Welsummer x EE or BCM x EE and How popular are olive eggers to sell?

[cluckcluck42]

So I have an EE roo and 4 Welsummer hens. Would this combo make nice olive eggers? The colour of my hens eggs are a nice mint blue and the wellies... well they have been molting but the one egg I did get from them after I bought them was a nice darkish speckled egg.

I have an EE roo and a BCM roo. The Wellies are out with the BCM right now but hes not mating them as far as I can tell but I havent had any eggs to check fertility except for the first one and it could have been the other roo they were with. I was thinking of putting the Wellies in with my EE roo to get some olive eggers and putting some of my young EE pullets in with the BCM and when they are ready to lay get some Olive eggs off them.

Which cross do you guys recommend, I assume the BCM roo with the EE's but would an EE roo over the Wellies be good as well?? The EE roo with the wellies is my best bet, I am planning on getting maran hens as soon as I can for my BCM anyways (good luck finding any in my area)

Also how popular do you guys find your olive eggers are? This is a project but I am also hoping to sell some hatching eggs and pullets, etc. Recooping feed costs, ya know!! Make them earn their keep lol.

Am I guaranteed to get an olive egg laying hen from these matches or is it hit and miss??

 

[Illia]

To me, Olive Eggers are a must in every egg basket. I love them, and yes they're at a height in popularity right now. Often the most popular parentage though is with BCMs, not so much Welsummers - Because the Marans add a much more rich color to the egg.

Although for me, my desire is for an Araucana x Marans. And since noone has those, I'm in the process of making some. . . . Aaahh for a rumpless, tufted, feather legged, splashy colored olive egger.

- Also, I've never seen Olive Eggs made from a true blue egg laying parent.

I wouldn't really advise using an EE roo though. . . Try Welsummer over EE hens, then you'll atleast know your welsummer roo has dark egg genes and see that your EEs have greenish eggs. EE roos could possibly be brown or olive gened.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Thanks Illia!! I would looooooooooooove to see your Araucana Marans, that will be so cool!!!

I don't have a Welsummer roo, I might get one in the future to make purebred Wellies but now I am all about olive eggers lol. I want a beautiful colourful basket!! When I get a welsummer roo I would definitely put a few EE's in with him and try that mix.

So the BCM and EE hens would be the best bet then and the EE and wellies is a mayyyybe. I almost have to put the Wellies in with my EE roo, he's been overbreeding his 5 hens a little bit and I dont want them to lose too many feathers or get stressed so I have been planning on getting him a few ladies, and since my BCM roo isnt interested in the ladies so far (maybe cuz they are all molting???) figured I might as well start this project!!

It's true I have no idea if the EE roo has blue egg genes, the hens have such nice blue eggs though!! I am positive a match between them and the BCM would be great. My EE pullets are 11 weeks old now, so still have some time to wait!!

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=131131&p=1

They're at least 60 pages popular on this thread.

I'm pleading with mine to start laying. She's long overdue!

 

[cluckcluck42]

Thanks very much for that thread, I was looking for it but couldnt find it in the search, hmm.. I cant really open anything on that thread though, I am on dial up *gasp* I will check it out when I get slow time at work.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

DIAL UP! You poor thing.

Yes, either way you make that cross should work. If you get chicks with straight combs, they will probably lay brown eggs.

Look for the ones with pea combs, as they are most likely carrying the gene to give you the green color in the olive egg.

Quote:

 

[pinkchick]

When I say "Olive Egger" to someone they give me the deer in the headlights look.

"What's an Olive Egger?

After I explain what it is then they go nutz for the eggs or chicks. I have found most peeps that I sell chicks or eggs to had no idea some many things were possible in the chicken world.

lol......a gentleman came over yesterday and bought some Marans and a future Olive Egger. Not more than 45 minutes later he was calling me to find out how he can make Blue Barred birds with the Splash Marans roo I gave him, using him over his Cuckoos. Then it dawned on him that he had EE's and he could now make his own Olive Eggers with the same Marans roo. He was all excited at the new world of chickens that had just opened up for him. Makes me smile when peeps get excited and want to try something new!

 

[cluckcluck42]

Dial up is terrible, any thread with pics takes forever. I did manage to check out some of that thread but didnt see any Wellie x EE crosses. I'm going to try it since my BCM isnt interested in the ladies!! Thanks for sympathizing LOL

Thanks guys!! I cant wait til my Wellies start laying, I think we will move them in two weeks since I have some EE eggs spoken for until then and I have a feeling moving the Wellies in might make the other ladies go on an egg strike. Gosh, how long does molting lasts! It's going on a month I think.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Oh pinkchick I love your avatar, how did you do that??