Easter Egger club!

[poppycock1974]

gorgeous eggs-even the brown ones go figure, we'll probably be exceptions with at least one as well lmbo. thank you for sharing pics. amazing how black your EE is.

We had to rehome our other EEs because they were Roos or at least crowing but so gorgeous! Had the cutest muffs but this black one we thought was a black star mix until her first few eggs came out green. Someone pointed out the pea comb which only developed a week before she started laying. I have never seen an EE like this one

 

[Sylvester017]

So here's my EEs egg, I see no brown pigment except on the outside. Do you think her eggs may go back green at some point?

The brown pigmentation is unreliable. The slower the egg shell moves the more brown pigmentation - the quicker the egg shell travels before laying then less pigmentation. She will always be your variable egg shell color layer. I had a Marans that gave all kinds of brown pigmentation - half light/half dark shells, spotted shells, splotchy brown shells, light brown shells, all sorts of weird shades of brown or speckles or splotches and each egg looked different as if 3 different hens had layed them. Your girl's eggs will always be a surprise but I'm sure you may get an occasional green egg from her as she runs out of heavy pigmentation later in her egg-laying cycle. As long as she's healthy I wouldn't worry about egg color. I just lost my 3-yr-old Blue Wheaten Ameraucana a couple weeks ago that layed the prettiest light blue eggs but light blue eggs aren't a bonus if the chicken isn't around any more to lay them -- I'd rather still have the hen more than the blue eggs!

 

[Sylvester017]

How does it show if it is green or blue if it has a brown shell. Im confused

If an Easter Egger lays a brown shell, crack it open and notice the blue "inside" the shell. Chicken breeds that are brown egg-layers have white inside shells and Blue egg-layer breeds will have blue inside shells. The Easter Eggers' green outside shells will also have blue inside shells. I hope the following link works - it explains the white shell/blue shell and brown pigmentation very well:

http://maranschickenclubusa.com/files/eggreview.pdf

 

[pipAchick]

Define random if you would, Cher?

I'm just clueless,,,that's all bless my heart

Cher&josh's dad 'the lawyer'; "Cher get in here!"
"kid I got a fourty5&a shovel I doubt anyone would miss you"


Rolling with the homeys

The brown pigmentation is unreliable.  The slower the egg shell moves the more brown pigmentation - the quicker the egg shell travels before laying then less pigmentation.  She will always be your variable egg shell color layer.  I had a Marans that gave all kinds of brown pigmentation - half light/half dark shells, spotted shells, splotchy brown shells, light brown shells, all sorts of weird shades of brown or speckles or splotches and each egg looked different as if 3 different hens had layed them.  Your girl's eggs will always be a surprise but I'm sure you may get an occasional green egg from her as she runs out of heavy pigmentation later in her egg-laying cycle.  As long as she's healthy I wouldn't worry about egg color.  I just lost my 3-yr-old Blue Wheaten Ameraucana a couple weeks ago that layed the prettiest light blue eggs but light blue eggs aren't a bonus if the chicken isn't around any more to lay them -- I'd rather still have the hen more than the blue eggs!

Sorry about the Wheaton did it have a name?

(for real jokes aside)

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Hatchery sourced Easter Eggers are not mutts. They just haven't been bred toward any particular breed standard. They are what the recognized Araucana and Ameraucana were derived from. They are the foundation stock of those breeds, which is why they are so similar. However, while the Araucana and Ameraucana have been bred to lay a specific color egg; Easter Eggers have been bred for a variety of egg colors.

There is no way to know what color an Easter Egger will lay, until she actually starts laying. You can be fairly sure of blue or green eggs if the bird has a pea comb, but there are exceptions.

I have to agree... not actually mutts. On another thread here in BYC one of the original developing breeders of the Ameraucana explains exactly that. He explains the whole history of the Ameraucanas and how EEs or rather non-SOP Hatchery Ameraucana relate to the SQ birds and even that they are a good thing to have around for future development of Ameraucana lines as they represent the original genetic pool in a less defined state. Occasionally EEs are more Araucana like.

Now lots of folks like to cross breed and do breeding experiments them selves and create EEs that are not at all like the Ameraucana or Araucana and that is okay, It's fun, it's cool and there your birds. I do think when selling birds though you aught to be honest about what you are selling or giving away. So lets say I bred lots of little EEs to give away/sell I would give you info on those birds so you know where my original stock came from and what I added to the mix. For example parent birds Ideal Hatchery Ameraucana not SOP or SQ, parent hen carrier of Blue egg gene...if the rooster was another breed I would tell you that... that way I am being 100% honest with you, so you know exactly what you are getting. I have read one too many story about birds that where truly mutts being passed sometimes for lots of money as something they are not, that is just not cool.


A good honest breeder of any breed or line within a breed should be willing to tell you all about their birds and be proud to do so, after all they have worked hard to get the results they wanted in their stock, beware of anyone who is offended you would ask questions.

May your chickens bring you Peace and Joy.

 

[mamatink7]

If an Easter Egger lays a brown shell, crack it open and notice the blue "inside" the shell.  Chicken breeds that are brown egg-layers have white inside shells and Blue egg-layer breeds will have blue inside shells.  The Easter Eggers' green outside shells will also have blue inside shells.  I hope the following link works - it explains the white shell/blue shell and brown pigmentation very well:

http://maranschickenclubusa.com/files/eggreview.pdf

very interesting!!

 

[pipAchick]

Very educational post ,,i did check,it out on a different address

Kudos

 

[poppycock1974]

The brown pigmentation is unreliable.  The slower the egg shell moves the more brown pigmentation - the quicker the egg shell travels before laying then less pigmentation.  She will always be your variable egg shell color layer.  I had a Marans that gave all kinds of brown pigmentation - half light/half dark shells, spotted shells, splotchy brown shells, light brown shells, all sorts of weird shades of brown or speckles or splotches and each egg looked different as if 3 different hens had layed them.  Your girl's eggs will always be a surprise but I'm sure you may get an occasional green egg from her as she runs out of heavy pigmentation later in her egg-laying cycle.  As long as she's healthy I wouldn't worry about egg color.  I just lost my 3-yr-old Blue Wheaten Ameraucana a couple weeks ago that layed the prettiest light blue eggs but light blue eggs aren't a bonus if the chicken isn't around any more to lay them -- I'd rather still have the hen more than the blue eggs!

So it's like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get

 

[Sylvester017]

So it's like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get

That goes just about for any breed. A Dominique lays brown eggs from light to medium browns. Ameraucanas and EEs lay various blues/greens with some EEs laying pink and even WHITE! Even our Silkies don't lay the same tinted eggs - one lays cream matte finish eggs while the other lays pinkish cream glossy finish eggs. Welsummers lay wildly different brown eggs in varying degrees of browns and some with speckles or spots. Yep, a box of chocolates!

 

[runt325]

Hi everyone having a good morning