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Easter Eggers

The Easter Egger is not really a breed. They are relationed to the breeds Ameraucanas and...
Pros: Friendly to humans and other birds, fun-colored eggs, variety of colors, rarely go broody.
Cons: Nothing comes to mind.
I absolutely love my easter egger chickens. Their beautifully colored eggs add variety to my mostly-brown eggs. These birds are friendly to all of their peers and are very friendly to humans as well. I will always have easter eggers in my flock if possible. Currently I have three easter eggers and two easter egger mixes. All are lovely! 39933149_2332195220130636_857852999354023936_n[1].jpg 40051490_2335846083098883_5066206322710544384_n[1].jpg
Pros: Super calm for me to carry her around
Beautiful eggs!
Lovely variety of feather color in this 'breed'
Cons: Late maturing
Skittish/a little flighty
My EE, Hope, didn't start laying until almost exactly a year old, but it was worth the wait, as her eggs are a gorgeous sky blue/mint green.
She doesn't like being held or petted, unfortunately--since I like friendly pets--but I didn't include that as a con because when I catch her, she is super patient and pretty still in my arms (which I can't say for the other birds after a couple of seconds, lol). And she is at the bottom of the pecking order, but I didn't include that as a con, either, because...well, it has to be someone in the flock, right?, plus it might partly be because she has a bum leg, but for the most part, she gets around alright.

I liked this article on EEs, and I like my sweet Easter Egger, too, but overall, she's not my favorite bird (she's just my first/preferred pick to carry around the yard and I love gathering/waiting for her eggs). :D (The article gets five stars, but Hope gets an overall 4 stars).
Below is a picture of Hope as a chick, then adult, and then of her egg.
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Purchase Price
$0
Pros: Colorful eggs, friendly personality, hardy, easy keepers.
Cons: The incredibly wide variety of "mixes" to make an EE can lead to breed confusion.
I have several Easter Eggers: baby chicks, adult hens, and one Roo...

The babies are easily my sweetest, most attention craving little fluffies (of the variety of babies I have currently). The hens curiously follow me around 'chatting' with me. And the rooster respects my space and the hens. I love all of by EE birds, and highly recommend EEs, especially for new chicken keepers.
Pros: Calm, quiet, inquisitive
Cons: Some can be more flighty than others.
This article is a great brief overview of the Easter Egger. We love having them in our flock.
Pros: Very good layers of eggs of many colors, medium sized and fairly thrifty eaters, most are non-setters, lots of different plumage colors, hardy, good foragers and healthier than most.
Cons: Noisier and not as calm as some of the heavier breeds. Not accepted by the Standard of Perfection, so cannot be shown at poultry shows.
This is similar to land races of chickens such as Icelandic and Swedish Flower hens in that they have no breed standards but often have certain traits, such as beards and muffs, green legs, and mixed, wild type coloring, but they don't always have these traits. Nor do they always lay blue eggs. Brown, pale brown, pinkish brown, tinted and any shade of green are also possible. And that is part of Easter eggers' charm-- you can get a rainbow of shades in both the eggs and the plumage, and you never know what you will get until the birds have grown and lay eggs. It's like the lottery, with no real losers.

They are very good layers. Perhaps not quite up there with sex links or Leghorns, but not too far off from that, and they have more personality, in my opinion. Because they are of mixed blood they seem to have some hybrid vigor, and mine suffer less from disease and ailments than most of the pure breeds I have raised. They are also pretty quick and good at eluding predators.

For anyone wanting a colorful flock that lays colorful eggs but isn't interested in showing or raising pure breeds, these are a really excellent choice.
Pros: Sweet, fun, pretty, quiet, very calm, not very skittish, curious, loves to play, loves to dust bathe, don't fight much amongst themselves, cuddles, beautiful, loving
Cons: None that I can think of
I have had 19 Easter eggers for 5 months now and I'm so glad I got them!
They aren't very skittish like my orpingtons are which makes them fun and probably why they say they are great for kids.

They are curious, love to jump up high for perching, dust bathe a lot, they will jump up and sit for cuddles and they do not fight much amongst themselves.

They have been laying eggs for 1 month and they are mostly green from mint to darker green.

They have fluffy feathers framing their faces and tiny feather eyelashes large eyes, and are multi colored
I have one rooster in them who is super colorful with tons of Green/black shiny feathers.

They are pretty brave and easy going for chickens and I hate the fact some people concentrate on the fact they are mixed breed, because they are beautiful birds that are fun to be around
Pros: -unique appearance with diverse feather coloration
-lays colored eggs
-comical
-overall docile, easy-going nature
- wide gene pool with very little health problems
Cons: -inherent crook beak est. 1 in every 100 chicks.
-personalities and egg production may vary drastically, due to wide gene pool
OVERALL: The easter egg chicken is a great beginner fowl-bird, with very few health problems, and an overall easy-going nature.

They have beards, they lay colored eggs, and are relatively docile. what's not to love?

TEMPERAMENT: the hens are usually easy-going and docile. They have a tendency to be quite comical and inquisitive in nature. Be careful, though. that curiosity can get them into some strange places.
Because of their wide genetics, expect the individual personality to vary from bird to bird. some may be outgoing and brave, others shy and flighty.
The personality of the roosters are very unpredictable. Some will be docile, others will be aggressive.

Typically, they stick to their environment and heavily enjoy the safety & company of their own flock. While they CAN fly, they rarely are the "leader of escapes." However, it's not beyond them to be the first to follow another chicken who's already hopped the fence.

They have the ability to become broody, therefore usually will tolerate new generations better than a breed that rarely (or never) goes broody.

They are agile and quick, making them suitable for free-range.

HEALTH: Due to their wide genetics, one rarely comes across any severe health issue with easter egg chickens. They have good joints, hearts, & lungs. They live long lives & are naturally robust, fairly muscular, strong-boned chickens.

The most common health concern is a non-lethal genetic trait called Cross-beak. ( Cross-beak is where the upper jaw grows crooked or malformed, causing the upper and lower jaw to fail to align properly. Most cases will worsen with age. the most severe cases leave the upper jaw useless, therefore forcing the chicken to scoop up food with their lower jaw and tongue. severe crook-beaks require extra care, a "mushy" food or food propped up at head-height, to accommodate feeding. ) this deformity is estimated 1 in every 100 chicks, but is usually present far less than in ameraucanas.

APPEARANCE: A unique bird with unique, endless feather patterns & coloration, to match their relatively endless egg colors. They have both beards and tufts. Looking at one head-on, it appears to walk around with a permanent smile.

EGG PRODUCTION: This varies depending the line you get, and on what your breeder or hatchery breeds for. Some places will breed for high egg production, others will focus more on appearance. They can lay green, blue, or even pinkish-brown eggs.

AS USED FOR MEAT: this bird is also used for meat, due to a moderately fast growth rate & an insatiable taste resembling quail. The bird is not a heavy-weight, but by far isn't the smallest, either. To my best of knowledge, they are considered standards.

GENETIC HISTORY: The easter egger's genetics stem from many breeds, with a large history linked to ameraucanas. They are also related to araucanas. However, many people will tell you quite frankly, that's not the only two in the genepool. in fact, most say it's so diverse they don't know for sure all the breeds that were used create the easter egger, therefore leaving the rest a mystery.

Because they are not recognized as an actual "breed," It took many years to convince anyone that the easter egg chicken was worthy for show. That being said, the easter egg chicken could be considered one of the most beautiful "Mutt" creations. Today, they are accepted in show as misc., but remain widely known as not belonging to any certain breed, and rather are named cross-breeds, or mixed breed, etc.

PRICE: most places will sell easter eggers for a very affordable fraction of the other colored egg layers. they are usually the cheapest colored egg layer available on market.
Pros: Sweet, pretty eggs can be Easter eggs without dying the eggs, and great egg production
Cons: Roosters can be a little mean
Easter Eggers are great chickens. People should get themselves Easter Eggers if they want a chicken. They have pretty eggs, ranging from pink to blue to olive green. They only lay one color in their life though, but it is different from the normal brown or white egg. You can't forget their puffy cheeks though, they always look like they have a bubble in their mouth.
Pros: egg color
Cons: Roos rough on hens
This is one of my favorites
Pros: Friendly, sweet, consistent layers
Cons: Not always sure what you'll end up with
I had one EE previously that was a good layer and nice hen, but not overly friendly (she came from Cackle). I have 3 this time around (from Meyer) and they are my most friendly and social hens. They are all different colors and I love the variation.
Pros: Stayed close to home
Friendly
Beautiful birds
Beautiful eggs
My first choice in chickens
Cons: I have nothing bad to say about them.
Pros: Great egg production, can be very sweet and friendly, super cute, even roosters can be friendly!
Cons: Can be skittish, matures slowly, beards can fall out
I've had 3 EEs in my lifetime. 2 I owned as a young teen and both were roosters. It could be because we kept them separate from the hens (we accidentally bought roosters), but they were both incredibly sweet. We had a turkey poult given to us - mistaken for a chick - and one of our EE cockerels at a young age was the only one to mother this poult. The other EE roo loved to be around humans. He was such a friendly little guy! I miss them both soooo much.

I currently own one EE hen. She's not as sociable as our roosters were, but she definitely lays more eggs! :lol:
She started laying long after we planned, but she started with a bang! Loads of greenish-blue eggs popping out right and left. They're also a really decent size! She lays almost daily, too. Every day we are greeted by a lovely, decently sized, blue-green egg in our nest.

They're also such a beautiful "breed". They come in literally any color! And their beards can get so big. It makes them look rather funny, but very adorable! The sad thing, though, is that it is common for their beards to go mysteriously missing in the winter. Our EE hen has already lost hers, and is struggling to grow it back. Crossing my fingers and toes that it does! :fl

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Overall, though, I would definitely recommend Easter Eggers. If socialized appropriately, they can be very loving and sweet, and their eggs are just amazing. Too fun!

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Highly recommend for those looking for either a pet and/or a good egg layer! You just need a little patience if you're looking for eggs. It is rewarding in the end.
Purchase Price
$3.50
Purchase Date
April 19, 2017
Pros: sweet, funny, pretty feathers and eggs, and fluffy beards
Cons: none!
Farm stores usually sell "Ameraucanas" but really they're Easter Eggers. And I'm not complaining! Easter Eggers are a mixed breed so they come in such a variety of colors and patterns and have such sweet and funny personalities. My EE's lay mint green eggs everyday and sit on my lap for cuddles. One even wanders through my house looking for treats. They are a perfect family chicken especially for kids! Just got 2 more cause I love em so much.
Pros: They are so sweet, and calm.
Cons: They don't lay in winter.
I haven't had chickens for very long, but I love the Easter Eggers
Pros: Great layer
docile
Cons: non
I love my sweet easter egger! After she started laying, she became very friendly and is one of the best layers in the coop. She almost lasted all winter laying! (Live in desert) Everyone needs an easter egger in there flock :)
Purchase Price
$3.75
Pros: Personality, egg color
I love getting Easter eggers. When they are chicks, you never know what you're gonna get. Their coloring changes so much over the duration of feathering. I love having blue eggs in my carton. They can sometimes be the class clown in a flock! Super friendly!
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Pros: Variety of Colors both the birds because of the mixed breed and the eggs coming in blues, greens, pinks and browns. . Docile and great pets when raised from chicks.
Cons: I need some acreage to keep up for my love of these girls!
My Easter Eggers have given me a beautiful variety of chickens in different colors not to mention the variety of egg color that comes with them. I get blue, blue/green and pink! They are docile enough for my 4 year old daughter to pick up. If you aren't worried about your birds being purebreds, these are wonderful backyard chickens!
Pros: Calm and friendly. I don’t handle my chickens a lot and they are still friendly and curious about everything I am doing.
Cons: Can’t think of any.
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Pros: Sweet, curious, funny
Cons: Can be aloof
We currently have 6 easter eggers. Four of them are friendly and curious and very sweet. Two are more aloof and don't want attention. I love the different colored eggs. We have pale mint green, light blue green, pink, tan and light green eggs from the EEs.
Update, I have 2 more EE pullets that started laying, one is a small light blue egg and the other is a large olive egg. ☺

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Pros: good information for newbie
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