Ameraucana vs. EE

[catlikethief]

Goodmorning!

A few weeks ago I picked up three EE's. I bought them from an member of the Ameraucana Breeders Club. He told me they were EE and that they would lay blue eggs.
I'm happy either way. But rather confused. I was under the impression that all EE's have green legs and their egg color is undetermined. Mine all have very black legs.

Here are pictures of Maisy. She's almost 3 months old and probably the prettiest of all the girls. So what's your opinion is she an EE?

 

[dacjohns]

There have been quite a few threads on this subject.

If you bought it from a member of the Ameraucana Breeders Club it should be what he said it is. EEs are not the same as Ameraucanas despited what some hatcheries might want you to think.

What makes it an EE is the gene for laying blue tinted eggs. An EE will have the traits of an Ameraucana but will not have all the right stuff to make it an Ameraucana. Best go to : http://www.ameraucana.org/

It will explain it a lot better than my fumbling attempt.

 

[Guitartists]

It could be that their Ameraucanas crossed with some of their other chickens... making them EEs. An Easter egger is mixed breed chicken that lats green/blue eggs.

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

EE's don't have to have green legs, since they are usually mutts thus can look like anything.
As to egg colour, maybe that person was working on his/her line to exclusivly lay blue eggs.

In the purebred Ameraucana world any purebred not meeting the standard of the breed is also called an EE. So if you breed purebred blacks and get 1 chick has 1 red feather its called an EE.

 

[Guitartists]

Hmmm... I had wondered about that... but it wouldn't change the breed, but I could see how they would refer to it as an EE because of breeding.

 

[pips&peeps]

No, not all ee's have green legs, they can have all different colors of legs because they are mixed breeds.

The breeder you got them from is probably trying to develop a new pattern/color and these didn't turn out like what they wanted, so he sold them as layers.

They are termed ee's because they do not fit the standard of an ameraucana. They do look similar to brown red, but probably don't carry the correct genes.

 

[catlikethief]

pips&peeps :

No, not all ee's have green legs, they can have all different colors of legs because they are mixed breeds.

The breeder you got them from is probably trying to develop a new pattern/color and these didn't turn out like what they wanted, so he sold them as layers.

They are termed ee's because they do not fit the standard of an ameraucana. They do look similar to brown red, but probably don't carry the correct genes.

Thank you so much for clearing that up for me. I figured it was something along those lines but wanted confirmation.​

 

[catlikethief]

Quote:
Thank you!

 

[marshhen]

My understanding is that an EE is an ameraucana x ameraucana cross, but the parents are not of the same recognized ameraucana color, or may not meet any of the sanctioned colors, or may not have an appropriate muff, etc. Once you get EE (all ameraucana, but not sanctioned color or missing some other characteristic) and breed them to one another, you continue to get EEs. So, the genes are ameraucana (as opposed to something like RIR), but parents, or grandparents, etc. did not fit a sanctioned color or muff pattern, etc. Just my understanding. I guess some folks continue to call an EE x other breed (such as RIR or Barred Rock) mix an EE, but I think those are more appropriately called mutts.

 

[Guitartists]

Hmmmm... as if the blue egg chicken fiasco could get ANY MORE COMPLICATED!!!!!

Well, that certainly changes things, doesn't it? I was under the impression that EE's were not a breed, but a type (green/blue egg laying). It just messes me up... because even if you have a sub-standard example of any other breed... it is still that breed, just pet quality. So... EE's being a term for pet quality Ameraucanas just throws another confusing bit into the mix

From the Ameraucana Breeders website.....

What are Easter Egg chickens?

The Ameraucana Breeders Club defines an Easter Egg Chicken or Easter Egger as any chicken that possesses the blue egg gene, but doesn’t fully meet any breed description as defined in the APA and/or ABA standards. Further, even if a bird meets a standard breed description, but doesn’t meet a variety description or breed true at least 50% of the time it is considered an Easter Egg chicken.



Soooooooo.... an EE is a chicken that IS full Ameraucana but not of the right type... OR.... a chicken that LOOKS like a accepted Ameraucana but does make more perfect little Ameraucana chicks.

Is there any other breed this confuzzling?????