Easter Egger club!

[love laugh farm]

I severely appreciate ALL info that anyone gives! I love to learn even if it's the smallest hint, my research before told me that Araucanas, Ameraucanas, americanas and EEs were all different breeds but only Araucana and Ameraucana were recognized, I suppose I got mixed up while researching multiple breeds at the same time, lol! This newer insight means i get to re-research!

which for a book worm is awesome times! especially since i'll be started school soon to be a vet and i'd like to be able to tend to the city birds!!!

 

[SuperBuckBuck]

Here's my EE mixes

 

[SuperBuckBuck]

 

[SuperBuckBuck]

 

[SuperBuckBuck]

The first one is a Rhode Island Red mixed with a buff orp as mom or dad with a purebread EE named Hazel. She's the sweetest she comes and lays on my lap and puts and falls asleep.

 

[SuperBuckBuck]

The second one is named Speckled because when we incubated her she had a speckled egg!! She is a partridge Wyandotte crossed with an EE. No muffs though. She's the alpha

 

[SuperBuckBuck]

And last but not least is Goldox (Goldy) who is a buff orp Rhode Island Red mixed with a EE. She's Hazels twin

 

[Gryphon]

The origins of all the blue egg layers are the Quechua, from South America. This thread is quite thorough in talking about the history of the breed: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/402512/quechua-tojuda-ameraucana-easter-eggers-in-vino-veritas

In short, they came from South America, were exported around the world and crossed with all sorts of breeds, were brought to the U.S. and refined into a few different breeds. Remember, with chickens it's not so much that the parents are "purebred" as the offspring follow the standards of the breed. That's why you can have two purebred Ameraucana or Araucana and when crossed together, the offspring might not qualify for the breed (in the case of two colors being mixed that don't match the standard, or off-colored legs, or what have you). Of course, the longer you breed a line for a certain standard, the more likely you'll keep getting that standard with each generation, which is how you get a "breed".

The thing with Easter Eggers is that they're a land race (as someone else explained earlier) which means as long as they look generally alike then they still fit in with other Easter Eggers. The part that's confusing is that a lot of the traits that define an Easter Egger, fluffy cheeks, green legs, blue eggs, are dominant traits and are therefore spread to their offspring widely, making half-breeds look a lot like an EE so they're still called EE.

The other thing is that by default, any Araucana or Ameraucana that doesn't meet the standard is an Easter Egger since they fit into the "land race" description.

Clear as mud?

 

[Sylvester017]

I took a better picture of it when i got home. It was like a sea-foam color.

BEAUTIFUL - I LOVE ALL THE COLORS OF BLUES AND GREENS AND OLIVES!

My chickens are all backyard pets, I know nothing about breed standards or show birds. I didn't even know about easter eggers until after I bought 2 of my little cross-breed girls and found info on here. I am even more confused as we in Australia don't (as far as I know) have Ameraucana, but Araucana from South America (???) My girls are araucana crosses, that's all I know.

I thought somebody had suggested earlier in this thread that if your birds don't lay blue eggs, they don't "qualify" as easter eggers? Is that right? My girls have started laying and are laying white (the light sussex cross) and brown (the australorp cross). Are they still easter eggers, or should I "demote" them to untitled mongrels?

(I love them, whatever they are).

EASTER EGGERS ARE IDENTIFIED BY THEIR NOT MEETING USA AMERAUCANA APA SOP BUT EVEN THOUGH AMERAUCANAS SHOULD BE BRED TO LAY BLUE EGGS, THE EASTER EGGERS CAN LAY NOT ONLY BLUE, BUT BLUE-GREEN, GREEN, MINT, SAGE, PINK, STONE, AND EVEN WHITE. KINDA MAKES THE EEs A BIT MORE FUN SINCE YOU WON'T KNOW THEIR EGG COLOR UNTIL THEY LAY THEIR FIRST EGG! I HATE TO CALL EEs MONGRELS UNLESS THEY ARE CROSS-BRED MULTIPLE TIMES TO OTHER BREEDS W/O MUFFS OR PEA-COMBS BUT THEN THAT'S JUST ME. IF EEs ARE BRED TO OTHER EEs THEY SHOULD CONTINUE LAYING THE SIMILAR COLORS OF EGGS OF THEIR PARENTS.

I severely appreciate ALL info that anyone gives! I love to learn even if it's the smallest hint, my research before told me that Araucanas, Ameraucanas, americanas and EEs were all different breeds but only Araucana and Ameraucana were recognized, I suppose I got mixed up while researching multiple breeds at the same time, lol! This newer insight means i get to re-research!

which for a book worm is awesome times! especially since i'll be started school soon to be a vet and i'd like to be able to tend to the city birds!!!

THIS IS A GOOD THREAD FOR LEARNING!

The origins of all the blue egg layers are the Quechua, from South America. This thread is quite thorough in talking about the history of the breed: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/402512/quechua-tojuda-ameraucana-easter-eggers-in-vino-veritas

In short, they came from South America, were exported around the world and crossed with all sorts of breeds, were brought to the U.S. and refined into a few different breeds. Remember, with chickens it's not so much that the parents are "purebred" as the offspring follow the standards of the breed. That's why you can have two purebred Ameraucana or Araucana and when crossed together, the offspring might not qualify for the breed (in the case of two colors being mixed that don't match the standard, or off-colored legs, or what have you). Of course, the longer you breed a line for a certain standard, the more likely you'll keep getting that standard with each generation, which is how you get a "breed".

The thing with Easter Eggers is that they're a land race (as someone else explained earlier) which means as long as they look generally alike then they still fit in with other Easter Eggers. The part that's confusing is that a lot of the traits that define an Easter Egger, fluffy cheeks, green legs, blue eggs, are dominant traits and are therefore spread to their offspring widely, making half-breeds look a lot like an EE so they're still called EE.

The other thing is that by default, any Araucana or Ameraucana that doesn't meet the standard is an Easter Egger since they fit into the "land race" description.

Clear as mud?

YOU PUT IT VERY NICELY.

OUR USA AMERAUCANAS ARE EQUIVALENT TO THE U.K. "ARAUCANAS" EXCEPT THAT THEIR ARAUCANAS HAVE CRESTS (WITH MUFFS AND TAILS). I STUDIED AND READ A LOT OF DIFFERENT WEBSITES AND ARTICLES ABOUT THE HISTORY AND EVENTUALLY IT TOOK A YEAR TO GET THE STORY STRAIGHT!

 

[pamperedamber]

I have figured out that my little Splash Ameraucana Snowflake is a Roo! So instead of being upset chicken math kicked in and as soon as I have a broody hen she will have eggs. My hubby will not let me buy a bator. I am going to do about 3 eggs from each of my 5 pullets if they are all laying by then. Currently I have 1 Easter Egger laying and 1 Silver-laced Wynadotte laying. Now I just need my Buff Orprington, Golden Comet, and Blue Ameraucana to start laying. I also need someone to go broody. I want to start my experiment and make more chickens. Yes they will be mutts. all but the Ameraucanas. I just might need to build another 8x8 coop.
Chickens are so much fun and addicting.