How to get true Olive Eggers?

[Shannonw1228]

Yes. But a couple of things.
When they say true ameraucana they mean true ameraucana not hatchery or feed store Americana, ameraucana, americauna, araucana etc. Those are all Easter eggers.
You need a true ameraucana to be certain they carry two copies of the blue egg gene.
Black copper marans. It is important to get some that lay the darkest eggs you can find. Dark dark brown will give you the truest olive colored eggs. Not so dark brown eggs will give you green instead of olive.
Breed the ameraucana to the marans. That will give you 100% olive (or at least green) eggers.
After the first cross all offspring after that whether bred back to marans, back to ameraucana or to each other will produce some olive eggers and some brown egg layers.
Sticking with first generation crosses will be the only way to continue producing all olive eggers.

I'm Trying hard to understand this. I didn't know there was a difference with them carrying the blue gene. How do you know if yours carry two of the blue gene? Thanks

 

[The Moonshiner]

I'm Trying hard to understand this. I didn't know there was a difference with them carrying the blue gene. How do you know if yours carry two of the blue gene? Thanks

You have to test breed them.
Idk if you're asking about blue egg layers or olive eggers?
Either way you have to breed it to a known white egg layer or brown egg layer. Something that for sure doesn't carry a blue egg gene.
Then you have to wait for those chicks to be old enough to lay and have more than a couple of them.
When they start laying if your bird has two copies of blue then every chick will lay blue or green eggs. If any lay a white or brown egg then you know your chicken has only one blue gene instead of two.
That's my early morning answer so if need more info let me know.

 

[Shannonw1228]

You have to test breed them.
Idk if you're asking about blue egg layers or olive eggers?
Either way you have to breed it to a known white egg layer or brown egg layer. Something that for sure doesn't carry a blue egg gene.
Then you have to wait for those chicks to be old enough to lay and have more than a couple of them.
When they start laying if your bird has two copies of blue then every chick will lay blue or green eggs. If any lay a white or brown egg then you know your chicken has only one blue gene instead of two.
That's my early morning answer so if need more info let me know.

Thanks for explaining that. You covered exactly what I was asking I have two adult EE. they both lay Blue eggs. I have more in the incubator. I also have marans in the incubator and just got two last night. I want to try to get the dark green egg.

 

[mandelyn]

The dark green eggs we get are out of a cross I did with a Splash Isbar/Silverudd rooster over Splash/Blue Marans hens.

I have 4 Legbar hens left to try it that way, with a choice of Blue Birchen or Black Copper Marans boys. First I want to see what they hatch from their current rooster, a massive EE/Niederrheiner hybrid. The Silverudd and Legbars both are smaller birds than we like to have since we're doing dual purpose, so the purebreds have been phased out and we're hybridizing for size/neat eggs. The Legbar and OE girls are running with the big rooster now, test eggs in the incubator as we speak!

The Splash hens from the first cross are on the right.

Basically though, the purebred Marans are getting darker and darker each generation, so if I can hang onto a couple of true blue/green layers I should end up seeing a richer green over time. Trying not to be impatient on how the olive to olive will end up!

I no longer have any purebred Isbar/Silverrudd birds, the Legbars are little bit bigger than they were so we'll see what happens there.

 

[mandelyn]

Oh! This is a pullet from the Splash OE hens when bred back to a Black Copper Marans rooster. Blue Copper! Anxiously waiting on her eggs! Finally got a decent picture of her today.

 

[thecreekhouse]

My very pretty Ameracauna pullets came from Barb at Itty Bitty Farm in Knoxville, TN. You can find her by searching her farm’s name on Facebook.

 

[Feath3rDust3r]

I have Copper maran roo and hens and also cream legbar roo and hens. I want to breed olive Eggers and they're still only babies. I can't keep both roos...would it be better to keep the cream legbar or the black Copper?

 

[Hawaii Chicks]

I have Copper maran roo and hens and also cream legbar roo and hens. I want to breed olive Eggers and they're still only babies. I can't keep both roos...would it be better to keep the cream legbar or the black Copper?

Try both crosses!