What do you get....

[Welshies]

So I'll be replacing almost my entire flock soon. I have an Australorp and a Cuckoo Marans hen I'll be keeping. However, I'll be picking up:

1. Either an Australorp rooster, then Ameraucana/Easter Egger hens
2. Or, an Ameraucana rooster, and some Ameraucana and Australorp hens.

Yes I know Easter Eggers aren't a breed.
What will these crosses produce? I love Australorps but colorful egg layers are really in demand here. Will the offspring produce colored eggs?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

So I'll be replacing almost my entire flock soon. I have an Australorp and a Cuckoo Marans hen I'll be keeping. However, I'll be picking up:

1. Either an Australorp rooster, then Ameraucana/Easter Egger hens
2. Or, an Ameraucana rooster, and some Ameraucana and Australorp hens.

Yes I know Easter Eggers aren't a breed.
What will these crosses produce? I love Australorps but colorful egg layers are really in demand here. Will the offspring produce colored eggs?

I believe the offspring will lay varying shades of green eggs.

 

[keesmom]

The EE crosses may or may not lay colored eggs. It would depend on what's in their background.

 

[Welshies]

So would I be able to expect colored egg laying offspring?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

A brown egg laying breed crossed to a blue egg laying breed will produce offspring that lay green eggs. If you want varying shades of green eggs I suggest getting an ameraucana rooster and a mix of light brown egg layers and dark brown egg layers (like Black Copper marans) @The Moonshiner am I correct?

 

[Welshies]

A brown egg laying breed crossed to a blue egg laying breed will produce offspring that lay green eggs. If you want varying shades of green eggs I suggest getting an ameraucana rooster and a mix of light brown egg layers and dark brown egg layers (like Black Copper marans)

Well, I only want to replace some of my flock.
To be clear...
I'll be keeping 1 black australorp hen, and 1 barred cuckoo marans hen.
I will be replacing my rooster. I will either be getting a black australorp rooster (preferable), or an Ameraucana rooster.
I will be getting 10-20 chicks- Easter Eggers or Ameraucanas, preferably... maybe some Australorps.
I would prefer to have an Australorp rooster and my Australorp hen, then some Ameraucana/Easter Egger hens.

 

[keesmom]

You will get green layers by crossing Ameraucanas and Australorps.

The EEs are a gamble. If the hen lays green eggs, and is crossed with a brown egg breed you have a 50% chance of green layers and 50% chance of brown layers.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I suggest getting an ameraucana rooster because then you can have hens that lay various shades of brown eggs and their offspring will lay various shades of green eggs. Ultimately the decision is up to you. Good luck with which ever rooster you choose.

 

[Welshies]

Hmm... well, I think I might completely skip out on the Australorp rooster. I love the color of the Australorp hen I have, but I want the colored egg basket... then I suddenly felt really dumb. I can get that beautiful black, green-tinged color in the Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers... so why bother with Australorps if I want colored eggs?
Colored eggs are what's in demand here... so I need to be able to sell the offspring or hatching eggs as "easter eggers" or "olive eggers".

 

[Wickedchicken6]

If you get EEs that lay blue eggs as well as the green eggs, that helps considerably with the color of the basket. My EE's lay blue, green and brown.

The roosters covering have been EEs, a Cuckoo Maran and now his crossed sons and a Marans crossed olive egger...you end up with every shade of blue to mint green, army green to olive coloured layers.

None of my colors were planned, it was purely accidental. I gave a home to what I thought was a barred rock. He is a Cuckoo Marans (possibly crossed with speckled Sussex?) The olive egger was a chick I hatched from an expensive breeder. I've kept a few generations and it my egg basket has only become more varied than that first year. The Marans crosses are some of my toughest birds, next to the EEs with the cushion combs. The Marans can produce a straight comb. The brown eggs have become a richer shade of brown from their influence.

For the most part, my EE chicks were inexpensive backyard chicks from someone nearby and the roosters were ones I took in because that first year because people were wanting to get rid of them. Very few of my stock are purebred. The smaller, light coloured eggs are from the Silkies and OEGBs.

A sampling of eggs from the hens on one day. (The orange egg was a small plastic egg for the OEGBs when they start setting)