Ameraucaunas vs Easter egger

[taxidermist]

Hi I'm not new to chickens but it's been several years since I've had birds. I am interested in a few different breeds but the amieracaunas and Easter egger catch my eye the most. I love their blue and green eggs. I purchased some EE years ago from my local feed store. One laid blue eggs, one laid green, and three missed the colored gene completely and laid white eggs.
Before I order any birds I have A few questions
1)which breed would be better EE or true AM?
2) where is the best hatchery to order from?(I'm in nc)
I noticed meyer hatchery offers EE and true AM but the ameracaunas are expensive!
I thought of ordering a mix batch of mostly EE hens and maybe an AM rooster. My goal is vibrant blue and green eggs. Meyer also sells olive eggers(that might be a cool addition .)

Other breeds I'm looking at are dark Cornish and Turken.(I like variety)
Most hatcheries have a minimum order of 25 birds so to fill the void I will purchase some Cornish X Rocks for the freezer.

Thanks

 

[dekel18042]

In some hatcheries, Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers are the same thing.
If you want only a few hens, you can get as few as three sexed day old pullets (depending on your zip code, could be four or five) from My Pet Chicken, and they do differentiate between the two breeds.
EE's are in the neighborhood of 3.00 plus change while the Ameraucanas are around $20.00 each.
I've seen their EE eggs and they have all been a pretty blue. blue green or steel bluish.

 

[shmccarthy]

EEs are less expensive, generally smaller, more docile and tend to lay better than Ameraucaunas. They can be any color and lay pretty much any shade of egg but usually will lay green eggs. They are difficult to determine what you'll hatch out because of their crazy genetics, you never really know what you'll get because they don't breed true.

Ameraucaunas, tend to be more flighty, are larger and sometimes don't lay as often as the hybrid Easter Eggers. They only come in 8 set colors and usually cost a pretty penny. The best places to get them is from breeders, some hatcheries offer Ameraucaunas, but the quality still isnt usually all there. They will lay different shades of blue egg, and can be shown.

It's really up to you, and what fits your needs best. If you want a pretty backyard bird that lays colorful eggs, get EEs. If you want a bird you can breed, show, and don't mind paying extra, get an Ameraucauna.