The Olive-Egger thread!

[onthespot]

Depends if you EE roo carries one or both genes for the blue egg trait. If he is homozygous, ALL the offspring will be carriers, and lay some shade of blue or green. If he carries one gene, and is crossed only on brown, tinted or white laying breeds, then half will carry it. If he is crossed on EE hens, the results will vary depending on what their genetic makeup is, and the luck of the draw.
The pea comb is assiciated with the blue/green egg gene, something like 97% of pea combed EE's will lay blue/green, and only 3% of single combed EE's from a pea combed parent will lay blue/green. If you are selecting for that blue/green trait, best to only keep the pea combed offspring and breeding stock. Your odds will improve significantly if you do.

 

[livin-green]

Actually, I was just going to hatch out a few times for EEs to sell. So, I'm not planning to keep any...

I just want to be sure about what I'm claiming to sell!

The OE roo is a cross from my true Ameraucana & FBC Marans and has a nice pea comb and full muff/beard coming in (he's about 7mos). But that still doesn't tell you if he's homozygous, right? Short of DNA work, don't you actually have to test breed to know that?

 

[Wynette]

He would only be carrying one blue egg gene, then. You said he's half pure Ameraucana and half Black Copper Marans, right?

 

[livin-green]

Quote:
Yes

The more I try to figure out the genetics, the more confused I seem to get. How can you find out what the genetic markers (?) are for each of those breeds to do the punnett square thing? I understand the sq. fine, but how do you know what to put in for each breed?

 

[onthespot]

Ditto, he carries one copy. If you cross him on single comb birds, you will get fifty fifty
Cross him on homozygous, like pure ameracuanas, you will get all green/blue layers.
Cross him on EE's of unknown genetics, and you will get something like around seventy five to eighty seven percent EE's give or take, depending on what is in your flock. LOL is that non-committal enough of me?

 

[livin-green]

Quote:
Thanks!!

One day a BYC member will write a chicken genetics book for dummies, right?

 

[featherz]

Here are some of the OE chicks I hatched from Sonew/Nat's eggs - I kept five for myself - I *think* these are pullets, but one never knows for sure at this age.

They are six weeks old - kept two lighter ones and three black. I rehomed eight of them, two of which were definite red comb roos.

Just about time for them to go outside and stop dusting up my house! They are cute little things, but way more skittish than the chicks I hatched for new years. They hate me!

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Quote:
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.

They really are stunning! Ruth, how long have you been working on this project? Might I inquire what is in the mix?
Thank you, everyone, for sharing.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Quote:
I am trying to learn the same sort of things. (Of course, I'm way behind you because I have no chickens yet!) From reading through different threads, I found out that there is a lot of free information available online. Try Googling "chicken breeding" or "poultry genetics." Then, in the left-hand menu, select "books." (You might have to click "more" and then you'll see "books.") A lot of the old, early-1900s stuff is on there in their entirety for free - not everything - but if you click on one, look in the upper right-hand corner of the screen for "download" and you can save a pdf right to your computer. (I apologize if I am over-explaining.)

The best I've seen so far is Chapters 1-3 of The Mating and Breeding of Poultry. He sort of glosses over Mendelian inheritance, but there is a lot of detailed information about the hows and whys of breeding. Another BYCer, and I apologize that I forget who, posted a link to Punnett's article about the blue egg gene. (Yes, Punnett as in the "Punnett square." I was sort of excited to read it. He's, like, a biology rock-star.

) http://www.ias.ac.in/jarch/jgenet/27/465.pdf

Actually, there is a list of a ton of links at: http://www.the-coop.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=94849
If you scroll down to the third posting on the above link, there are links to other Punnett's "Genetic Studies of Poultry" papers, including "inheritance of leg feathering" and "recessive black."

 

[ruth]

Quote:
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.

They really are stunning! Ruth, how long have you been working on this project? Might I inquire what is in the mix?
Thank you, everyone, for sharing.

Thank you. I did just list an auction for an olive egg/BCM combo pack. I originally bred a pure BCM roo to a blue ameraucana-mix who laid a large light blue/green egg. I hatched several of her eggs and rasied the birds. They all laid an olive egg. For the next few generations I put every blue hen that laid an olive egg back in with the original pure BCM roo. Now that they are in the 4th and 5th generation, I'm putting them in with blue roos who hatched from olive eggs. I have been working on this line for over two years. I'd like to eventually have blue birds with muffs and feathered legs that have the copper around the head and neck - just like in Abellchicken's photos - and which, of course, lay dark olive eggs. While I do sometimes get a black bird or one that looks more BCM, they all seem to be laying olive eggs - at least so far no one I've sold eggs to has reported their bird NOT laying an olive egg but I'm sure it could be possible.

In fact, if everyone who has bought olive eggs from me over the past couple of years would let me know what your birds look like and what color eggs they are laying that would be great. I could use the stats for my breeding project. You can PM me if you'd like.