The Olive-Egger thread!

[Karrie13]

I just hatched out 11 1st generation olive eggers! They are the results of my FBCM roo over EE hens. I hope to at least get a couple to lay olive eggs. 3 hatched out of a green egg, the others were blue.

They all look black with a lighter color on the chest and wing tips, like a FBCM chick does. One of them has a brown patch on one cheek and black on the other. They are so cute! Two of them came out feather legged but only one goes all the way down the shank and to the first toe. As I was looking at them, I noticed that 2 of them have single combs, does that mean that they will not lay an olive egg?

I will be taking some pictures this evening but wont be able to load them until Monday, my home computer isn’t working right now. I am just excited and wanted to share!

 

[abellchicken]

There is always a chance that they may still lay olive eggs. I have a EE with a straight comb who lays a beautiful little green egg. So I would not count them out yet.

 

[gvntofly05]

Quote:
I agree! You never know until they lay an egg! I just hate that it takes 5 months or more to find out!

 

[Karrie13]

Of course it will probably be next spring before I find out.

With my hatching luck they will all be boys too.

Well... here are the pictures of my 11 1st gen OE babies! Ignore the yellow one... it is a cross from my California White and FBCM roo - just to see what it will end up being like.

 

[Wynette]

Karrie13 - what beautiful babies!

I wanted to share a couple super quick pics that I took of my last batch of olive eggers. These are 2nd generation, mom is the one that lays the "golden olive eggs" pictured below:

I bred that momma to a beautiful (pure) Blue Ameraucana rooster owned by member Heidi - put 5 eggs in the bator and all 5 hatched. Got two roosters, so I'm pretty excited to see what these 3 ladies will lay for me! I was hoping that the breeding would get rid of the golden cast. Anywho, every single one of them is black, which was shocking to me! They are lovely, though, and knowing they have blue recessive genes, I'm hoping that my next generation, bred back to my Marans boy, will produce more blues. Here they are:

I won't be keeping any of the roosters. That girl to the far left is SO pretty, I think! They are 16 weeks, will be 17 weeks this Friday, and none of the girls is even showing a hint of red comb yet. Come on, girls! I really want them to get laying before the days get too short, or else they MAY not start until the spring! THAT would be TORTURE!!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Pretty Wynette! I think the one on the left is gorgeous also. It will be interesting to see what they lay!

Now that I've got a broody, I'm gonna be hatching some olive eggers too!

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Go broody, GO!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Got my broody Ameraucana settled into a private spot in the coop yesterday afternoon. Last night I put 9 eggs under her, mostly olive eggers. Just checked on her and she's the typical broody pancake. So today is Day 1!

Possible fathers are:
Head Rooster, Moose - a Welsummer

Olive Egger from Ruth, named Ford

Mothers are mostly my pure Ameraucana's (black), but I put 1 in from my EE and a few wellie eggs.

At hatch I should be able to tell who the father is, because Ford has feathered shanks and none of the hens eggs I placed under her have feathered shanks. So if the babies come out with feathered shanks, then Ford is the Daddy!

 

[thechickonthehill]

Quote:
Well, just to make things interesting for you, some of them can have unfeathered legs and still be Ford's babies.

Some of my crossbred chicks do and some don't and the only rooster that I have in with the hens is a Faverolles (feathered legs).

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Well, just to make things interesting for you, some of them can have unfeathered legs and still be Ford's babies.

Some of my crossbred chicks do and some don't and the only rooster that I have in with the hens is a Faverolles (feathered legs).

Interesting, I thought feathered shanks were dominant.

Anyhow, with Ford being blue, any blue chicks will definitely be his. It doesn't really matter, they all will be olive eggers. I plan to separate Ford later with his own ladies (when my coop is done), and hatch some babies that I know will be from him. This is just a test run for my first broody to see how she does. Any pullets that I don't want to keep, a friend of ours will be happy to take.