How many eggs do Olive Egger chickens lay?

A healthy Olive Egger hen lays about 150–200 olive green eggs a year — roughly 3–4 a week, or 13–17 dozen over a year. Output drops during winter and the annual molt, and eases as a hen ages.

What color eggs do Olive Eggers lay?

Olive Eggers lay olive green eggs, large in size.

How big do Olive Egger chickens get?

A Olive Egger hen weighs roughly 5–6.5 lbs — a medium-sized bird — with roosters running a little heavier.

Are Olive Eggers cold-hardy?

Yes. The Olive Egger is rated cold-hardy and rides out hard winters well, provided the coop stays dry and draft-free. Keep water from freezing and check combs and wattles for frostbite in a deep freeze.

Are Olive Eggers good for beginners?

Yes. The Olive Egger is a forgiving, friendly, but varies with the parents breed that suits first-time keepers well.

Do Olive Egger hens go broody?

Sometimes. A Olive Egger hen may go broody now and then, but it isn't guaranteed — plan on an incubator if hatching matters to you.

Olive Egger

Egg layerUnited StatesBeginner friendly

An Olive Egger isn't a breed so much as a recipe: cross a blue-egg layer like an Ameraucana or Cream Legbar with a dark-brown-egg layer like a Marans or Welsummer, and the daughters lay olive-green eggs. Looks and personality follow the parents, so no two flocks are quite alike, but most are hardy, easygoing birds.

Eggs per year

150–200

Egg color

Olive green

Egg size

Large

Hen weight

5–6.5 lbs

Temperament

Friendly, but varies with the parents

Broodiness

Sometimes broody

Cold hardyHeat tolerant

Did you know?

The olive color is a brown coating painted over a blue shell — crack one open and the inside of the shell is still blue.

Olive Egger egg production

Expect roughly 150–200 olive green eggs a year from a Olive Egger in her prime — about 3–4 a week, or 13–17 dozen over the course of a year. That makes it a solid, dependable layer. Production naturally dips during the annual molt and the short days of winter, and eases off as a hen ages past her second or third year. Most pullets lay their first egg somewhere between five and eight months old.

Temperament & handling

The Olive Egger is generally described as friendly, but varies with the parents. These are calm, people-oriented birds that tolerate handling well and settle into a backyard flock without much fuss — a big part of why they're such a common first breed.

Climate & care

Rated cold-hardy, the Olive Egger rides out hard winters well as long as the coop stays dry and draft-free — keep drinking water from freezing and watch combs and wattles for frostbite in a deep freeze. It handles summer heat comfortably too, given shade, cool water, and good airflow.

Broodiness & raising chicks

A Olive Egger hen may go broody now and then, but it isn't something to count on — if hatching chicks matters to you, plan on an incubator and our incubation calculator.

Space & feeding

A Olive Egger hen is a medium-sized bird at 5–6.5 lbs. As a rule of thumb, a small flock of 6 would want around 24 sq ft of coop and 60 sq ft of run, with about 2 nest boxes and 5 ft of roost. Size it to your own flock with the coop size calculator, and estimate the monthly feed bill — and your real cost per egg — with the feed cost calculator.

Is the Olive Egger right for you?

A great fit if…

You want a dependable supply of eggs
You're new to chickens and want a forgiving bird
You want a calm bird that's good around children
You'd like olive green eggs in the basket
You get real winters and need a hardy bird

Think twice if…

You want the absolute maximum egg output

Olive Egger FAQ

How many eggs do Olive Egger chickens lay?: A healthy Olive Egger hen lays about 150–200 olive green eggs a year — roughly 3–4 a week, or 13–17 dozen over a year. Output drops during winter and the annual molt, and eases as a hen ages.
What color eggs do Olive Eggers lay?: Olive Eggers lay olive green eggs, large in size.
How big do Olive Egger chickens get?: A Olive Egger hen weighs roughly 5–6.5 lbs — a medium-sized bird — with roosters running a little heavier.
Are Olive Eggers cold-hardy?: Yes. The Olive Egger is rated cold-hardy and rides out hard winters well, provided the coop stays dry and draft-free. Keep water from freezing and check combs and wattles for frostbite in a deep freeze.
Are Olive Eggers good for beginners?: Yes. The Olive Egger is a forgiving, friendly, but varies with the parents breed that suits first-time keepers well.
Do Olive Egger hens go broody?: Sometimes. A Olive Egger hen may go broody now and then, but it isn't guaranteed — plan on an incubator if hatching matters to you.