Americaunas

[speckledhen]

These are the only colors of Ameraucana-they come in 8 accepted colors only:

Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten & White

Yours are Easter Eggers. Where did you get them? If from a feed store or hatchery, they are Easter Eggers. No hatchery has Amerauanas, unfortunately.

http://ameraucana.org/scrapbook.html

If you look at the link, it has the colors of male and female adult and corresponding chick colors. And you won't find your colors in there.

Now, there's nothing wrong with Easter Eggers! I have both Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers

Araucanas are even more rare than Ameraucanas and no way you'll ever find those at a hatchery; even breeders of them are hard to find.


***Here is the link to the Ameraucana, Araucana, Easter Egger discussion:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=128806

 

[MamaRudey]

That is an awesome link. Thanks! Been trying to find more pics of what my heritage wheatens will look like all grown to show my niece.

 

[AnimalLover99]

mine look very similar to the silver ameracauna chick other than a few spots, i got them at a feed store, they told me they were americaunas and they look like the chicks in the picture but idk

 

[speckledhen]

If you look at the Silver Ameraucana, they are much lighter in their down color than your chipmunk-looking ones, though the chipmunk markings themselves are extremely common in EEs. If you got them at a feed store, who most likely got them from some hatchery, they are definitely Easter Eggers. Hatcheries refuse to change their labeling, though a couple of drop shippers like My Pet Chicken are now properly advertising the birds as Easter Eggers.

Case in point here: this chick came out of my flock, mom was an EE, sired by a Delaware rooster.

 

[Stacykins]

mine look very similar to the silver ameracauna chick other than a few spots, i got them at a feed store, they told me they were americaunas and they look like the chicks in the picture but idk

Yep, if they came from the feed store they are definitely EEs. Hatcheries have been plastering the name of Ameraucana and Araucana on their EEs, but breed neither breed. Calling EEs an Americana is just another way for hatcheries to try and fool people into thinking their birds are Ameraucana, since it is a close name. But that doesn't mean EEs are bad birds, they are wonderful birds! You can't be certain on what color they'll appear, what comb they'll grow to have, what color egg they'll lay (they may lay any color, blue, green, brown, etc. because they are just mixed breed birds).

 

[JohnnyxRex]

What's the difference between an auracauna and an ameracauna? And is the 'easter eagger' the auracauna? Sorry,, don't mean to hyjack the thread, but I can't seem to get an answer anywhere.

First, understand that Auracauna and Ameraucana are two seperate breeds. "Easter Eggers", called so because of the pastel blue, green, and pink colors of their eggs, and a cross of these two breeds. When you buy either of these breeds from a Hatchery. You will get an Easter Egger chicken. Hatcheries typically do not have purebred chickens anyway. This is why these 3 kinds are commonly mixed up and considered one breed, because purebreds are rare. You can however, get purebreds from a breeder, not a hatchery. I don't know much about Auracaunas, but you can tell True Purebred Ameraucanas apart because they have really big beards. If you haven't seen one, you will know immediently what i'm talking about when you do. The beards are BIG. Does this explain it? You can always pm me, since I might not check back on this thread.

 

[NYREDS]

That is an awesome link. Thanks! Been trying to find more pics of what my heritage wheatens will look like all grown to show my niece.

Heritage Wheaten what?

 

[4parrotts]

Those are Easter Eggers for sure. An easter egger is an Ameraucana or Araucana (different blue egg laying breeds) mixed with a regular brown laying chicken. Hatcheries need to stop labeling these as Ameraucanas. I have some Easter eggers and they are beautiful birds. The color on them will be a suprise but that's part of the fun with them.

 

[Bullitt]

Those are Easter Eggers for sure. An easter egger is an Ameraucana or Araucana (different blue egg laying breeds) mixed with a regular brown laying chicken. Hatcheries need to stop labeling these as Ameraucanas. I have some Easter eggers and they are beautiful birds. The color on them will be a suprise but that's part of the fun with them.

An "easter egger" can also be an Ameraucana or Araucana that just does not meet the breed standards. So a hatchery could be selling "Ameraucanas," for example, that do not meet the breed standards, and those are defined as "easter eggers."

That is why people suggest that if a person wants a true Ameraucana that they find a reliable breeder. And probably the reasons you would want these birds are if you plan to show or breed Ameraucanas yourself.

Whoever slapped the name "easter egger" on them made things very confusing for people.

 

[4parrotts]

You can breed a "mixed" color Ameraucana to a "true " color Ameraucana and get true colors. So they are NOT easter egger chickens. You just cannot show them. This website explains want an easter egger is http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search/label/easter egger

What are Easter Egg chickens?
The Ameraucana Breeders Club defines an Easter Egg chicken or Easter Egger as any chicken that possesses the blue egg gene, but doesn’t fully meet any breed descriptions as defined in the APA and/or ABA standards. Further, even if a bird meets an Ameraucana standard breed description, but doesn’t meet a variety description or breed true at least 50% of the time it is considered an Easter Egg chicken.

Hatcheries do not sell ameraucanas period. they sell easter egger mutts. They mix a lot of their chickens themselves just to make a buck. I stopped buying from them for this exact reason. yes the apa aba standards say they are and that is if you are going to show them. I get what you are saying but it is still not correct. If a different color than what is accepted can breed true than it is still an Ameraucana. An Easter Egger is a MUTT. I am going to breed splash wheaten and then breed to a wheaten rooster so I can have all blue wheaten babies so when I sell them I can tell what is what and I'm not going to tell people that one of their parents is an easter egger because that is incorrect. This is the reason why so many people get confused with the real thing. I'm tired of people selling their easter eggers as Ameraucanas as the next person. The hatcheries are the main cause of this. So what I believe is that if you are getting into these chickens. Buy from a breeder and make sure they know what they are talking about before you committ to buying a bird from them. If they tell you how that Ameraucana was bred and the genetics behind what you want that is a good sign. Most importantly be cautious and don't just buy something off of the internet unless it is a true color of ameraucana because this isn't the good ole days anymore and peoples word isn't as good as it used to be.