As a keeper of chickens, I subscribe to a few websites that periodically give advice or information, but as I have been keeping chickens for over 20 years, I don’t usually find a lot of new information, tho’ its always useful to keep informed of the ‘latest trends’ – smile.
But this time, I did find something new! Countryside Network, an American website has me stumped! Did you know you can mix breeds to give you an olive coloured egg?
Except they don’t look very olive to me!
AND WHO WOULD WANT AN OLIVE COLOURED EGG ANYWAY?
I’m wondering whether this is a hoax, but it seems, from the list of suppliers of mixed breeds, that it’s actually an advert!
Testimonial from an Olive Egger chicken owner: “I had really wanted to add some olive green eggs to my egg basket for a long time, and was concentrating more on the egg color than on the chicken breed itself, but now having raised Olive Egger chickens for several years, I can tell you that they are some of my favorite hens. Mine are a cross between a Black Ameraucana and a Black Copper Marans, so they’re solid black with the trademark Ameraucana cheek puffs, and one has the feathered feet of a Marans too! Unlike Marans who I find a bit standoffish, and Amerauanas which can be skittish, their offspring, the Olive Egger chicken, is a chatty, friendly hen who I think has retained some of the best qualities of each of their parents. My Olive Eggers are more consistent layers than my Ameraucanas, which is nice. They are extremely cold-hardy, but don’t seem overly bothered by heat either. They are on the smallish side, definitely more Amerauana-sized than Marans-sized, but their eggs are good-sized. They are fairly talkative chickens, but they tend to chatter quietly and rarely cluck loudly. They have been a wonderful addition to my backyard flock.” – Lisa Steele, from FreshEggsDaily.com
Comb: Varies
Popular Use: Eggs and meat
Varieties: None recognized, as this is not a standard breed
Temperament: Varies
Skin Color: Varies
Weight: Usually large, but varies based on breeding
It really isn’t an Olive Egger chicken if it is: Not a cross. Favaucanas, Ameraucanas, and Aruacanas have been known to lay greenish eggs from time to time, but are not considered Olive Egger chickens.
MAKE YOUR OWN MIND UP ABOUT THIS! I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT MOST OF THEIR POSTS ARE QUITE HELPFUL IF YOU KEEP ANY TYPE OF ANIMAL – BUT THIS SEEMS IDIOTIC TO ME!
And – talking about crossing breeds – I’m pleased to report that 7 out of the 9 eggs I put in the incubator just over three weeks ago, from my free range mix of Buff Sussex and Speckled Sussex breeds have hatched (plus a few silkie eggs I bought) and I will be taking some photographs of them soon, to show you – smile.
You can see the pure breed pictures here and here.
Just a reminder that I am offering a 5% discount for ANYONE who places an order on my new retail website
