Easter Eggers?

[GalacticGuinea]

These two chicks were labeled as Araucanas when we bought them. Since they're missing the tufts, do you think they're probably just generic Easter Eggers instead?

 

[PatrickRoo]

The second chick looks like an Easter Egger, I'm not positive about the first chick. It is likely though.

 

[sassysarah]

These two chicks were labeled as Araucanas when we bought them. Since they're missing the tufts, do you think they're probably just generic Easter Eggers instead?

Both look like EEs

 

[GalacticGuinea]

Thank you!

 

[drumstick diva]

Too young to tell

 

[LilJoe]

Both are EE
The first one especially! Look at the tail coming in!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

The are not Araucanas. They have green legs, and I assume both have tails?

Araucanas have yellow legs, single combs, and are rumpless (tail-less).

If you got them at a feed store, they will be Easter Eggers, never Ameraucana or Araucana as those are breeder quality birds.

Since these chicks have willow legs which are a usual trait of generic EEs, they are most likely EEs.

LofMc

 

[GalacticGuinea]

The are not Araucanas. They have green legs, and I assume both have tails?

Araucanas have yellow legs, single combs, and are rumpless (tail-less).

If you got them at a feed store, they will be Easter Eggers, never Ameraucana or Araucana as those are breeder quality birds.

Since these chicks have willow legs which are a usual trait of generic EEs, they are most likely EEs.

LofMc

Thanks. I did more research after getting them, and this was my conclusion as well. They do both have tails and the greenish legs. I don't really care, but I think the feed store should have labeled them accurately.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thanks. I did more research after getting them, and this was my conclusion as well. They do both have tails and the greenish legs. I don't really care, but I think the feed store should have labeled them accurately.

I agree as an Araucana is a valuable and rare bird....also you'd be assured of blue eggs, and the ability to breed forward the blue egg genes.

With an EE, you've got a bird that is pretty, will lay eggs (if female obviously), but could lay brown, pink, green, or blue, or even white...due to the genetics of the blue shell gene being missed if the breeding program producing the EE's isn't controlled. AND you only have a 50/50 chance of breeding forward the blue shell gene with an EE, presuming the EE has the blue shells.

So it really is a disservice to the breed and the customer.

It's getting worse as EE's used to be predominantly bred from Ameraucana stock so that you had an Ameraucana as one parent and any other breed on the other (usually a productive layer) which created classic chipmunk down chicks with green legs, beard/muff, and pea comb. Now the industry is breeding EE's to EE's and the birds can look almost anything making it very confusing.

Ameraucana is actually an offshoot of Araucanas bred in America...America plus Araucana...as American breeders decided they liked their blue laying birds with beards/muffs and tails....thus the Ameraucana breed was eventually created.

In America, the Araucana must be tufted, yellow legged, and rumpless. (In Europe, depending upon where you are, they can be tailed, muffed, and tufted, and even crested).

You can still get true American style Araucanas, but they are really hard to find, mostly due to the fact that the tufting gene is lethal in 25% of the chicks, plus the rumplessness makes it harder for males to breed lowering fertility in the eggs, then the eggs themselves have issues...so Araucana is an experienced breeder quality bird.

All the different elements came from the original birds from South America which were from two main lines....tufted and rumpless, then those that were tuftless and tailed.

LofMc

 

[FlyWheel]

If you bought the birds from a hatchery then they are most likely Easter Eggers. UNLESS they specifically state that they were real Araucanas, and NOT Easter Eggers (I know of at least one hatchery that does this. They also sell EE's, which are labeled as EE's). Also, a real breed, like Araucanas will be specific about the birds, stating what color they will be, not just the breed. Like "Wheaten Araucanas", "Black Araucanas" and so on.