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Olive Egger

Hybrid: not an APA-recognized breed

Not a breed but a cross of blue-egg and brown-egg layers, for eggs in shades of olive green.

Olive Egger eggs

Photo: Hustvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped

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Olive Egger at a glance

Status
Not an APA breed. The University of Maine lists it among crosses: a mix of breeds that lay olive-tinted eggs.[1][2]
Origin
A cross of a blue-egg layer and a brown-egg layer. UW–Madison explains olive-green eggs come from crossing blue and brown, with the brown pigment added to the outside of a blue shell.[3][4]
Egg color
Olive or olive-green[1][3]
How to spot one
No set look: appearance depends on the parent breeds. The olive egg is the tell.[3][1]

Facts no source backs up are left out. Updated October 26, 2026 (how we check).

An Olive Egger is not a breed. It's a cross made for one reason: eggs in shades of olive green. If you love a mixed carton, they fill the gap between blue and brown.

What makes an egg olive?

UW–Madison Extension explains the trick. Pure Ameraucana or Araucana eggs are blue all the way through the shell, inside and out. "Olive green eggs are crossbreds of blue and brown," and the brown pigment is added just to the outside of the shell. Paint brown over blue and you get olive.

Poultry Extension notes that the blue egg color is a dominant trait, which is why crossing a blue-egg breed with other breeds gives hens that lay colored eggs.

Not an APA breed

The American Poultry Association has no Olive Egger on its list of breeds. The University of Maine includes it among crosses, describing it as "a mix of breeds that produce olive tinted eggs." UW–Madison groups such hens as "Easter or Olive Eggers."

That's why we label it a hybrid, like the Easter Egger and the Red Sex Link.

What the sources don't say

Because an Olive Egger is a cross, extension sources don't give it a standard weight, egg count, temperament or hardiness rating. Those depend entirely on the parent breeds. We'd rather tell you that than guess.

We also didn't find a university source naming which brown-egg parent gives the darkest olive. What we can point to: the University of Maine says Barnevelders, Marans and Welsummers all lay a very dark brown, almost chocolate egg, and blue eggs come from breeds like the Ameraucana.

Planning a cross

Start with the parents' profiles, since your Olive Eggers will take after them:

Hatching your own? Our Hatch Countdown tracks candling and lockdown days, and the Laying Calculator estimates when pullets will start. Once they do, log those olive eggs in the Egg Log.

How to recognize an Olive Egger

You can't, reliably, by looks alone: there's no breed standard. The olive egg is the giveaway.

See olive next to every other shade on our free Egg Color Chart printable.

Olive Egger questions

What is an Olive Egger chicken?

A cross between a hen that lays blue eggs and one that lays brown eggs. It isn't an APA breed; the University of Maine lists the Olive Egger among crosses, describing it as a mix of breeds that produce olive-tinted eggs.

Why are Olive Egger eggs green?

UW–Madison Extension explains that olive-green eggs come from crossing blue and brown layers. A blue egg is blue all the way through the shell, and the brown pigment is added just to the outside, so blue plus brown looks olive.

How many eggs does an Olive Egger lay?

None of the extension sources we checked give a figure. It depends on the parent breeds, so look up the parents you plan to cross.

Is an Olive Egger the same as an Easter Egger?

They're related ideas: both are crosses that carry the blue-egg gene. UW–Madison says green shades are the result of crossbreeding and that these hens are called Easter or Olive Eggers. The University of Maine describes Olive Eggers as the mix that lays olive-tinted eggs.

What do Olive Egger chickens look like?

There's no standard look; it depends on the parents. The olive eggs are what make an Olive Egger.

Raising Olive Eggers?

When will my Olive Egger pullets start laying? Get their first-egg window from the hatch date.

Already have Olive Egger hens?

Add them to My flock in our free Egg Log and track what they lay. Everything stays in this browser.

Sources

  1. University of Maine Cooperative Extension Bulletin 2104: Raising Chickens
  2. American Poultry Association: Recognized Breeds and Varieties
  3. UW–Madison Extension: Exhibiting Eggs as a 4-H or FFA Project
  4. Poultry Extension: Selecting a Chicken Breed for Small or Backyard Flocks