Hoover’s new 2021 “Easter Eggers”

[vintage]

They could be something like starlight green eggers.

That's what mine turned out to be!

 

[TORIMILLS]

This pullet came from rural king . She was labeled as an EE. She is an obvious legbar mix. I have 4 EE that came from the same bin . Two are like this one and the the other 2 have no crest or muff. All 4 do have yellow legs though. She laid her first egg yesterday.
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They look like my girls. How old? I'm waiting on mine to start laying.

 

[JCOP]

They look like my girls. How old? I'm waiting on mine to start laying.

22 weeks and two started laying this week.

 

[TORIMILLS]

22 weeks and two started laying this week.

I don't have much longer then. Mine are around 16 weeks.

 

[SFratiO]

Just curious for any info, anecdotes, or pics of Hoover Hatchery’s “Easter Egger” chickens, new for 2021?

https://hoovershatchery.com/easteregger.html

I am well aware that Hoover’s is sneaky and has “Americana” which confuses so many people and these are not purebred Ameraucana chickens. Really the “Americana” are Easter Eggers - hybrids. But now they have a separate ‘breed’ called “Easter Eggers” in addition to the Americana.

I do have the Americana, and, now, two of these EE chicks. One is blue with slate legs and one is light yellow with black on the growing wing feathers and orange legs. Neither have cheeks, beards, or crests that I can tell.

Any information on these European Grunleger (two dots over the u) chickens Hoover’s mentions in the description? I can’t seem to find much.

“Our Easter Eggers are a combination of the traditional American Easter Eggers, which typically has a pea comb, beard and green legs, along with the European version of Easter Eggers, which are called Grünleger, which typically have yellow legs, a single comb, and commonly a tuft on its head. The Grünleger are a hybrid cross between a commercial type Legbar, and brown egg laying hens, therefore unlike the American Easter Egger, they will not breed true, with only a portion of the offspring laying colored eggs. Overall, the Easter Eggers typically lay colored eggs, but up to 15% of the time you will have one that lays brown or cream eggs.”

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I wonder if this is an attempt to capitalize on a missed niche. If they tried to sell Easter eggers that looked like their americanas and they couldn't tell customers what made them different, they'd probably split the colored egg purchasers between EEs and americanas. To get buyers to purchase both, they have to be different. The colored legs and muffs and beards often go along with laying colored eggs, but not always. It would only take a little patience and space to raise up birds (I know I have some) who lay blue/green but don't hit the other physical marks. Now they look different enough to customers to notice and anyone who wants one of everything, or, like me, those for whom the single combs are much more appealing, have something that appeals to them, too.

 

[TORIMILLS]

Well I didn't order mine from Hoover's but the store I bought them from did. Here's pics.

 

[CSolis]

I got two chicks from TSC that were labeled Ameraucanas. I was hoping for one cockerel out of the two to put with my EE chicks from my own hens. Amazingly I got two cockerels and had to choose. Bandit won my heart and is now 19 weeks old. He is doing an excellent job of looking out after his pullets who have begun to lay in the last week. He's sweet and docile not giving me a bit of trouble unlike the EE's I got last year. Here he is at 19 weeks. Pea comb, full beard, little if any wattles and greenish legs.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

I got two chicks from TSC that were labeled Ameraucanas. I was hoping for one cockerel out of the two to put with my EE chicks from my own hens. Amazingly I got two cockerels and had to choose. Bandit won my heart and is now 19 weeks old. He is doing an excellent job of looking out after his pullets who have begun to lay in the last week. He's sweet and docile not giving me a bit of trouble unlike the EE's I got last year. Here he is at 19 weeks. Pea comb, full beard, little if any wattles and greenish legs.
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he's also an easter egger, you realize.... not a true ameraucana. TSC doesn't sell true ameraucana.

 

[Mvan42]

I bought some from rural king, said color egg layers not a breed. (Bought 8/5 were cockerel ) out of three one is laying greenish gray eggs... I also bought 4 EE (said they are all female, and it looks like it) they are still to young to lay. Any way most look similar to the other EE pics but will try to get some pics tonight. Out of my My rural king ones only one looks like EE, another is tan and one is Gray both have crest (I think that's what it's called never had a chicken with fluffyness on their heads before. Lol)