Ameraucana questions.

[SBHERPER]

Hello everyone,
So I guess I have been keeping chickens 40 years. Been a member here for a decade but don't post often if ever. I don't show and until recently I haven't really sold my chickens. A few years ago I purchased some "Ameraucanas" from a hatchery and I hatched a lot of chicks over the last 2 years. Last year a sold a bunch of chicks without issue. This year BOY have I been taken to task on a forum (not naming) for my chicks. My chicks look great, healthy and all but apparently this hatchery I bought my original stock from is considered not to be Ameraucanas. Anybody know about this issue? I'm not to concerned about what my breed is but I know many "show people" are. I don't want to deceive anyone but I have been selling my chicks as what this well known hatchery sells them as? Does anyone have insight on this issue?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Hello everyone,
So I guess I have been keeping chickens 40 years. Been a member here for a decade but don't post often if ever. I don't show and until recently I haven't really sold my chickens. A few years ago I purchased some "Ameraucanas" from a hatchery and I hatched a lot of chicks over the last 2 years. Last year a sold a bunch of chicks without issue. This year BOY have I been taken to task on a forum (not naming) for my chicks. My chicks look great, healthy and all but apparently this hatchery I bought my original stock from is considered not to be Ameraucanas. Anybody know about this issue? I'm not to concerned about what my breed is but I know many "show people" are. I don't want to deceive anyone but I have been selling my chicks as what this well known hatchery sells them as? Does anyone have insight on this issue?

What hatchery?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Ya Ameraucanas are a breed. They have a breed standard and only certain colors/patterns.
Most hatcheries sell similar birds that aren't always up to the standard. No surprise there. The other main issue is that mix colors/patterns so there's quite a variety.
Once upon a time breeders worked really hard on getting Ameraucanas accepted by the APA. Hatcheries continued breeding their stock like they always had. For whatever reason most never changed what they advertised their birds as.
Now days most people prefer to call those hatchery birds Easter Eggers and some hatcheries also do.
The problem is now there's the distinct breed Ameraucanas and everything else is considered Easter Eggers. It's like chicken expert 101, chapter one to discover the difference and hound everyone that doesn't know or understand.
Advertise your birds as Easter Eggers (EEs) and they'll still sell and you'll have less headaches.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

If I had to guess you bought them from McMurray. According to some people Easter egger came first before ameraucanas. No idea if that’s true or not.

 

[SBHERPER]

If I had to guess you bought them from McMurray. According to some people Easter egger came first before ameraucanas. No idea if that’s true or not.

Bingo

 

[SBHERPER]

If I had to guess you bought them from McMurray. According to some people Easter egger came first before ameraucanas. No idea if that’s true or not.

They have separate listings for Easter Egger vs Ameraucanas

 

[SBHERPER]

Ya Ameraucanas are a breed. They have a breed standard and only certain colors/patterns.
Most hatcheries sell similar birds that aren't always up to the standard. No surprise there. The other main issue is that mix colors/patterns so there's quite a variety.
Once upon a time breeders worked really hard on getting Ameraucanas accepted by the APA. Hatcheries continued breeding their stock like they always had. For whatever reason most never changed what they advertised their birds as.
Now days most people prefer to call those hatchery birds Easter Eggers and some hatcheries also do.
The problem is now there's the distinct breed Ameraucanas and everything else is considered Easter Eggers. It's like chicken expert 101, chapter one to discover the difference and hound everyone that doesn't know or understand.
Advertise your birds as Easter Eggers (EEs) and they'll still sell and you'll have less headaches.

"Advertise your birds as Easter Eggers (EEs) and they'll still sell and you'll have less headaches."

That is for sure.

 

[AnneGirlGG]

So many times I've seen "Americanas" being sold, which are Easter Eggers. But the actual breed "Ameraucana" is a true heritage breed. I don't personally like the term and spelling "Americana" being used because of the confusion it lends. But maybe that's their goal, and they don't exactly care about my opinion, lol.

But then you get people that don't know there is a difference get mad if their Ameraucanas don't have the right traits when that isn't what they actually bought. And most times, like in your case, nobody was trying to device their buyers.

Easter Eggers are often Ameraucanas or Araucanas bred with a brown egg layer, I think. I'm very new to chickens, so don't quote me on that.