Difference in Ameraucana, Araucana, Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers.

[minimaj03]

What are the differences between Ameraucana, Araucana, Easter Egger and Olive Eggers? I assume the Easter Egger and Olive Egger just have to do with the color egg they lay. Can some explain the rest. I just seeing people way they want "true Ameraucanas." Just wanted to know if I was missing something. Thanks.

 

[BrickWall Honey]

Hi

This will help you have an understanding of some of the differences. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713475/diffences-between-ees-ameraucanas-and-araucanas

There are many on here that likely will also give you a good explanation, I'm not one of them as they are new to me.

 

[Manningjw]

Essentially Easter Eggers are any chickens that posses the blue egg shell gene. Ameraucanas and Araucanas are specific (separate) breeds of chicken that posses blue egg laying genes. "Olive Eggers" are essentially a form of Easter Egger bred for the specific purpose of laying dark green eggs (combining Blue egg shell gene with a dark brown egg layer such as Marans). Like Easter Eggers, they are not bred to a specific standard which is the only think that sets Ameraucanas and Araucanas apart from other EE's.

Similar to other pure bred chickens, Ameraucana is often used to describe an Easter Egger even though they may not meet the breed description. Check out the breed description from the link above .

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Jw, correction.
EE's can lay brown eggs.
An EE is a Araucana cross any other breed.
Then when you have an EE cross any other breed you would still have EE's.

 

[Manningjw]

Jw, correction.
EE's can lay brown eggs.
An EE is a Araucana cross any other breed.
Then when you have an EE cross any other breed you would still have EE's.

If easter eggers are still considered Easter Eggers even if they lay brown eggs then any chicken can be considered such. I guess that is the problem with having a label that isn't defined by APA. For instance, if I bred my White Leghorn to an EE then crossed them back to White Leghorns successively so much so that they would again resemble and meet White Leghorn pure bred APA I could still label it an EE because at some point it was related to a chicken that once laid a blue or green egg?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Egger

Generally speaking, EE is used to define any chicken that carries the blue egg gene but does not meet criteria for Ameraucana, Araucana or any other APA recognized breed description. Even crossing two pure Ameraucanas of different APA type will yield EE because the off spring will no longer breed true or be a recognized type.