Olive Egger Chickens: Breed Profile and Care Guide

By John Walker · Backyard chicken keeper in Dallas, Texas since 2017

Olive Egger chickens are designer hybrid hens bred to lay olive-green eggs, in shades from soft sage to deep moss green. They are a deliberate cross between a blue-egg layer and a dark-brown-egg layer, so each hen lays one shade for life and no two birds look alike, and they suit keepers who want a green egg in the basket and a calm, friendly flock.

What is an Olive Egger chicken?

An Olive Egger chicken is a hybrid, not a breed: a deliberate cross between a blue-egg layer and a dark-brown-egg layer, bred specifically to lay olive-green eggs. The usual parents are Ameraucana, Araucana, Cream Legbar or Easter Egger on the blue side, and Marans, especially Black Copper Marans, or Welsummer on the dark-brown side.

There is no olive pigment. An olive egg is a blue egg wearing a brown coat: the blue pigment is laid down through the shell as it forms, and the brown pigment is painted on top as the egg passes through the oviduct, blending into green. The deeper the brown parent's egg colour, the deeper the olive of the offspring.

Because they are hybrids, Olive Eggers do not breed true, offspring lay variable colours, and the American Poultry Association does not recognise them. They are also variable in looks: hens are usually large, often with a pea comb and willow or green legs, but no two need look alike.

Olive Egger temperament

Olive Egger temperament reflects the parent breeds, and most birds are calm, sweet and laid back. Both Marans and Ameraucana parents are calm breeds, and most Olive Eggers inherit that, though temperament varies bird to bird because the cross varies.

They are generally docile and friendly, tolerant of confinement, good in mixed flocks and rarely bullies, and they are moderately friendly with humans without being lap chickens. They are also good free rangers with high predator awareness, and roosters are often responsive flock guardians.

They are usually quiet birds, though they can be chatty in a soft way, and they follow their keepers around the yard and tolerate handling once they are used to it. Handle chicks gently from a young age and they usually grow up calm and easy to manage.

Eggs and laying: how many eggs do Olive Eggers lay?

Olive Egger hens lay 150–200 olive-green eggs a year, or about three to five a week, with some guides giving a range of 180–240 and some breeders claiming up to 250–260. A sensible planning figure for a typical laying flock is 150–200, since the cross varies so much.

Each hen lays one egg colour for her entire life, but the shade is unpredictable until she starts laying at about 20–24 weeks old: expect a range from lighter sage and moss greens to deep, dark army olive, varying from hen to hen, even among sisters from the same cross.

First-generation crosses, made by breeding a blue-egg bird to a dark-brown-egg bird, give the most predictable olive colour. Second-generation birds, bred from two Olive Eggers, lay more variable colours, including brown or blue. Use the Egg Production Calculator to work out how many hens your household needs.

Housing and space for Olive Eggers

Olive Eggers need about 4 square feet of coop floor per bird and 10 square feet of run, with roosts at a comfortable height for a medium to large bird. They are cold-hardy birds that tolerate winter well, and they handle heat moderately, provided they have shade and cool water.

They are good free rangers with high predator awareness, and they do well in a run or on pasture, so they suit most backyards. Give them a dust bath area and some cover from hawks, since their curiosity can take them into open ground.

Because they are hybrids, size varies: hens are usually about 6 lb and roosters 7–8 lb, but some crosses are smaller. Check the Chicken Breed Size Chart to compare their size with the parent breeds before planning nest boxes and roosts.

Feeding Olive Eggers

Olive Eggers do well on a standard layer feed of about 16 percent protein once laying, with grower feed before that and chick starter for the first six to eight weeks. A laying hen eats roughly a quarter of a pound of feed a day, and active foragers will find insects and greens on range.

Offer oyster shell in a separate dish so hens can take extra calcium for strong shells, and keep fresh water available at all times. Because Olive Eggers are medium to large birds, keep treats and scratch grains to about a tenth of the diet so the balanced ration is not diluted.

Feed is the same as for any laying flock, and no supplement will change egg colour: olive shells are set by genetics, not by feed. A balanced ration, clean water and enough daylight are what keep a moderate layer producing steadily through the season.

Health and common problems

Olive Eggers are hardy birds that commonly live five to eight years with good care, and hybrid vigour works in their favour: mixed-breed birds are often healthier and longer-lived than heavily inbred purebreds. They have no major breed-specific weakness, and that vigour is one reason they are so widely recommended to new keepers.

Their main risks are the ordinary ones of a backyard flock: mites, lice, worms and respiratory illness in damp housing. Because they are curious and active, they can also get into trouble free-ranging, so give cover from hawks and a secure coop at night.

Routine care covers most problems: vaccinate chicks against Marek's disease, keep bedding dry, provide a dust bath, and quarantine new birds for at least two weeks. Separate any bird that stands apart, goes off feed, or stops laying suddenly, and check it promptly.

Are Olive Eggers right for you?

Olive Eggers suit keepers who specifically want green or olive eggs in the basket and who enjoy the surprise of a hybrid: each hen lays one shade for life, and the exact colour is unknown until she starts laying. They are a good choice for beginners and families, and they fit suburban backyards and mixed flocks well.

They are a poorer fit if you want a predictable bird that breeds true, since Olive Eggers do not breed true and their chicks lay variable colours, or if you want a lot of eggs, since 150–200 a year is moderate. If you want guaranteed blue eggs, compare them with the Ameraucana chickens; if you want a friendlier coloured-egg hybrid, look at the Easter Egger chickens.

Buy from a breeder who can tell you the parent cross, since Marans crossed with Ameraucana gives deeper olives than Welsummer crossed with Legbar. Buy several pullets if you want a range of green shades, because each hen lays only one colour for life.

Buying Olive Egger chickens: chicks, pullets and what to check

Buy Olive Eggers from a breeder who can tell you the parent cross, since Marans crossed with Ameraucana gives deeper olives than Welsummer crossed with Legbar. Ask whether the birds are first-generation crosses, which give the most predictable olive colour, and buy several pullets for a range of shades.

Chicks are the cheapest option, but they need six weeks in a brooder and you will wait five to six months for the first egg, and you will not know the egg shade until she lays. Started pullets cost more but lay within weeks, which suits a keeper who wants olive eggs quickly. Straight-run chicks are cheaper still, but about half will be roosters, so only buy them if you can keep or rehome males. Whichever you buy, check that the birds are bright-eyed, active and clean around the vent, with smooth legs and no discharge from the eyes or nostrils.

Ask the seller what cross the birds come from and whether they are first or second generation, since that affects egg colour more than anything else. A good breeder will tell you the parent breeds, the age of the birds and whether they were vaccinated against Marek's disease. Be wary of sellers who promise a particular shade of olive from a chick, since no honest seller can guarantee that, or who cannot tell you the parent cross. Buy from someone with a reputation to protect, and quarantine new birds for at least two weeks before mixing them with your flock.

Olive Egger breed facts at a glance

Egg figures vary by source because Olive Eggers are hybrids: most guides give 150–200 a year, some give 180–240, and some breeders claim up to 250–260 for their own lines. The range above reflects real variation between crosses, and first-generation birds are the most predictable.

Sources: breed facts on this page are drawn from the breed profiles published by the Livestock Conservancy and from university extension poultry guidance, including the University of Minnesota Extension and poultry.extension.org. Where sources give different figures for eggs per year, this page shows the range and says so, rather than presenting one number as settled.

Related tools and guides

For more on the same topic, see Chicken Breed Size Chart and Egg Production Calculator.

Frequently asked questions