The Olive-Egger thread!

[moodlymoo]

Quote:
She is a beautiful lady. How dark are her eggs?

It is one of the 2 I think the darker prettier one, just found them yesterday

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/92428_dsc03656.jpg

How pretty. You can see what I have in my siggy for pullets so I was wondering what breed of roo I would need to hopefully get olive eggs. I have no clue what my EE's are crossed with because they came from Privett hatchery.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
It is one of the 2 I think the darker prettier one, just found them yesterday

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/92428_dsc03656.jpg

How pretty. You can see what I have in my siggy for pullets so I was wondering what breed of roo I would need to hopefully get olive eggs. I have no clue what my EE's are crossed with because they came from Privett hatchery.

It does not matter, someone needs to have the blue egg gene and the other the dark egg genes. If you EE lay a pretty blue or green egg try a Marans Roo or some other breed that lays very dark eggs. Then you need to keep the ones that have the pea comb, they are your best shot at Olive Eggers. Then you just wait and see.

 

[moodlymoo]

Quote:
How pretty. You can see what I have in my siggy for pullets so I was wondering what breed of roo I would need to hopefully get olive eggs. I have no clue what my EE's are crossed with because they came from Privett hatchery.

It does not matter, someone needs to have the blue egg gene and the other the dark egg genes. If you EE lay a pretty blue or green egg try a Marans Roo or some other breed that lays very dark eggs. Then you need to keep the ones that have the pea comb, they are your best shot at Olive Eggers. Then you just wait and see.

Hmmmmm, I dont think I could go through hatching out chicks and not know what I was getting. I dont have the space to have a bunch of chicks that wont give what she is looking for nor does she have the time. She is shooting for fairs this summer. I guess I will just keep looking for laying hens who lay olive eggs.

 

[moodlymoo]

You folks have been so helpful tonight. Thank you so much for all the good information

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
It does not matter, someone needs to have the blue egg gene and the other the dark egg genes. If you EE lay a pretty blue or green egg try a Marans Roo or some other breed that lays very dark eggs. Then you need to keep the ones that have the pea comb, they are your best shot at Olive Eggers. Then you just wait and see.

Hmmmmm, I dont think I could go through hatching out chicks and not know what I was getting. I dont have the space to have a bunch of chicks that wont give what she is looking for nor does she have the time. She is shooting for fairs this summer. I guess I will just keep looking for laying hens who lay olive eggs.

I did buy these as pullets in April. The lady I got them from kept some and they all laid brown eggs for her ... she was really disappointed, but I won that lottery

You may want to keep an eye on craigslist, just be careful. People will tell you they will be olive eggers when they cross them with a reg brown egg layer but those will just be green. You need to have a VERY DARK LAYER to make olive eggers. Have you thought about Marans Eggs? They are unusual and very large, might be a thought for showing eggs. GOOD LUCK!

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Illia - I'm curious about this comment - comb height/size tells the darkness or brownness of the egg in the 2nd gen? I have not noticed this in my olive eggers...I must be missing something?

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
Illia - I'm curious about this comment - comb height/size tells the darkness or brownness of the egg in the 2nd gen? I have not noticed this in my olive eggers...I must be missing something?

You know what- I have an older BCM hen that has a huge floppy comb. Nothing like my other blue coppers, and she lays about an 8 and the others are about a 6. Interesting.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
No, there's little sign. Comb height/size tells the darkness or brown-ness of the egg in the second gen and forward, that's about it.


As for feather color, honestly, there's sadly very few colors of Olive Eggers out there because most people just cross Black Coppers with blue, wheaten, or duckwing based EE's and Ameraucanas, thus, all you have are OE's that are bearded, feather-legged, and blue or black in color with slight coppering or silver leakage.

There are some Wheatens, Blue Wheatens, and Splash Wheatens out there but finding OE's out there with white is pretty darn rare. 'Tis about as rare as finding OE's that aren't bearded, or that don't have tails.

What to see one????

The white girl on the left is one of my olive eggers she is a cross with a white am and a marans I don't know which was what... she does have one dark feather on her chest but that is it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/92428_dsc03630.jpg

She is such a pretty gal!

~Aspen

 

[DMRippy]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Quote:
She is such a pretty gal!

~Aspen

Thank you... very pretty egg too. I figured out today I might can make some more... I have two White EE and they already have a slight brown coat to their eggs. They are older but I can try.... Now what roo, FBCM, Blue Copper or Splash Copper???? I got plenty of FBCM I need to use for something... probably would give a darker coating too huh?​

 

[kathyinmo]

This is my Miss Olive. She is over 2 years old, and came from Wynette's stock. She has been molting and not laying. She should resume soon, though. I just love this hen. She lays the darkest egg I have ever seen.