Olive Eggers

Deer Run Farm Olive Egger HenThe Olive Egger is not an APA recognized breed. Rather, it is an intentional offspring from a breeding pair of a brown egg layer and a blue egg layer. Deer Run Farm's Olive Eggers are a Welsummer and Ameraucana mix. The offspring of this mating results in a bird that will lay an olive or green colored egg.
Deer Run Farm's line of Olive Eggers were created in 2018 by breeding Welsummer hens to a blue Ameraucana Rooster. This breeding combination produced predominantly blue hens that were strikingly similar to the blue Ameraucanas except they had yellow in their legs and disproportionate pea combs. At just 5 months of age these girls begin to lay their first eggs. Although small (as expected for first pullet eggs), the shades of Olive that these girls produce is stunning.  The combination of dark brown/speckled brown egg color genetics from the Welsummers with the blue egg color genetics from the Ameraucanas allowed for this natural phenomena to occur. Olive Egger Chipmunks
In the latter part of 2019 our first generation Olive Eggers from 2018 were back crossed to a Welsummer Rooster in hopes to darken their mint-olive colored eggs and add a few more speckles to eggs that were lacking. This offspring now consists of birds that range widely in color, form and comb type. Even so, all of the varieties are quite beautiful and their eggs have become a shade darker to boot! Deer Run Farm Olive Egger Cockbird
Unlike our other breeds, the Olive Egger is not a recognized breed of the American Poultry Association. Rather, these birds should be considered a hybrid. It would take years upon years to breed Olive Eggers to develop a consistent offspring that could be bred amongst itself and breed true each time. It's important to note that while the breed is called an Olive Egger due to it's ability to lay Olive colored eggs, it's still possible that some offspring will revert back to laying a brown or blue egg depending on it's genetic make up when bred to another Olive Egger, Ameraucana or Welsummer.
Olive Eggs
 Shades of Olive Eggs

 

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