EEs- Are they a breed?

[The Moonshiner]

Interesting views.
There will be no agreeable answers here.
I agree with the idea it starts with the definition of breed.
When I saw the "distinctive appearance" part that killed it for me since I don't believe there's much of a distinctive appearance at all to everything people want to label as EE.
Yet Cyprus sees that there is. Why? Because there's no agreeing with what an EE is. People have different views. That's the whole point. If there's nothing set in stone then there's too much room for different ideas or opinions so there's no agreement.
I can show you I have a different opinion then most from the first line of the EE 101 handbook.
What's the first rule?
If it isn't one of the recognised varieties then it isn't an ameraucana it's an EE.
I don't agree with that at all. Why would that be true? If I have a bird that fits the SOP but is not a correct color that doesn't make it not the breed it just makes it a non recognized variety. It can still be shown as that breed.
Its like the self blue/lavender ameraucana. They are not a recognized variety but IMO they are ameraucanas so why is it believed a non recognized color is automatically an EE.
The other common idea is that EEs are sold cheap and ameraucana sell for $12 to $20 bucks or so for chicks. How crazy is that lodgic? So if I raise ameraucana and want to sell my chicks for a few bucks because I'm getting overrun then to others what I'm selling are EEs?
EE is just a label.

 

[Melky]

EE’s in my opinion are a breed just not recognized by the APA same as olive Eggers and Golden Buffs etc. Hens 4 lbs Roos 5 lbs. origin US. Pea comb.
Eggs blue/green usually large lay 3-4 per week. Broody. Cold hardy. Active and friendly. Many breeds in the APA were started from other breeds and then bred to a standard. I don’t refer to mixed heritage as a mutt either. Because it is not accepted as an APA breed does that mean we shouldn’t try? Breed characteristics may vary among breeders and hatcheries depending on what they breed to and quality of the line.

 

[HuffleClaw]

EE’s in my opinion are a breed just not recognized by the APA same as olive Eggers and Golden Buffs etc. Hens 4 lbs Roos 5 lbs. origin US. Pea comb.
Eggs blue/green usually large lay 3-4 per week. Broody. Cold hardy. Active and friendly. Many breeds in the APA were started from other breeds and then bred to a standard. I don’t refer to mixed heritage as a mutt either. Because it is not accepted as an APA breed does that mean we shouldn’t try? Breed characteristics may vary among breeders and hatcheries depending on what they breed to and quality of the line.

I also like this post, and same with bantam EEs.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I see Easter Eggers as being similar to a landrace breed. The majority of Easter Eggers have a pea comb, muffs and a beard, and green legs. I have seen a lot of colors and patterns that are specific to Easter Eggers. Yes they don’t breed true, but they are in my opinion pretty consistent in their coloring and shape.

 

[Cyprus]

I see Easter Eggers as being similar to a landrace breed. The majority of Easter Eggers have a pea comb, muffs and a beard, and green legs. I have seen a lot of colors and patterns that are specific to Easter Eggers. Yes they don’t breed true, but they are in my opinion pretty consistent in their coloring and shape.

That is why I said they have a distinctive appearance.

 

[Amer]

Tell em girl!
It's not so much that they are or are not a breed, it's just I heard
"They're a breed, just not accepted in the standard yet!"
Incorrect statement. They already were, and won't be again, because Ameraucanas were developed out of Easter Eggers, crosses between Araucanas and other breeds!

 

[BantyChooks]

I don't agree with that at all. Why would that be true? If I have a bird that fits the SOP but is not a correct color that doesn't make it not the breed it just makes it a non recognized variety. It can still be shown as that breed.

Absolutely. If I have a poor-quality Ameraucana from Ameraucana parents, I won't call it an EE, I will call it a sub-standard Ameraucana, because that's what it is.

 

[MissChick@dee]

"Ameraucana"

...not meaning to nit-pick, just hoping to provide clarification here.

One of the first clue you have when buy a chick IS the spelling. I asked when I got mine. He said “oh no these Are Ameraucana’s” I said not EE’s? He guaranteed me. Mine are pets so I really just wanted healthy and blue ish eggs. I got the healthy part but not the eggs I was looking for.

 

[5hens&aroo]

Breed or not. I love my EE,s

 

[townchicks]

My two cents worth. No, they are not a breed. They do not breed true. They have a distinctive appearance because most of them have a lot of ameraucana in them, so they show many of the same characteristics. Just like the labradoodles have a distinctive appearance, because they have a lot of poodle in them. First generation labradoodles are all over the map in appearance, those are then bred back to poodles to fix the type. In this instance, it's the curly coat that breeders are after. In the EEs, it's the blue/green eggs people want. So, the blue/green egg layers are the ones that are bred, so they are more likely to have the appearance similar to the ameraucana, as well as the egg color. Either they have been bred back to ameraucana, or they happened to have inherited a lot of those genes.
I believe, in order to be a breed, it must breed true, for multiple generations. The very name, easter egger, came from the fact that you never know what color the egg will be, right? That is not breeding true, regardless of how the bird looks. If you have a RIR then you know you will get brown eggs. If you have a leghorn, you know you will get white eggs. If you don't then you know that's not a purebred, even if it looks like one.