Tehachapi, California
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Olive Eggers, how their genetics work
For starters, lets talk a little about egg coloring. Egg shell colors come in two colors, blue or white. The bloom is the protective coating over top of the egg. The bloom comes in various shades of brown, sometimes including speckles depending on the breed. Now lets say a hen has white shell genetics, but lays a heavy bloom, the egg will then be brown right? A hen that lays white eggs with little bloom will lay white. Now this is where the fun part comes in, breed a blue shell laying chicken, with a chicken with a heavy bloom, such as a Maran, and now you have yourself a green laying bird. Blue shell, with brown over top, gives you green. While its not an official breed, this cross over of chickens is known as an Olive Egger.
First generation olive eggers (brown layer X blue layer) will always give you olive colored eggs. However, these eggs tend to be lighter in color. Crossing back, or an olive egger bred with a brown layer, will give you 50% brown eggs and the other 50% will be a deeper olive, with more speckles and previous than the previous generation, similarly with olive eggers, crossed with other olive eggers. Thats what we are creating within this breeding flock.
This breeding group is all about egg production and color genetics, so it has a very wide range of breeds in this flock. All chicks will be considered Olive Eggers due to their genetics, though some hens will lay brown. Though Louie Luar currently lives with 13 hens, we have highlighted the top three hens that we think compliments Louie Luars genetics the best. Those hens were selected because of their personality, egg genetics, and feather coloring. I'll list the other breeds below. As you shop, you can choose to order mixed carton of all 13 hens in this flock, or order a carton of our favorite top three.
Loui Luar
Oriona
Oriona is also an F1 olive egger, who lays light green eggs. Oriona has an easter egger dad, and a buff orpington mom. She is a favorite of the flock and comes when called by her name. Chicks from this mom will create second generation olive eggers
Our birds
Louie, the rooster of this flock is a F1 olive egger. His mom, Luna (the inspiration behind this hatchery) was a Saphire blue plymouth rock with brown laying genetics, and his dad an easter egger with blue laying genetics. All of his siblings have all laid olive colored eggs. We cannot emphasize enough what an amazing roo he is. He has never shown any aggression, with people or fellow roosters. He manages his flock with a calm and confident demeanor.
Fin
Fin is a cuckoo Maran. Marans are known for laying dark brown eggs, this hen does just that. Fin lays very dark brown eggs with a variation of speckles. Her and Louie create a back cross of chicks expected to lay a either a deep olive with speckles, or dark brown with speckles, just like their mom.
Violet
Violet is a lavender orpington. Orpingtons are traditionally classified as brown layers, although they tend to have a pinkish hue to them , which makes for some very interesting and deep olive eggs when bred with a chicken with blue laying genetics. Violet is one of the most friendly birds in this flock.
Gallery
