BREEDING EE's

[ging3rhoffman]

I ordered my EE's from Meyers Hatchery and what they do is use True Ameraucan Roosters with White rock hens and White leghorn hens to get their EE's. Out of the 9 girls i bought from meyers, none lay a brown egg. So thats how I would do it if I was going to breed to get all colored eggs from the hens.

If you use and EE Roo with EE Hens you have a 50% chance of getting brown egg layers. Then their off spring will be even a higher percentage of brown egg layers.

 

[bearpaw]

HI, Morninggloryhatchery,

EE's are 1/2 breeds and you could breed your EE rooster to your EE hens. I suggest a pure bred Ameraucana rooster from an Ameraucana club member. They normally have roosters that are not good show quality and some that are for sale. Nobody wishes to feed extra roosters they do not need. I myself have several blacks, a few wheatens and others I need to cull. But it's best ypou find a breeder in your area.

Bearpaw

 

[Krys109uk]

I'd agree with Kev & breed the EEs together.
Does your EE male have a pea comb?
The presence of a single comb in EEs is often an indicator that the bird may not be carrying any blue egg genes. The blue egg gene (O) & the pea comb gene (P) are close on the same chromosome & most often, but not always, get inherted together. It is not 100% accurate but close (I think it's 96% isn't it?).


Presuming your EE male to have a pea comb there is a likelihood he carries at least one blue egg gene. Even if he & every single female were carrying a non blue egg gene (O) that would only give in the region of 1 egg in 4 non blue.

Perhaps you could try a trial run & hatch some of their eggs & check the comb of the chicks.
The percentage of brown/white eggs will not statistically be greater than 50%, even if only one of the parents carries only one blue egg gene. And thatdoes not sound likely.

I don't think EEs are necessarily defined as laying blue or green eggs, a fair few of them don't & as they're not a breed there is no standard. I think the only thing one can assume of an EE is that it will have had araucana somewhere in its ancestry.

 

[Kev]

Quote:
First paragraph, yes that will work. Second paragraph, no. EE really are a very mixed bag. That is why they come in a full range of colors and patterns and also a full range of egg colors. If only purebred Amer roosters were used then none of the EE would lay anything besides blue or green eggs. Many lay tans, browns and "pinks".

Would not be surprised if a specific hatchery did something like crosses between true Amers and another breed or crossed between true Amers colors however from the appearence of most EE they come from EE x EE.

 

[Kev]

Quote:
EE have no standard. Because they're not a breed. So literally, anything can go with these birds.. including brown or white eggs. EE are also often sold as "rainbow egg layers".. which implies ALL egg colors are possible. Sure, a person may be disappointed to get a brown or white egger EE but then there are also persons who are disappointed when all of their EE lay blue and/or green eggs......

Again, no standard. However, a stronger problem is because so many EE have beards and green legs, a lot of people come to expect EE to look "like that" and get thrown off sometimes by getting an EE without beard or having yellow legs.

Remember and realize EE are not a breed, therefore no standard so anything can go.

 

[Krys109uk]

however from the appearence of most EE they come from EE x EE.

There's such a variety of shades & colours I have to agree. I bet most are EE X EE.
Crossed with a white leghorn they'd have little variety. All white with a droopy pea comb.​

 

[ams3651]

Im no expert but I can give you my experience. I cross bread EE hens (white and grey with slate legs, greenish blue eggs) to RIR rooster. The results are red hens with yellow legs, they do have a wide tail like the EE with black feathers but other wise appear to be RIR if you didnt know. But I do have one already laying the same color greenish egg. Now the cockerel from this mix is much more interesting. I need to get a new pic. He is a beautiful hodge podge of color. He has the long EE neck that is primarily grey and white with the feather "collar" like the EEs, muffs, red wings, mostly white body golden saddle feathers (huh?) red feathers then the long curly iridescent green tail feathers.
He really is gorgeous, I want to keep him but if it will mess up breeding the EE's I dont know what to do. Will it help that is is half RIR or not?

 

[Krys109uk]

Will it help that is is half RIR or not?

I don't think it would be a good plan to use him.​

 

[Riocotesei]

I bred my EE's with EE's, barred rock, RIR, and occasionally silkies. For me a EE is a dark legged bird with a pea comb and lays green/blue eggs. (Though I know they have no standard) I have gotten very nice colored mixes by using RIR and Barred rock. I have not however, kept any of the offspring long enough to know whether they lay green or blue eggs. I would imagine since all the EE hens I have lay green eggs that the trait would pass on.
For fun here are some of the mixes I've produced,

I will now got take a picture of the RIR x EE cross I have...if no one minds the pictures...

 

[Kev]

Quote:

There's such a variety of shades & colours I have to agree. I bet most are EE X EE.
Crossed with a white leghorn they'd have little variety. All white with a droopy pea comb.

Right, plus if the leghorns used have the eggshell pigment repression gene, their eggs would tend to be very pale and/or chalky. Don't think many people would be happy with that..

Many years ago(over 20), a good portion of EE looked like they were probably crosses or mixes with OEG or something of similar type- more slender with long, broad tails and taller carriage. Non-bearded were more common. Don't see any of these nowadays.. most seem "heavy"(some are huge now) or very fluffy with short tails. Kind of seems breeding practices with EE changes over time or ??