Arucana, Americauna, EE

[nancy1zak]

What is the difference? We got an Americauna from a lady who sells chickens that are coop-ready. She is flighty and the other chickens pick on her. She starting (finally) laying eggs...and they are taupe.

She has green legs and pea comb and wheaten color. The lady we got her from is so fabulous. She said if any turn out to be roos she will exchange them or take them back. I think she is overrun by roos. Or, was the last time I was there. She said she would take our Americauna back, or exchange her with two other chickens. Her next set of Arucanas will be ready for pick up July 17th. Everyone says my Americauna is an EE. I told her and she said that she is paying the hatchery for Americaunas that lay green eggs. So, she is not happy with my dud that doesn't lay green eggs. I wanted to know...what is the difference with all three names? Also, are they all flighty? We can't even get a hold of our EE to put no pick or blue kote or anything like that on her tail because she runs away. The last time I tried to get her she got so stressed that she flew right into my face and then up and over a 5 foot fence. If I exchange her for two others...I don't need double the trouble. I will just stick with my taupe laying EE and deal with it.

 

[BayChicks]

Green legs = EE If she bought "Ameraucanas" from a hatchery, they are def. ee's. I don't know of any commercial hatchery that sells real Ams. EE's do not have to have green legs though, they can be slate or other colors depending on what they are crossed with, but hatchery ee's usually have green legs and most that I've bought do lay blue or green eggs, but once a awhile one will lay brown, or what some call pink.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ameraucana

 

[nancy1zak]

The chicken has green legs...but, no green egg. It is taupe.

 

[columbiacritter]

Araucanas are a pure breed of rumpless chicken with cheek tufts. True Araucanas can be hard to find as the genes that create the cheek tufts can be a fatal gene which leads to high chick mortality.

Americaunas or Easter eggers are crosses with Araucanas to make a rumped chicken that generally, not always, lays colored eggs and sometimes has cheek tufts. The appearance of the crosses depends on what they were crossed with. Egg color is a roll of the genetic dice. I've had them lay pure white, pink, green even robins egg blue all from hens that were full sisters to each other.

I've lost my taste for raising them as they always seem to be the lowest birds on the social pecking order and frequently the dumbest. I have one left, we call her the shorty bus hen.

 

[nancy1zak]

so do arucanas have green legs?

 

[nancy1zak]

columbiacritter...that is where we are with our EE. I have to keep watching her because the other chickens pick on her. Today I saw her just walking very slowly around while one of the buff orpingtons was pecking feathers out of her. So, I threw in the flock block to deter them. But, the EE just takes it. I don't want to exchange her for two more that will be just like her. Flighty, and low on the pecking order...one is enough. I am assuming that Aruancans are just as flighty as Americaunas/EEs?

 

[HBuehler]

Many EE's don't lay green eggs they lay brown white and pink.If it came from a hatchery it's an EE no matter what she sells them as..backyard "breeders" here sell them the same way and when we try to explain it they say it's my opinion...it's fact the APA Breed standard says so.I doubt yours is a true Wheaten the EE version isn't close once you see the real thing..we have both EE and true Ameraucana's
All of ours are very gentle birds easy to get along with and not at all flighty.But,because EE's are a mutt chicken you have no idea what is in the breeding behind yours it could be some of the more flighty breeds.
Best thing to do is check out the Ameraucana web site http://www.ameraucana.org/ they have the breed standard and pictures of what the true Ameraucana looks like.
Araucana's are a totally different breed..they have their own web site as well

 

[feathersnuggles]

My EE (the one that I posted pictures of in another of your posts) is the lowest on the pecking order, in our flock of five. She does lay green eggs. She is very friendly to me & DH, but then I hand-fed her while she was a chick because she wasn't growing like the others. If I call her over, she will actually step into my lap when I sit down. She seems quite intimidated by the other birds, except for her one buddy. I think some of her problems come from having so much feathering around her eyes. Probably makes it harder to see everything, including treats and other bird movements. She's very curious. She's the only one who has flown over the fence to the neighbor's yard - then immediately started hollering because she couldn't figure out how to get back.

I, too, thought I was getting a day-old Ameraucana chick. However, she was a hatchery/feedstore chick. I'm wiser, a year later, and now you're wiser too.

I like all my hens, and I will keep this girl and the other EE I have who lays beige eggs. But, next time I want an Ameraucana, I'm going to get chicks or fertile eggs from a private breeder who specializes in this breed. There are some on BYC. I started out knowing nothing, but have learned a lot about these birds (and the blue/green egg gene) by browsing BYC posts and reading other websites.

 

[nancy1zak]

Yes, I am wiser now. We got her for the green eggs. My husband thinks we should give her back since she is always getting picked on by the others. He has said it several times before....even before no green eggs. The lady we got her from has some barred rocks that will be coop ready in July. Maybe that would be a better fit for our other chickens. She offered to take her back and exchange her, but I don't want any more EE's. I feel like maybe I should just give her back for no exchange. Adding more chickens might not go so smooth.

 

[tellynpeep]

Quote:
This is only partially correct. EEs are a cross, usually with the blue/green-colored egg gene. But Ameraucanas (NOT "Americanas") are a breed, as someone else pointed out. They do posess the blue egg gene, but are VERY different from the Araucana breed.