Easter Egger

[Chiks N Stiks]

Hello,

I would like to add some Easter Egger chicks to my flock, but I've heard they aren't a real breed -- and to be cautious about buying. So where can I buy some and now I'm getting what I'm buying?

 

[Ridgerunner]

There is no accepted definition of an Easter Egger. That’s part of the problem. Some people consider any chicken that might have a remote possibility of having the blue egg gene an EE. I like to restrict it to a chicken that actually has that gene. It’s just one of those things that means different things to different people so you have to be careful how you use it. I’ll include a couple of links about their history and what makes up an EE that you may find interesting or it may bore you to tears.

EE/Ameraucana/Araucana comparison
http://apa-abayouthpoultryclub.org/Edu_Material/Easter Eggers vs.pdf

Ameraucana History
http://www.ameraucana.org/history.html

If you are in the USA you can see that Ameraucana and Araucana were developed from Easter Eggers from that history article. Other countries have also developed their own “breeds” of colored egg layers from EE’s in much the same way. One of the tribes in Chile that had the original colored egg layers was the Araucana, so that name has been linked to the colored chicken breeds, but other breeds of colored egg layers have been called other things, Cream Legbar or Arkansas Blue for example.

I suspect what you are truly after is a blue or green egg layer. The best way to get a guaranteed blue egg layer is to get a purebred chicken that has been bred to lay blue eggs. There is a problem with that though. Practically all hatcheries that sell chickens called Ameraucana or Araucana do not sell purebred chickens. They are truly EE’s and are not guaranteed to lay blue or green eggs. Some hatcheries, like Cackle, had their colored egg laying flock before Ameraucanas were even developed and accepted as a breed. Just because someone calls their chickens Ameraucana or Araucana doesn’t mean they really are. It’s a slippery slope.

If you are in the USA or even somewhere else there should be a breeders club that specializes in these breeds. You can maybe find a breeder near you affiliated with them that will sell you guaranteed blue egg laying chickens. These can be expensive. You can maybe find your State or Country thread in the “Where am I? Where are you!” section of this forum and chat with people near you. Someone local to you could easily be of great help.

Or you can get some EE’s, whatever a hatchery calls them, and trust to luck.

Good luck with it.

 

[1muttsfan]

Easter Eggers is a term for mixed breed birds that in general originated from the Ameraucana and Araucana breeds. Hatcheries and farm stores often mislabel them as purebred Ams or Araucanas. They generally have muffs and slate colored legs, and lay blue, green, or varying shades of tan eggs. While not purebreds they are often quite good layers, so unless you are interested in breeding they make a good addition to a general laying flock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Easter Eggers is a term for mixed breed birds that in general originated from the Ameraucana and Araucana breeds. Hatcheries and farm stores often mislabel them as purebred Ams or Araucanas.  They generally have muffs and slate colored legs, and lay blue, green, or varying shades of tan eggs.  While not purebreds they are often quite good layers, so unless you are interested in breeding they make a good addition to a general laying flock.

You might want to read that history article I linked. You'll find that it is exactly the opposite. EE's came first. I had some of my misconceptions straightened out by that article.