The Olive-Egger thread!

[buckabucka]

I just got what I thought was an EE but now I think it has a rose comb and is feathering like a Wyandotte. But it has very dark slate blue legs and muffs. Could this be an OE? It hatched from a blue egg. If it is an EE with a rose comb would it still have colored eggs or would they be brown?

Most EEs lay various shades of blue, green, and even light olive or grayish. Some lay a pinkish egg, although that's never happened to me. Really, the only way to know for sure is to wait and see what you get.
I wonder if different hatcheries have different types of stock. My 2 EEs from Meyer's lay a pretty blue, and light green. Then I picked up 2 at a feed store from Cackle, and they lay olive and gray.

Maryhysong: I have a EE roo (not true Ameraucana) x Welsummer hen cross, and she has cheek tufts, but no beard. She lays an interesting greenish-khaki egg.

I'm finally getting about 5 shades of olive, but I still don't know who is laying what. I'll have to post photos of my assortment went I am on a real computer.

 

[maryhysong]

Maryhysong: I have a EE roo (not true Ameraucana) x Welsummer hen cross, and she has cheek tufts, but no beard. She lays an interesting greenish-khaki egg.
I'm finally getting about 5 shades of olive, but I still don't know who is laying what. I'll have to post photos of my assortment went I am on a real computer.

Because I have 4 pullets with basically varying forms of Welsummer coloring; no beards or cheek tufts, about 4 months old now. Person I got them from thought Ameraucana roo was the father because he was beating up the Welsummer roo. Just tried to find a pic but they don't really show his face and he might be a Americana/EE roo anyway. So just trying to figure out what I have; Welsummers or crosses/ Two look like they have single combs but two have an odd comb thing going on, however, one of the Welsummer hens also has an odd comb so maybe just her offspring inherited from her.



Three of them have yellow legs and one has white/grey legs. They have some difference in coloring in the neck hackles and one has long black stripes and it seems longer hackles than the others. That one also seems to have more of a chestnut red color going on the breast and across the back than the others.

I suppose the only thing to really do is what for spring and some eggs!

 

[seventreesfarm]

I would think you would get some that would lay nice Olive Eggs. Understand with EE and Olive Eggers they could only carry ONE copy of the blue egg gene (some might have 2) so really it will only get passed on to about half of the chicks.

So there really isn't any way to breed sustainable Olive-eggers? There has to be periodic re-crossings with blue-eggers and dark-eggers to keep the egg colors olive?

I'm hoping to buy this book soon and read up on the finer points of color genetics - http://www.chickencolours.com/pagina3.html I know there is al ot of information on BYC, but it doesn't stick in my head as well when I have to go poking around for it instead of having at all in book form.

But I'm planning my next hatch batch & want to figure out the best combos for what I want

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: I opted for the SOP this year. Next year that is the book I will get with chicken money in the spring.

Getting Olive Eggers to breed true? that would be a project and would take several generations and some strict culling. You would have to make sure the roos and pullets had 2 copies of the pea comb genes, blue egg genes and what ever else you were breeding too.... I would have to have feathered legs and beards and muffs and JUST the RIGHT shade of Olive. If I have pen space I will try to get mine to breed true.

 

[mstricer]

I don't have any that have feathered feet. I do have my FBCM eggs in the incubator and they are covered by a BCM and an OE. I suspect though they will be clean legged, both boys are clean legged. It is not necessary to me. I just want muffs and beards and something other then black chicks.

 

[DMRippy]

I don't have any that have feathered feet. I do have my FBCM eggs in the incubator and they are covered by a BCM and an OE. I suspect though they will be clean legged, both boys are clean legged. It is not necessary to me. I just want muffs and beards and something other then black chicks.

FBCM = French Black Copper Marans are Feathered legs Just and FYI .... they are ENGLISH BCM without the feathered legs. Are you hens feathered? if so then you would get a mix of feathered and non feathered.

My breeding preference is Pea Comb, Beard, Muffs, Feathered Legs and Olive Eggs.... blue and black copper colored... I think....

 

[mstricer]

Yes they do have feathered legs, thank you I do know what FBCM stands for, I just figured that have clean legs due to the clean legs in the BCM. One more week and we will see how the out come is, I will either get more Marans or they will be Olive eggers, depends I guess, on who is the better swimmer.

 

[seventreesfarm]

I opted for the SOP this year. Next year that is the book I will get with chicken money in the spring.

Getting Olive Eggers to breed true? that would be a project and would take several generations and some strict culling. You would have to make sure the roos and pullets had 2 copies of the pea comb genes, blue egg genes and what ever else you were breeding too.... I would have to have feathered legs and beards and muffs and JUST the RIGHT shade of Olive. If I have pen space I will try to get mine to breed true.

How do you know if they have 2 copies of those genes? trial & error?
Beards & muffs are important. Feather legs look cute, but my birds usually do a lot of grazing so feather legs can get scruffy.

Took another look at the little barred roo from this hatch and I think I'm seeing straight comb

Hopefully one of the blues will be a boy. Lots of blacks from mine & your eggs, and some really great facial 'hair'. I can't wait til they feather in more and I can start picking & choosing. My Cuckoo Marans are starting to lay. Just hatchery stock, so not terribly dark, but pretty. I'd love to cross them with a blue roo.

 

[Flowerbh]

Here is my new EE. Do you think this is a rose comb or a weird pea comb?


It is 6 weeks old and has muffs and dark slate blue legs. Any suggestions on egg color? Male or Female?

 

[DMRippy]

Yes they do have feathered legs, thank you I do know what FBCM stands for, I just figured that have clean legs due to the clean legs in the BCM. One more week and we will see how the out come is, I will either get more Marans or they will be Olive eggers, depends I guess, on who is the better swimmer.

I would still think you would get a mix of feathered legs. It may be that the clean legs have the genes, they just didn't express. It might be hard to tell.... I have a hard time telling them apart. that is when I figured out I need to TAG them ALL!