Guess the breed! Easter Egger

[kristinhennifer]

Trying to figure out what the golden color is a mix from. Thanks for your help!

 

[NatJ]

Trying to figure out what the golden color is a mix from. Thanks for your help!

View attachment 3866694

That kind of gold color is pretty common in Easter Eggers, and in many other mixed-breed chickens.

So it probably comes from one or both Easter Egger parents, who in turn got it from their parents, continuing back as far as anyone wants to trace it.

 

[Loving my girls]

Easter egger are made from mixing a blue egg breed with a dark brown egg breed such as a legbar and a maran.
This may help you narrow down the odds.
I would suspect that one of the parents is a Araucana due to her shape. Over here in France araucanas are often used to make Easter eggers.
If it helps my French maran is black interlaced with gold brown feathers

 

[NatJ]

Easter egger are made from mixing a blue egg breed with a dark brown egg breed such as a legbar and a maran.

Not correct, at least in the USA where I live.

In the US, chicks from that mix are sold as "Olive Eggers" and lay dark green eggs.

"Easter Egger" is used for chickens that lay eggs in any shade of blue/green/olive, if they do not belong to a specific recognized pure breed. So Olive Eggers are one particular kind of Easter Egger, but not the only kind.

Many Easter Eggers at US hatcheries come from mixes bred to other mixes for many generations, with the hatchery selecting for egg color and laying ability but not caring about other trait like feather colors. Some other Easter Eggers come from direct mixes of a blue or green layer with some breed that lays very well, with Leghorns being a fairly common breed to use in the mix (their mixed daughters will lay blue or light green eggs, rather than the darker shades.)

This may help you narrow down the odds.
I would suspect that one of the parents is a Araucana due to her shape. Over here in France araucanas are often used to make Easter eggers.

In the USA, Araucanas have ear tufts instead of muff/beard on the face. So if that bird was bred in the USA it would not have an Araucana parent. Araucanas are also expensive and lay poorly, so they are rarely used to create Easter Eggers.

I know that Araucanas (same name) in other countries have other traits (muff/beard in some, crest in some, good laying ability, etc.) So if that bird is not in the USA, it certainly might be part Araucana (same name, different traits than the Araucanas I just ruled out.)

 

[Loving my girls]

Not correct, at least in the USA where I live.

In the US, chicks from that mix are sold as "Olive Eggers" and lay dark green eggs.

"Easter Egger" is used for chickens that lay eggs in any shade of blue/green/olive, if they do not belong to a specific recognized pure breed. So Olive Eggers are one particular kind of Easter Egger, but not the only kind.

Many Easter Eggers at US hatcheries come from mixes bred to other mixes for many generations, with the hatchery selecting for egg color and laying ability but not caring about other trait like feather colors. Some other Easter Eggers come from direct mixes of a blue or green layer with some breed that lays very well, with Leghorns being a fairly common breed to use in the mix (their mixed daughters will lay blue or light green eggs, rather than the darker shades.)



In the USA, Araucanas have ear tufts instead of muff/beard on the face. So if that bird was bred in the USA it would not have an Araucana parent. Araucanas are also expensive and lay poorly, so they are rarely used to create Easter Eggers.

I know that Araucanas (same name) in other countries have other traits (muff/beard in some, crest in some, good laying ability, etc.) So if that bird is not in the USA, it certainly might be part Araucana (same name, different traits than the Araucanas I just ruled out.)

I think we will have to agree to differ.
Here in France an Easter egger, Kaki and Olive egger are one and the same - they all lay green eggs the shade is irrelevant. These hens are created uniquely and cannot breed with a like breed cockerel to produce green egg hens.
Blue egg layers are different as they are a breed standard and not made but mixing two species.
As I say we will have to agree to differ on this one.

 

[sybonbon]

I think we will have to agree to differ.
Here in France an Easter egger, Kaki and Olive egger are one and the same - they all lay green eggs the shade is irrelevant. These hens are created uniquely and cannot breed with a like breed cockerel to produce green egg hens.
Blue egg layers are different as they are a breed standard and not made but mixing two species.
As I say we will have to agree to differ on this one.

Two different country's, two different ways. There's nothing you have to agree on. But, where did the chicken in question originate?

 

[NatJ]

I think we will have to agree to differ.
Here in France an Easter egger, Kaki and Olive egger are one and the same - they all lay green eggs the shade is irrelevant. These hens are created uniquely and cannot breed with a like breed cockerel to produce green egg hens.
Blue egg layers are different as they are a breed standard and not made but mixing two species.
As I say we will have to agree to differ on this one.

That is interesting.

I will have to keep that in mind in future-- that the USA usage of some terms is not the same as the usage in some other countries. I knew that with Araucanas, but now I know that there are other words that differ too.

Here in France an Easter egger, Kaki and Olive egger are one and the same - they all lay green eggs the shade is irrelevant. These hens are created uniquely and cannot breed with a like breed cockerel to produce green egg hens.

That breeding will not produce ONLY green egg hens, but certainly will produce SOME green egg hens. (I'm not sure which one you meant.)

where did the chicken in question originate?

That is definitely the big question here!

 

[Loving my girls]

That is interesting.

I will have to keep that in mind in future-- that the USA usage of some terms is not the same as the usage in some other countries. I knew that with Araucanas, but now I know that there are other words that differ too.


That breeding will not produce ONLY green egg hens, but certainly will produce SOME green egg hens. (I'm not sure which one you meant.)


That is definitely the big question here!

I see what you mean