The Olive-Egger thread!

[Happy Chooks]

Chris.......beautiful!

hipetall.....just compare them to each other. My males started getting more pronounced reddish combs by 5 weeks, and he has 3 rows on his little pea comb. The female's comb is much smaller and while you can still see the rows, they are much less pronounced. I also ended up with 2 with straight combs (1 male, 1 female), so they were VERY obvious by 4 weeks. I bet you have an idea who are the cockerals. With my older olive egger cockeral (that I posted pics of here), I knew he was a male early on, but I was in denial. (really wanted him to be a girl)

 

[mountainvieworchards]

I have been correctly sexing my olive eggers from about age 5 to 6 weeks. By week 8 it is pretty plain to tell who is who. Mine are Black copper maran roo over Easter Egger. It is my first time with this cross so I am hoping for some nice olive eggs. The EE hen is a great layer of jumbo eggs. I am also hopeful that some of the cockerels will get some meat on their bones like their daddy. But so far they all have the body type of the EE. I had some blue Ameraucanas I couldn't sex until about 12 weeks and I am still not willing to bet $100 on two of the ones "I think" are pullets.

 

[kathyinmo]

First to hatch in my Mega-Hatchaton are some of the Olive eggers (more pipping) ....
(I have noticed that these always hatch first!) This is the first time I have gotten one with the chipmonky look.
Here are the first 6 out .... Mama Easter Eggers, Papa Blue (or Black Copper) Marans.

 

[Happy Chooks]

You're hatching? What happened to 5 months no hatching?

They are gorgeous Kathy!

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:

Wynette,
I am hatching some of Miss Olive's eggs. I see the first one out, and it looks dark; unsure if black or dark blue yet. This is crossed with a Marans. Her eggs are sooooooo dark that I am curious to see what these resulting chicks will lay. I have some Ameraucanas growing out, and I plan to put her with one of those to see the results crossed with the blue egg gene also.

 

[Wynette]

Oh, they're cute, Kathy! So these are your first generation Olive Eggers, and then Miss Olive's would be third gen. I bet her eggs will look like Marans, dark brown! Can't wait to find out!

My 5 little ones that I crossed my "golden olive" layer to a blue ameraucana are looking really cute - it's way too soon to see what genders I have, but surely out of 5, I'll have a least one pullet! Can't WAIT! Plus, that blue amer. roo has HUGE muffs/beard, so I'm hoping these little ones will, too! So far, only one has mama's shank feathering, though. But, all 5 are pea-combed.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Finally could upload a more current photo of my Olive egger cockeral. He was 15 weeks in this photo. I think he's handsome, and he's going to make some pretty babies with my black Ameraucana's and my BCM girls.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Guys! I have a question! Maybe it is stupid! I dunno!

I have an EE rooster over my Welsummers. Will these babies, if bred together, the produce olive eggers as well? I am going to have my BCM roo over the EE girls as soon as the 4 month olds start laying- if I mix them with the Welly/EE's, that will give me olive eggers too?

I love mismatching, I can't wait to see what the babies will look like. I heart this thread.

 

[Wynette]

Hi, cluckcluck!!

So long as you have one that lays dark brown (or from a dark brown laying line) and one that lays blue or green - yeppers - you'll have olive eggers! The offspring's eggs will range from medium olive to a darker olive, depending on how dark the dark brown line/layers lay. The darker the brown, the darker the olive!

 

[Happy Chooks]

If it's an EE you're using, you may hatch some with straight combs. These may not lay olive eggs. (in theory) It has been said here that the blue gene is closely tied to the pea comb. So you'll want to keep any pullets with pea combs.

But yes, Welsummer/EE cross should give you some olive eggers. I have a welsummer rooster that I plan on crossing with my pure Ameraucana girls for some olive eggers. Then I have the Olive egger dude above, I just want to see what he creates when crossed with pure Ameraucana and BCM girls. (I have an EE girl that lays a very pale green egg, I might use her too)