The Olive-Egger thread!

[ruth]

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They are beautiful - that is exactly the look I am going for - blue with copper bird and dark coppery olive green egg. Thanks so much for posting.

 

[Muggsmagee]

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Gorgeous olive eggs.


Ruth...I've got a bigger incubator coming this week. I'll be ready for some eggs soon!

 

[livin-green]

Okay...I'm back with another question about utilizing an Oliver-egger roo...I have three! I intend to "rehome" two of them, but I'm running out of space and nobody around here seems interested in these roos. SO, to help with spacing, I'm considering selling my Buff Orp. roo (maybe he'll sell) and putting one of these roos in with my laying flock.

My question is this--What would I end up with from a combination of the Olive-egger roo over various breeds of brown and white egg-layers. Will you get any blue/green eggs?? Lots of people are into the EEs around here (don't seem to really know the difference b/t EEs & true Ameraucana), so I figured why not hatch out a few.

And if anyone wants to really share their genetics knowledge...

Feel free to comment on what color chickens, etc., you think I'd get with these combos....
It would be a very dark blue (with gold highlights) OE roo over any one of these types of hens in my laying flock:
Buff & Red Cochin
Buff & Dark Brahma
Buff Orpington
Barred Plymouth Rocks (should be sex-linked??)
Exchequer Leghorns*
Danish Brown Leghorns*

*names used by Ideal Poultry

Also, let me know if you suggest avoiding any particular breed listed.
Thanks so much!

 

[onthespot]

The lighter the egg laying ability the closer to blue the next generation will lay. If you cross an olive egger on a white egg layer, the offspring will still lay green in some shade or another. It would take several geneations to breed out the brown.

 

[livin-green]

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Okay, thanks!

So does that mean the OE over the brown egg layers would produce the same possibilites as EEs? --shades of blue to green or shades of "pink" to brown. I think that would be fine as long as it wouldn't produce only shades of brown.

 

[Wynette]

livin-greenSo does that mean the OE over the brown egg layers would produce the same possibilites as EEs? --shades of blue to green or shades of "pink" to brown. I think that would be fine as long as it wouldn't produce[i :

only [/i]shades of brown.

You got it!​

 

[Medicine Man]

but only half the peeps will inherit the blue egg gene (statistically).

 

[livin-green]

Thanks, guys! Any hatches from this combo would be "just for fun" and to satisfy some of those people who don't really care about breeding type chickens--those who just want whatever kind of chickens!

So, Medicine Man--just to clarify--you're saying for each chick would have a 50% chance of laying brown (or white?) and a 50% chance of laying some shade of blue to green, right?

I SO need more info. on genetics! Only book I've found was about $70, so it's on my wishlist for when I have some extra cash to spend!

 

[Wynette]

Yeppers on statistics of inheriting the blue-egg gene. I'm totally with you, livin'! I bought a poultry genetics book that was recommended to me and my eyes crossed on the first page. I asked for a recommendation, and the person helping me suggested I get an old high school biology book, and familiarize myself the "genetics" section before moving on to an actual genetics book.

BTW - that boy in your avatar is GORGEOUS!

 

[livin-green]

Thanks so much for the tip and the compliment!

I'm off to hunt down a HS Biology book now...