The Olive-Egger thread!

[coq au vin]

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uh, right...that's exactly what I was talking about.

 

[ruth]

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Actually, yes, I am. I'm trying for what looks like a blue copper marans but has muffs and feathered legs and lays a dark olive green egg. So far, I'm getting MOSTLY that, in the females anyway. But, I'm still working on this "project". Originally I was breeding all females back to pure BCM roos but now I'm getting dark chocolate eggs again so I'm switching gears and breeding them to some Olive Egg roos. Some day, some where in the distant future, I like to think I'll have a "different" and "new" breed altogether - I'll have to think up a new name - I'm thinking "Bethel". Of course, it will take years of trial and error but that's what I'm working on.

Now if I could just get my hands on that beautiful blue Olive Egger roo a certain BYCer hatched from one of my eggs it would speed up the process because I'm not getting any blue guys.

So far they seem to be sex-linked. Blue chicks are almost always female and black or black and white chicks are almost always male.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

Here's a little Olive Egger update from here in the city.

I've posted my original OE hen a couple of times. Here's "Vanda." She's just over a year old, and has just finished raising her second clutch of chicks. And now she's molting. When she lays eggs, they're very pretty. Cuckoo Marans over Blue Ameraucana.

My second Olive Egger, "Mama" is about to lay. I didn't hatch her, but my friend did. She was from an OE mom crossed back to a BCM by Maransguy, I believe. I have high hopes for her.

I have several Wheaten Ameraucana pullets running around too from Jean Ribbeck. The egg color is really something special. One is older, but most are about 8 weeks. Here's "Ashley."

I got a BCM roo from Kathyinmo a few weeks ago. He's very "mossy" which is bad for BCM showing, but seems to be good for egg color. He came from a super dark egg. Mossy birds tend to throw Wheaten chicks from what I hear, so I hope that when I cross him to some Wheaten Ameraucas I get some golden chicks (ie Wheatens) in the bunch. If not, I'll find a Wheaten Marans roo next spring. Here's "Marvin." Poor guy is pretty awkward still. All three of the above will be crossed to him to make 3 different stages of olive eggers. I hope.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

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uh, right...that's exactly what I was talking about.

Awesome! Go for it!

 

[abellchicken]

Ruth, One of bunch from the eggs I got from you is a beautiful blue Roo with pea comb, feathered legs, and muffs.

What do you think?

 

[coq au vin]

PhillyPhlock, your first two birds pictured show exactly what led me to thinking about the phenotype for my line. Notice that the F1s generally have the beard and muffs? But then everybody (it seems) is backcrossing them back to Marans to darken the egg, and then we all lose the beards and muffs and we've got pea-combed Black Copper Marans...and then from there, who knows? that's what started me on the idea.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

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I am partial to beards and muffs too. I'm willing to let them go for egg color however. I have some Ameraucana projects cooking too! Plenty of beards around here!

 

[ihvpower]

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Very cute little pullet...cute expression

 

[ruth]

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Very nice - that's exactly what I'm breeding for. He's going to have nice copper hackles. I'm getting more and more blues these last hatches. If it's a boy and you don't want him, I'll take him back.

I have one blue boy that's a few weeks old and looking very promising and have a new batch of babies running around that aren't old enough to know what's what yet.

I wish I had kept and hatched more from this last group of eggs since I have some new layers, third and fourth generation, laying - but I was so busy filling orders I didn't keep any for myself and then they abruptly stopped laying.

It's a fun project.

 

[Happy Chooks]

You may get your wish.