The Olive-Egger thread!

[Wynette]

CUTE cute chicks, guys! You gotta love the olive eggers!

My first hatchlings of the year should be hatching soon (sold to Mahalo4) - I'll ask him to post pics here after the hatch. He got some F1 and F2 babies. Can't wait to see them! I just have to hatch some more... SO addicting!

 

[Maggizzle35]

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So, blue x white = pale blue...maybe?

She confirms that blue x white DOES make a pale blue.

My egg customers prefer a rainbow of eggs in their cartons and most folks who raise chickens like a variety of colors - I know I do!

My only laying OE lays such a pale olive green that I'm really glad I hatched some black copper Marans from chocolate eggs. Hopefully one is a mighty roo who can improve the egg color in her offspring!

I have one Easter Egger that lays pink, boy would I like more. I am so happy that I was able to acquire an Ameraucana rooster last night along with his friend a Rhode Island red. I already have several roosters and my main man George also RI red was not happy about it.
I put an 18 pack together today for a customer and was tickled with the variety of colors.

So the Feed company has Marans but they look like barred rock, do they lay the really dark eggs? I also have Dominques and I don't know if they are laying yet. From what I have read that is a breed to work on developing as well. This is very interesting and exciting. Thanks for sharing the information.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

I have a total novice question. Is an Olive-Egger a cross between an EE and a brown egg layer like a Buff Orpington? Or a cross between an EE and a dark egg layer like a Marans? Or is it both?

The egg colors are simply beautiful.

 

[Illia]

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This one.

But actually, Easter Eggers are not a good choice. Ameraucanas and Araucanas are a better choice, as they will have gauranteed blue egg genes, unlike Easter Eggers.



And speaking of Olive Egger news. . . My black one that hatched. . . Is barred, rumpless, and a girl!!!

I've been pairing a blue cuckoo tufted Araucana with a BCM girl and hatching eggs for a while, looking for either barred or tufted chicks, and nothing. . . But now that my black chick is fully dry and fully, I noticed a tiny white dot on her head last night, confirming she's not only barred but also female!!

She's got some brown on her face too, so she'll have some beautiful reddish orange barring down her neck as she matures.

She is definitely a keeper and going in my OE breeding program.

 

[Wynette]

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TSG - it's anything that makes offspring that lays an olive green colored egg! Typcially, you will need a VERY DARK BROWN layer (either hen or a rooser from a dark brown laying line) and then the opposite sex from a blue line or that lays blue!

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Okay, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.

I just love all the different egg colors. I had a Cuckoo Marans and was so looking forward to showing of those dark chocolate eggs. That is until he turned out to be a roo and we had to re-home him. No roosters for us city dwellers.

So now I have an EE, BO and a JG. And each lay just the most beautiful eggs. And all in the same nest box too. Silly girls.

 

[Wynette]

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Those eggs are gorgeous - especially Pumpkin's egg! Such a pretty shade of blue!

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

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Those eggs are gorgeous - especially Pumpkin's egg! Such a pretty shade of blue!

None of my co-workers believe they are real. They think I photoshop my egg photos.

What was really funny was when I had some plastic Easter eggs in their nest boxes to show them where to lay. They my co-workers had to ask if the screaming purple and sunflower yellow eggs were real too?

 

[Illia]

Cuckoo Marans won't lay the best "dark" eggs anyway, but if you want a nice olive-type green egg, if you have a normal brown layer who lays decently BROWN (not light brown) eggs, cross it with your beautifully blue laying Easter Egger and you'll get eggs like this green one here of mine:

The green one is from New Hampshire x Araucana. I thought it was from my Olive Eggers for a while, honestly, but nope - Turns out my OE's aren't even laying yet, so hopefully they'll be much, much darker in color.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

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Simply BEAUTIFUL eggs.