EE, Ameraucanas, Araucana, mutts--my rant.

[pips&peeps]

Hatcheries are making more profit on their easter eggers than your standard RIR or sex link when they are just as cheap to raise because they sell them for more.

Go back and check how much your standard brown egg layer is for each of those hatcheries and I am sure you will see they probably make .45 - .50 more, just because of the name lable they give them.

It isn't that big of a deal to some people, but there is a difference in the birds.

 

[CityChicker]

Thank you! I really think a lot of the outcrossing was done with very good intent in mind and that we should have more respect for the past. What these people did to establish these breeds was done, I believe, to sincerely improve the birds. What they have done, again IMHO, does not make them anymore "mutts" than any other breed of chickens.

I am going to try to go through my grandparent's old pictures to find some of their 1970's era "Aracaunas". We had one in particular that was my favorite chicken, she laid a bright blue egg literally every single day! If anything has hurt the three breeds, again IMHO, it has been adding blood from brown egg layers. That seems to have really muddied the egg color. Our birds back in the 70's-early 80's in general laid far better eggs, color wise.

Of course, what I and my family raised back then was just "mutts" anyway so I guess it don't matter. LOL (just kidding)!

 

[CityChicker]

I definitely agree, pips&peeps, that there is a difference in the birds. I don't think hardly anyone would argue that.

I just don't think that these business are deliberately setting out to rob people. The prices they are selling these birds for is not any higher than their other birds for the most part (not significantly in my opinion). Even in the case of the production bred hybrids, the price difference is negligible.

 

[EricShane]

i dont really understand what an EE is actually.. is it a chicken thats mixed with Aracauna? whats the difference in an americauna and an aracauna?

 

[geareduplyn]

Quote:
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I had Araucanas in the 70s. They were as good as anything I have today.

 

[farmgirlie1031]

Quote:
An EE is a colored egg layer that is not an Ameraucana or an Araucana. It can also be an Ameraucana or an Araucana that does not meet the show standard. An Araucana has tufts and it rumpless. An Ameraucana has muffs. Both Ameraucana and Araucana are required to lay a blue egg by the breed standard. An Ameraucana comes in white, black, and a couple of other colors to be show quality bird as long as it meets all other breed specifications.

ETA: Most EE lay a green egg but not all of them do. Some also lay a pink or even brown egg. Very few EE lay a blue egg.

 

[chickenbuddy]

In some ways EE should be more expensive, they're like "surprise" chickens. You never know what color or shape you're going to get!

 

[KsTornado11]

The hatcheries charge more for them than stndard brown eggers because they lay blue & green eggs,sometimes pink,etc. I have always been VERY pleased w/ my EEs from Estes & Cackle in MO. Great layers,hardybeautiful,,and mostly lay pretty,sky blue eggs. What I can't stand is the way some people get downright RUDE about the whole thing.

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Quote:
Don't worry, I assure you that the hatcheries are not going to give you one of those "evil purebred Ameraucana chickens." No need to sweat it.

 

[Mahonri]

So, I got some Ameraucana hatching eggs. 3 of the pullet came out to standard. One does not have muffs or a beard.... came from the same pen, but now this particular one is an EE.

Yup that makes sense.

I had eggs from a Blue/Black pen. One chick came out almost buff. It's siblings are ameraucanas. It's an EE.

Yup that makes sense.