When I first started raising backyard chickens, I didn’t really think about egg colors. I just pictured going out to the coop and collecting our breakfast. And while that was fun, I started dreaming about a colorful egg basket. One thing led to another and here I am 47 chickens later! Haha! I have no regrets though. Our egg basket is beautiful, and our yard is sprinkled with multiple chicken breeds. It just doesn’t get any better!
I have two Olive Eggers. They are a delight and add a lot of personality to our flock. They are very docile, friendly, good flock friends and do great both in the winter and the summer temps. They have a pea comb and rarely go broody. They lay up to 260 large olive-colored eggs per year. They love to tootle around the yard and are fairly quiet. They are considered dual purpose, but we won’t be eating Opal and Olive. They are too funny and bring so much joy to our home.
We live in Minnesota and one of the most asked questions is how our chickens survive the frigid winters. Olive Eggers are great for this! They do quite well in the winter here and don’t seem to mind the snow too much. Most chickens don’t love the snow. Chickens have built in winter coats with all of their feathers. Olive Eggers are so cute with their little puffed out cheeks and their feathers are super soft.
The main reason people buy Olive Eggers is of course for their beautiful olive eggs! These eggs bring a depth to our egg basket and I’m not sad about it. They are gorgeous! Olive lays beautiful olive eggs with speckles. It’s my favorite egg of the day! Of course, all the eggs taste the same. The color comes from the dye the chicken puts on it right before they come out. Each breed has a different color and that’s where the variety comes from. As we’ve grown our flock, we’ve really diversified our eggs colors.
I’ve gotten both of our Olive Eggers from Hoover’s Hatchery and I took this information below from their website to describe the breed crossing that provides these beautiful chickens.
“Our Olive Eggers come from a couple of different crosses. We have one line that is a cross of Americanas and French Cuckoo Marans. With this hybrid, most of the females will be black but a few will come out blue. We also have another cross that is between Legbars and Welsummers, our goal with these is to create a green egg that is speckled similar to the Welsummers. Both crosses have a chance of laying brown eggs.”
If you’re looking to add a fun and friendly chicken to your flock, look no further than the Olive Egger. They bring a lot of entertainment to your yard as well as your egg basket!
Until next time,
–The Wing Lady