Ameraucana or EE?

[tuesdaylove]

Hey y'all!

Last Friday I got four pullets, who the breeder said were a barred rock, a buff Orpington, a black sex link, and an Ameraucana. I've never owned any of these breeds before. I assume the Orp and rock are what they're said to be. I know a BSL isn't a real breed but this pullet looks like the general type.

After some research, I'm finding out that true Ameraucana birds are apparently quite rare, and that most of them are Easter Eggers. I'm curious to see if y'all can help me decide which one my pullet is.

She's four and a half months old, if that helps.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Definitely an EE. Pretty bird!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Easter Egger.

Did they call themselves a breeder? One of my friends thought they were getting birds from a breeder... but when asked they were a 4H person raising hatchery birds... which is kind of what I suspect with all those breeds.

She is a pretty girl, really love EE.

 

[tuesdaylove]

Definitely an EE. Pretty bird!

Thank you!

Easter Egger.

Did they call themselves a breeder? One of my friends thought they were getting birds from a breeder... but when asked they were a 4H person raising hatchery birds... which is kind of what I suspect with all those breeds.

She is a pretty girl, really love EE.

It was a family who said they ran a farm and they did call themselves breeders, but they were selling five or six different breeds. The man showed me a sticker where they had been shipped either the eggs or chicks (didn't notice which), so I guess they didn't actually breed those particular birds. He said he was sure she was an Ameraucana rather than an EE, and went on to tell me that she would lay blue or green eggs, and I'm seeing now that true Ameraucanas do not lay green eggs.

 

[lazy gardener]

It's amazing how many folks will call themselves breeders. As in:

I bought these eggs, and hatched them, therefore, I am a breeder.

I ordered chicks from the hatchery, or bought them from a feed store, and am selling the extras, therefore, I am a breeder.

I got stuck with an oops roo, and he's the same breed as 2 of my other hens, therefore, I am a breeder.

I like (insert the name of a favorite breed here) ______________, so I bought a few pullets and a cockerel from the hatchery, and am now hatching every egg they lay and selling the chicks, therefore, I am a breeder.

An ethical person will not call themselves a breeder unless they start with good stock, have a specific breeding program in which they produce a LOT of chicks, and only keep the best 2 - 3 as future breeders. They keep good records. With every successive generation, they work towards breeding a superior strain that meets the SOP for that breed.

I have bought hatchery chicks and sold the extras. I plan to breed Buck Eyes from hatchery stock this season. And have hatched and sold my own "flavor" of barn yard mix birds every year. But, I am not at all qualified to call myself a breeder! Any one who buys my birds knows exactly what they are getting and exactly where they came from.

 

[JedJackson]

Yep, she's an Easter egger and that is nothing to feel let down about in my opinion. Easter eggers are usually much better layers and they can lay eggs of many colors, including blue. She also looks very healthy.

 

[lazy gardener]

In my experience, many back yard flock owners are convinced that they have Ameraucana or Araucana. When I try to educate those flock owners in my community, their eyes glaze over, and they continue to call their birds Ameraucana or Araucana. They simply choose not to adopt the right name, which is sad, b/c it continues to perpetrate the error. Personally, I love EE, and while I have one Am, I think EE are better layers. Hatcheries should be ashamed for themselves for their false labeling. Over the last few years, I am now seeing several hatcheries which are correctly labeling their birds. Kudos to Cackle for finally getting with the program. I'm sure there are others.

 

[tuesdaylove]

Yep, she's an Easter egger and that is nothing to feel let down about in my opinion. Easter eggers are usually much better layers and they can lay eggs of many colors, including blue. She also looks very healthy.

In my experience, many back yard flock owners are convinced that they have Ameraucana or Araucana. When I try to educate those flock owners in my community, their eyes glaze over, and they continue to call their birds Ameraucana or Araucana. They simply choose not to adopt the right name, which is sad, b/c it continues to perpetrate the error. Personally, I love EE, and while I have one Am, I think EE are better layers. Hatcheries should be ashamed for themselves for their false labeling. Over the last few years, I am now seeing several hatcheries which are correctly labeling their birds. Kudos to Cackle for finally getting with the program. I'm sure there are others.

Thanks guys! I'm pretty excited to see what color she lays! I had always wanted an EE too, so I'm not disappointed at all, I just wanted to know what she was so I didn't mislabel her.

 

[drumstick diva]

EE's are very popular and rightly so.

 

[nminusyplusm]

The one Ameraucana chick in my order which was supposed to be all sexed females turned out to be a cockerel so he had to be rehomed and my flock is now mostly EEs and they are great! Mine are friendly, easy going, (relatively) quiet reliable layers that handle 100+ degree summers (with a cool wading pool) and icy days equally well.