Ameraucana question

[The Poultry Peanut]

Ameraucanas
St Run

Ameraucanas, known as the "Easter Egg Breed", are a multicolored breed. They have beards, muffs and a normal tail with a tail head. They are often incorrectly called Araucanas, which have ear tuffs, are rumpless, and do not have a tail head which gives them a bunny tail appearance. Most of the chicks sold as Araucanas are really Ameraucanas, which are excellent, efficient producers of large eggs of many colors and shades including blue and green.
Standard weights at maturity are males-5 lbs. and hens-4 lbs.

Are those Easter Eggers? or are they really Ameraucacas? This is from Ideal's website.​

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Ideal's chicks are the same as any other hatchery.

They will be Easter Eggers.

 

[The Poultry Peanut]

I thought so but I just wanted to be sure.

Why do hatcheries sell them under the wrong name?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
I have a "feeling" some do it intentionally to attract unknowing buyers who have not looked close enough at their Standards of Perfection!

But, I'm sure some hatcheries simply don't know the difference or don't care to know the difference between their breeds (or type of bird in the case of the Easter Egger).

 

[Whispering Winds]

Then, if you don't care about showing purebreds, is it ok to order the easter eggers? I am not quite catching the drift here . . .

 

[sherrydeanne]

If you just want some egg variety and some pretty birds, order the EE's

If you absolutely must have blue eggs (not green, pink or *gasp* a shade of brown), or you want to show, get true Ameraucana's from a breeder.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
The thing is...unless you are in 4H and able to show in a "layer" or "rainbow layer" class...then you won't be able to show in a sanctioned show.

Other than that...if you're just wanting them as layers, there is NOTHING wrong ordering Easter Eggers! They lay delicious eggs! You should just know that if you offer hatching eggs and say that they are from a hatchery, that others will know it is an Easter Egger.

 

[GardeNerd]

Easter Eggers.

Ideal has colored egg laying chickens that are really pretty and lay very well. They don't have purebreed or show quality Ameraucanas or Araucanas. However, I don't believe they are trying to lie when they call them by those names. They are trying to reach to all their customers. Before the APA recognized the breeds, the hatcheries sold them under those names with few complaints from customers.

The 70 year old owner of the feed store I go to only knows them as Araucanas. He has been in business for 45+ years. He looked at me funny when I asked if he had any Easter Eggers. I "corrected" myself and asked if he had any Ameraucanas or Araucanas and he said "oh, yes of course we do." I have learned dealing with him and the older neighbor down the street, many old timers that have nothing to do with showing or breeding chickens (especially after the late 1970s or 1980s) or places like BYC, still call them all Araucanas. They were all lumped under that name for a long time by many people. If just one or two of the big hatcheries didn't call them Araucanas, then many customers would just go to the hatcheries that did incorrectly call them by the names the folks learned as being the breed that lays colored eggs.

I think most hatcheries are not trying to deceive anyone when they say they are breed for laying abilities and a variety of egg color. Folks don't usually go there for show quality of other breeds either. With hatchery easter eggers, you get great layers and you never know what they will look like as mature birds. It is fun, and I love my Easter Egger. Easter Eggers are fabulous birds for regular backyard flocks!

For folks that quality breeding is important to and meeting APA or other club standards, you have to go to a breeder of pure Ameraucanas or Araucanas, just like any other breed.

If you hang around BYC much, just understand it is important to many folks that have spent lots of time and money breeding to the standards that you call them by the current and now correct APA names.

 

[The Poultry Peanut]

Quote:
Oh I have EEs and they are great I was just wondering why they did it