Easter Egger Question

[Rudies Roost]

Hope this is the correct thread tag to use?? New to BYC! Just wanted to ask what an Easter Egger chicken breed was? It's not a term used here in the UK and I have no idea what they look like. I'm trying to produce a "rainbow" of eggs, I'm nearly there but am I right in thinking that they lay a bright green egg or is that a different breed? I have 2 pale green egg layers but a brighter green layer would complete my pen. Thanks in advance...

 

[junebuggena]

Easter Eggers are not a standard breed. In the U.S. they are based on the Ameraucana breed. Hatcheries have cross bred them with production type breeds to increase the laying rate and then selectively bred for egg color. The result is a bird that comes in any color/pattern combination, can have muffs or be clean faced, usually has a pea comb and greenish/yellow legs.
The U.K. equivalent is a breed called Araucana. They are more similar to the U.S. Ameraucana and are very different from U.S. Araucana.
Here is the link to the U.K. breed club.
http://www.thebritisharaucanaclub.co.uk/

 

[Emma Miriam]

I'm pretty new too but I happen to know the answer to this question! More experienced members, correct me if anything I say is wrong here.

An Easter Egger is generally a cross between an Ameraucana and a brown egg layer (Plymouth Rock or Rhode Island Red, for example). They are not show quality, but are super cute with puffy cheeks! They're a smallish breed and can be just about any color, from brown to gray to white. Mine is a pretty light brown/gold. If you google Easter Egger you'll see what they can look like.

Generally they lay green or blue eggs, but because they're a cross, anything is possible. They can lay pink or even brown eggs, though it's rare. (Just like other breeds, though, they won't change the color of the eggs they lay from day to day...if their first egg is green, they'll always lay green. That seems to be a common misconception.)

My EE is only five weeks old, so I can't tell you what color hers are yet. I love my EE and would highly recommend them, but if you're looking for a particular shade of egg color, an EE might not deliver what you want...or she might! They're unpredictable that way.

Edited to say that all this info is concerning the variety in the U.S. I'm honestly not sure if they're the same in the U.K. Others can chime in for that

 

[Rudies Roost]

Many thanks for the info. I have a couple of "Crested Legbars", Cream Legbar hybrids, one lays a pale blue egg and the other lays a pale green egg. I'll def have a look into the Araucana, might be the breed I'm missing out on. I have a Salmon Faverolle who has the funky ear muffs similar to the EE's...shame we don't have them (the EE's) here in the UK..they look super.