Claire Thompson
Olive Egger chickens are not a breed per se, but rather the result of crossbreeding different chicken breeds. They are produced by crossing a blue egg-laying chicken with a brown egg-laying chicken, resulting in olive-green-coloured eggs. The specific breeds used in crossbreeding can vary, but common choices for blue egg layers include Ameraucana, Araucana, and Cream Legbar, while popular brown egg layers include Marans, Welsummer, and Barnevelder. The resulting Olive Eggers can have diverse appearances, with a wide range of colours, patterns, and feather textures, adding to their visual appeal.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | Crossbreeding of heritage chicken breeds |
| Purpose | To produce greenish-hued eggs |
| Breeds crossed | Blue egg layers (Ameraucana, Araucana, Cream Legbar) and dark brown egg layers (Marans, Welsummer, Barnevelder) |
| Appearance | Diverse, varied, captivating array of appearances due to mixed heritage, with a wide range of colors, patterns, and feather textures |
| Size | Large |
| Temperament | Docile, friendly, great flock companions, adventurous, sociable |
| Egg production | Prolific layers, up to 260 large olive-colored eggs per year |
| Climate resilience | Good, can withstand hot summers and cold winters |
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What You'll Learn
Ameraucana
Olive Egger chickens are a hybrid breed, created by crossing chickens that lay brown eggs with those that lay blue eggs. The result is a chicken that lays olive-green eggs.
Olive Eggers can come in various colours like black or grey, depending on what colour their parents are. They can inherit the feathered feet of the Marans breed and the beard and cheek puffs of the Ameraucana breed. They are generally medium-sized chickens that lay large eggs, about 150-160 per year. They are not overly aggressive nor too docile, falling somewhere in the middle of the flock pecking order.
Olive Eggers are not recognised as an official breed by the American Poultry Association, but they have become a staple in many flocks for their charming personalities, hardiness, and the colour of their eggs.
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Araucana
Olive Egger chickens are a hybrid breed, created by crossing a dark brown egg-laying breed with a blue egg-laying breed. They are not a breed recognised by the APA. Olive Eggers are popular due to the olive green eggs they lay.
To create an Olive Egger chicken, you can cross any dark brown egg-laying breed, such as Barnevelder, Empordanesa, Marans, Pendesenca, or Welsummers, with a blue egg-laying breed, such as Ameraucanas, Araucanas, Cream Legbars, or Isbars. The darker the shell colour of the brown egg layer, the richer the shell colour of the Olive Egger's eggs.
The blue egg layers must carry two blue egg genes to guarantee an olive egg. The resulting Olive Egger chicken will inherit appearance traits from both parents, such as the feathered feet of the Marans breed and the beard and cheek puffs of the Ameraucana breed. They can come in various colours, like black or grey, depending on their parents' colouring.
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Marans
Olive Egger chickens are a hybrid breed, a cross between a blue egg-laying breed and a dark brown egg-laying breed. The Marans breed is one of the most popular choices for the dark brown egg-laying breed.
To create Olive Eggers with the darkest olive eggs, it is recommended to use a Marans rooster from a good-quality line that regularly lays dark eggs. The resulting first-generation Olive Eggers will still lay light olive or sage-toned eggs, but the colour can be gradually darkened through further back-crossing with Marans.
In addition to egg colour, the Marans breed can also contribute to the physical characteristics of Olive Eggers. For example, Olive Eggers can inherit the feathered feet of the Marans breed, as well as their body shape. However, the appearance of Olive Eggers can vary greatly depending on the specific breeds used, and they are not considered an official breed with standardised characteristics.
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Cream Legbar
Olive Eggers are hybrid chickens, produced by crossbreeding a blue egg-laying breed with a dark brown egg-laying breed. The blue egg layers might be Ameraucana, Araucana, Cream Legbar, or Easter Egger, while the dark brown egg layers could be Barnevelder, Empordanesa, Marans, Penedesenca, or Welsummer. The darker the shell colour of the brown egg layer, the richer the shell colour of the Olive Egger's eggs.
When breeding Olive Eggers, it is important to consider the characteristics of the parent breeds. For example, Cream Legbar roos are known for being "sweethearts", and Legbar hens will pass on barring to their sons only. Additionally, when selecting Olive Egger chicks, it is helpful to know the specific parentage breeds. This can impact the characteristics of the chicks, such as the colour of their eggs and feathers.
In terms of appearance, Cream Legbars have chipmunk-like stripes, and their eggs are typically blue. Olive Eggers, on the other hand, can vary greatly in appearance and body type, as they are not an official breed with a set of standards. However, they are often larger than average laying hens due to their non-hatchery background.
Overall, Cream Legbars are a popular choice for creating Olive Eggers due to their homozygous blue egg gene, their pleasant temperament, and their ability to produce consistent results in olive egger breeding.
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Isbar
Olive Eggers are a hybrid breed of chicken that lays olive-green eggs. They are produced by crossing a blue egg-laying breed with a dark brown egg-laying breed. The blue egg layers might be Ameraucana, Araucana, Cream Legbar, or Isbar. The brown egg layers might be Barnevelder, Empordanesa, Marans, Penedesenca, or Welsummer. The darker the shell color of the brown egg layer, the richer the shell color of the Olive Egger's eggs.
The Isbar breed is not commonly used in creating Olive Eggers, as other blue egg-laying breeds like Ameraucana and Cream Legbar are more popular. This is because Isbars can be unpredictable, and it is hard to tell what the result will be when crossing them with other breeds. The offspring may inherit various traits from their parents, and the color of the eggs they lay can vary.
When creating Olive Eggers, it is important to use a pure blue/green egg-laying breed that carries two blue egg genes (homozygous). This is because the goal is to get an olive-colored egg, which is a combination of blue and brown pigments. By crossing a pure blue egg-laying breed with a pure brown egg-laying breed, the chances of getting an olive-colored egg are higher.
In summary, Isbars are one of the breeds that can be used to create Olive Eggers, but they are not as commonly used as other blue egg-laying breeds. The unpredictability of their offspring's traits and egg colors makes them a less popular choice for breeders aiming for a specific result.
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Frequently asked questions
Olive Eggers are a cross between a breed that lays eggs with blue shells and a breed that lays eggs with brown shells. The blue egg layers might be Ameraucana, Araucana, Cream Legbar, or Easter Egger, while the brown egg layers might be Barnevelder, Empordanesa, Marans, Penedesenca, or Welsummer.
Olive Eggers are created by crossing chickens that lay brown eggs with those that lay blue eggs. The result is a chicken that lays olive-green eggs. The specific genetics inherited from their parent breeds will determine the exact shade of olive.
Olive Eggers originated in the early 20th century through the crossbreeding of heritage chicken breeds. Breeders aimed to produce greenish-hued eggs by selectively breeding chickens with blue and dark brown egg-laying traits.
