Ameraucanas vs Easter Eggers

[JodyJo]

http://apa-abayouthpoultryclub.org/Edu_Material/Easter%20Eggers%20vs.pdf

I just found this link this morning...it explains it pretty well...

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Quote:
Actually, according to that link any chicken could be labeled an Easter Egger (check out the chart at the bottom). Plus, all Ameraucanas do not lay blue eggs. Purebred Ameraucanas can also lay green eggs and Easter Eggers can lay blue eggs, so egg color itself is not a clue.

I agree that there is a difference between Easter Eggers and Ameraucanas, but even though Easter Eggers are not the same as purebred Ameraucanas, there are still certain characteristics that most hatchery EEs are expected to have. Hatchery EEs usually have a pea comb, muffs and beard, and a similar body type to the Ameraucanas. I have never seen a hatchery Easter Egger come tailless or with tufts. Yes, they can be clean-faced or lay the wrong colored eggs, but faults like that are even found in pure Ameraucanas.

I have hatched some pure Ameraucana eggs purchased from a reputable breeder and one my of purebred pullets was clean-faced. Another pullet had a crossbeak. These are faults and these 2 chickens should not be used in a breeding program, but I'm always seeing posts regarding only the EEs as sometimes being clean-faced, etc.

I think some of the confusion stems from the fact that there there is a difference between the hatchery Easter Eggers and EE mixes from someone's home flock, yet these EEs and the EE mixes carry the same label/name. Flock owners wouldn't breed a Red Star (a mixed breed) to a Buff Orpington and call the offspring Red Stars, yet we do that with the Easter Eggers.

I own both pure Ameraucanas and hatchery Easter Eggers. I find that all are very similar in personality and body type, etc. -- The only main difference I see between the types is the feather coloring. I love them all

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
Actually, according to that link any chicken could be labeled an Easter Egger (check out the chart at the bottom). Plus, all Ameraucanas do not lay blue eggs. Purebred Ameraucanas can also lay green eggs and Easter Eggers can lay blue eggs, so egg color itself is not a clue.

I agree that there is a difference between Easter Eggers and Ameraucanas, but even though Easter Eggers are not the same as purebred Ameraucanas, there are still certain characteristics that most hatchery EEs are expected to have. Hatchery EEs usually have a pea comb, muffs and beard, and a similar body type to the Ameraucanas. I have never seen a hatchery Easter Egger come tailless or with tufts. Yes, they can be clean-faced or lay the wrong colored eggs, but faults like that are even found in pure Ameraucanas.

I have hatched some pure Ameraucana eggs purchased from a reputable breeder and one my of purebred pullets was clean-faced. Another pullet had a crossbeak. These are faults and these 2 chickens should not be used in a breeding program, but I'm always seeing posts regarding only the EEs as sometimes being clean-faced, etc.

I think some of the confusion stems from the fact that there there is a difference between the hatchery Easter Eggers and EE mixes from someone's home flock, yet these EEs and the EE mixes carry the same label/name. Flock owners wouldn't breed a Red Star (a mixed breed) to a Buff Orpington and call the offspring Red Stars, yet we do that with the Easter Eggers.

I own both pure Ameraucanas and hatchery Easter Eggers. I find that all are very similar in personality and body type, etc. -- The only main difference I see between the types is the feather coloring. I love them all

good to know...I am new to EE, I have 3 pullets at 22 weeks I am waiting to lay....my avatar is one of them. I just googled the question and that was the link I found.

Mine have tails and tufts, and as I can see, no earlobes...

 

[debid]

Quote:
Actually, cheek puff is called "muffs". Tufts are the longer feather protrusions on Araucanas from a lethal gene.

Mine all have earlobes but it's not easy to see through the muffs. AND, some have red ears and some have white with no relation at all to egg color.

 

[oldorchardfarms]

this question is very touchy..... i happily breed both. I personally think the only big difference with them is ees allow unique differences, while ameraucanas have qualifications I HAVE BOTH so i am not hating one or the other, they both are great birds and can be a lot of fun. You will get different answers (as you see) from some who own ameraucanas and some who own ees and they each have a strong point of view.

 

[billiejo21]

Just wanted to add...most hatcheries disregard breed standards in general...so I think it would be quite difficult to determine a "standard" based on hatchery EE's....I can say one thing...they sure are pretty!!!

 

[ChicKat]

In this link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7866253#p7866253
written by By John W. Blehm
President
Ameraucana Breeders Club

I find this facinating quote:

"Which came first the Araucana or the Ameraucana? Actually since both are now legitimate names of official APA breeds let's say the Easter Eggers came first. They came to this country as mongrel chickens and were bred to other types of chickens. Over the past several decades some breeders bred them to look the way they wanted. Some bred for tufted and rumpless characteristics, some bred for muffs and tails and others bred for whatever they wanted. Araucanas were not developed from Ameraucanas and Ameraucanas were not developed from Araucanas. They were both bred up from Easter Eggers or mixed breed chickens. " (Italics are mine).

sooooo I take that to mean that the Ameraucana was DERIVED from the EE.

interesting huh?

 

[ChicKat]

JodyJo-------

Your picture is so stunning, on my screen it looks practically 3-D !

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Does anyone know what or why the hatcheries mix the Americaunas with other breeds? And, why does Mcmurray Hatchery list both Americuanas and Araucanas in their catolog when they are probably just EEs? ( I bought their Americaunas and they are nice EEs but definitely EEs)

 

[Pele]

Quote:
Yep, I was quite shocked when I learned that too a while ago! Ameraucanas were absolutely derived from EE stock, because people wanted to have predictable features on their birds rather than deal with hatchery shenanigans with the genes. I believe the ancestry of the Araucanas is a little more murky, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was refined through EEs.

This is a really nice thread discussing the topic, good info!