Are they all easter eggers?

[Lucy4]

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Thanks so much to all of you. This has been so interesting to me. I guess I thought my girls were Ameraucanas because they have the qualities many of you listed... but they are considered EE's because they are not the recognized colors for the breed. Uh... did I get that right?

Honestly, it doesn't affect me much either way. These are pets and egg producers that I enjoy very much. But it's fun for me to learn about, in any case!

 

[TK Poultry]

I call mine designer chickens it makes them sound so much more important than "mutts"

 

[kano]

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Here in this country(I'm from Chile) many chickens in farms mostly in the south,( were "araucanía"is located) lay blue/green eggs. I have my doubts that any of them are "pure"araucanas like the Standard of Perfection comands. Of course there are numerous lines some like the ""other countries" standars, whith muffs, beards, crested, frizzles, "tuzonas"(whith the feathers of the back of the neck, twisted), and of course "colloncas"and "quetros".So all of the local chickens are EEs.And they call them "chilenas"(Chilean).

 

[kano]

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Here in this country(I'm from Chile) many chickens in farms mostly in the south,( were "araucanía"is located) lay blue/green eggs. I have my doubts that any of them are "pure"araucanas like the Standard of Perfection comands. Of course there are numerous lines some like the ""other countries" standars, whith muffs, beards, crested, frizzles, "tuzonas"(whith the feathers of the back of the neck, twisted), and of course "colloncas"and "quetros".So all of the local"criollas" chickens( I mean the backyard chickens) are EEs.And they call them "chilenas"(Chilean).

 

[americana-chick]

Both are EEs.

and i LOVE Bella! she is gorgeous!!!

 

[SunnyDawn]

Love those EEs!

 

[magentamomma]

Now I have a question. Can EEs be bantam size? i have some ameracana(sp) crosses, that were fathered by a bantam frizzle roo. So, could they still lay the colored eggs, or does the bantam genetics cancel that out?

 

[TK Poultry]

i can only answer a portion of your question but of course EE's come in bantams

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Here in this country(I'm from Chile) many chickens in farms mostly in the south,( were "araucanía"is located) lay blue/green eggs. I have my doubts that any of them are "pure"araucanas like the Standard of Perfection comands. Of course there are numerous lines some like the ""other countries" standars, whith muffs, beards, crested, frizzles, "tuzonas"(whith the feathers of the back of the neck, twisted), and of course "colloncas"and "quetros".So all of the local chickens are EEs.And they call them "chilenas"(Chilean).

Araucanas and ameraucanas are created breeds (as are many other chicken breeds). Araucanas were created in the US by breeding imported Chiliean birds, including tufted/non-tufted, rumpless/rumped, blue egg/brown egg layers as well as other traits. Different breeders went in different directions for developing the breed, and eventually the current standard for the araucana was accepted into the standard. Not all blue egg breeders were happy and later the ameraucana were standardized and recognised. So yes, EE's came first (sort of--as there were various different native Chiliean breeds); however, they continue to be created whenever anyone crosses a bird that lays a blue egg with another bird. See http://ameraucana.org/history.html for a complete history rather than my condensed summary.

No one continues to call a leghorn X RIR cross a leghorn or RIR, or the offspring of a wyandotte and a cochin by either of those names, so why people call the offspring of an araucana or ameracana that was not purebred by that name is beyond me.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Kano, thanks for the onhand info. I think you stated the case very well. And, as always, Sonoran Silkies has a lot of good knowledge about genetics and breeds.

From what I have read, and I am not in the same ballpark as Sonoran as far as knowledge or experience, a chicken has to meet the recognized color standards of the Ameraucana to be recognized as an Ameraucana. Otherwise, it is considered an EE. Does this mean that a chicken with Wyandote parents that does not meet the color standards of a recognized Wyandotte color is not a Wyandote, but is considered a mutt? I think the answer is that an EE is not a "recognized" breed so there are no standards other than a possibility that it might lay a colored egg where the Ameraucana, Wyandotte, or any other recognized bred, has recognized characteristics other than egg color to help define it.

And just to stir things up, how far from the standards can a bird be and still be considered an Ameraucana? With other breeds, I understand the best breeders have to cull most of their chicks even from their best birds to keep trying to maintain or achieve the standards of perfection. I'm not talking about the difference between breeder's birds and hatchery stock, I'm talking about the good breeders stock. The breeders have to work hard to achieve and maintain standards, whether Ameraucana or other breeds. It is not easy.

Now, talking about the hatcheries, does this mean that a Buff Orp from a hatchery is not a Buff Orp because it does not meet the standards, let alone one with a non-recognized color being an Orpington?

I don't think the difference in nomenclature will ever be settled, especially as hatcheries and others are calling EE's by the names Araucana or Ameraucana. To the breeders it makes a big difference. While information and knowledge is good, to the rest of us, I don't think it really makes a huge difference.

Please note, this is purely my opinion and I could be wrong about some definitions. My wife can confirm I can occasionally be wrong.