors!