I am particularly proud of my Olive Egger pen. What makes my Olivers special? The birds I chose to start the flock with. Often, Olivers are a cross between Black Copper Marans and Ameraucanas. The black in the Black Copper Marans is dominant, so the flock is usually black and — to my eyes — boring.

My roosters were crosses between Cream Legbars for interesting feathering and the blue egg gene, and Gold Creole Marans for more interesting feathering and the brown egg gene. Getting these birds in and hatching the eggs and raising them up and choosing whom to keep was 2020’s project. Those chicks are now the roosters in my current pen.

The ladies were easier, as they are either Splash BBS Ameraucanas or Whiting True Blues, all of which lay a blue egg. I chose the Whiting True Blues as they have pretty feathers and because their eggs have a nice gloss which I like. The Splash Ameraucanas contribute the floofy cheeks and the snuggly disposition.

The off-spring of these original pairings are just now coming in to lay and I get such a nice range of green eggs and the flock itself is gorgeous.

Upcoming Olive Egger Hatch Dates