If anyone agrees with me that Easter Eggers are more than just mutts respond to this thread NOW

[BleuSaphir]

Someone pointed out the original strains of descendent of Easter Eggers were from another not known breed of South America. Or more of Mesoamerican origin. Which I believe is quite hold true.

 

[EEforMe]

But the same could be said for Araucana? They started as the Araucanas imported, then later some became the Araucana breed, then later those breeding muffed and rumped varieties of the birds got what is now the "Ameraucana" accepted. Then people later went back and changed what were called Araucanas to Easter Eggers.

Yes! But Araucanas upgraded, one could say, into a breed whereas EEs degraded. The two split off onto two different paths

 

[EEforMe]

Hey, I’m about to go lock my girls up. Anyone want to see pics?

I’m gonna post the pics anyways
Main flock:

Pullets (sleeping in the nesting box of course *eyeroll*)

And blind Blink who if you don’t know about here’s also a link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-story-of-blind-blink-%E2%9D%A4%EF%B8%8F-the-story-of-the-three-raccoons.1494923/

 

[EEforMe]

Here I made this if it helps:

Just to be clear at the bottom when I say named they weren’t exactly “named” more just labeled. I’m not entirely sure if those birds even had a name at all. They are just the birds that it all descended from, or, the original Easter Eggers.

 

[Tankueray]

I'm sorry, but your article and My Pet Chicken are wrong. The men that created the Ameraucana breed are still alive and quite active in the fancy.
http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/history.html
http://ameraucana.org/Ameraucana Chickens

Also of note is that a bred to Standard Araucana is completely different depending on which side of the pond you're on. Europe's Standard Araucanas look like Ameraucanas, whereas over here, the Araucana and Ameraucana are two different Standard breeds. It's a kindness to remember that Araucana are more plentiful in other countries and look different than ours, so two people getting into an argument about it can actually both be right.

I have purebred Ameraucanas that I picked up from Paul Smith myself, Easter Eggers which I love dearly, Appenzeller Spitzhauben which aren't a "breed" here but are well recognized in Europe, and a whole ton of mongrels and mutts from letting them run together in the fall and winter. Those mongrels and mutts are all what we call Easter Eggers today, and without them, I wouldn't be as far along in my genetics research as I am. Legbar mix Easter Eggers (i.e., most of the hatchery ones, because they can be sexed at hatch - it's all about the money) are by far my favorite for friendliness and hijinks.

I don't care what anyone calls my Easter Eggers as long as they don't call them Ameraucanas or Araucanas and vice-versa. It is upsetting to both pure breeders and new hobbyists when they pay more than hatchery price for a bird they think is something it's not. That's where the current controversy is. Dog breeders are the same, and no one argues the merits of a wonderful, loving, mixed-breed mutt from the pound, but unscrupulous breeders trying to pass off mutts as "purebreds without papers" is wrong, because it's usually only about profit and often the animals' welfare is ignored, or worse. This is not the image that the poultry fancy wishes to encourage.

Side Note: The history of the Appenzeller Spitzhauben is also fascinating, albeit with less modern drama. Nearly going extinct three times in the last century, saved by monks and German breeders, brought to America by a German prisoner of war that immigrated after being released from a US-based prison camp.... It reminds me of the last "pure" Araucana trio that was imported then all but lost if not for a few passionate and dedicated poultrymen.

Regardless of where you stand now or once stood, passionate (and sometimes argumentative) breeders are what will preserve these breeds. Standard Ameraucanas, mostly the large fowl, have become too large and very "unstandard" by outcrossing with other breeds. The same happened with Spitzhauben in the US, and preservationist breeders (like P. Allen Smith) are working hard to breed out the "fluff" and get back to the (unofficial) Standard, so that they can be finally recognized by the APA. There are even a few hatcheries that have very good lines of both breeds now, advertised correctly and priced accordingly. Easter Egger was once a marketing ploy, now it's a solid group of its own, and Americana/Ameracana/Ameraucana/Araucana is the marketing ploy. Who'd of thought that raising chickens would be like an episode of Dynasty?

 

[Iluveggers]

I

I'm sorry, but your article and My Pet Chicken are wrong. The men that created the Ameraucana breed are still alive and quite active in the fancy.
http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/history.html
http://ameraucana.org/Ameraucana Chickens

Also of note is that a bred to Standard Araucana is completely different depending on which side of the pond you're on. Europe's Standard Araucanas look like Ameraucanas, whereas over here, the Araucana and Ameraucana are two different Standard breeds. It's a kindness to remember that Araucana are more plentiful in other countries and look different than ours, so two people getting into an argument about it can actually both be right.

I have purebred Ameraucanas that I picked up from Paul Smith myself, Easter Eggers which I love dearly, Appenzeller Spitzhauben which aren't a "breed" here but are well recognized in Europe, and a whole ton of mongrels and mutts from letting them run together in the fall and winter. Those mongrels and mutts are all what we call Easter Eggers today, and without them, I wouldn't be as far along in my genetics research as I am. Legbar mix Easter Eggers (i.e., most of the hatchery ones, because they can be sexed at hatch - it's all about the money) are by far my favorite for friendliness and hijinks.

I don't care what anyone calls my Easter Eggers as long as they don't call them Ameraucanas or Araucanas and vice-versa. It is upsetting to both pure breeders and new hobbyists when they pay more than hatchery price for a bird they think is something it's not. That's where the current controversy is. Dog breeders are the same, and no one argues the merits of a wonderful, loving, mixed-breed mutt from the pound, but unscrupulous breeders trying to pass off mutts as "purebreds without papers" is wrong, because it's usually only about profit and often the animals' welfare is ignored, or worse. This is not the image that the poultry fancy wishes to encourage.

Side Note: The history of the Appenzeller Spitzhauben is also fascinating, albeit with less modern drama. Nearly going extinct three times in the last century, saved by monks and German breeders, brought to America by a German prisoner of war that immigrated after being released from a US-based prison camp.... It reminds me of the last "pure" Araucana trio that was imported then all but lost if not for a few passionate and dedicated poultrymen.

Regardless of where you stand now or once stood, passionate (and sometimes argumentative) breeders are what will preserve these breeds. Standard Ameraucanas, mostly the large fowl, have become too large and very "unstandard" by outcrossing with other breeds. The same happened with Spitzhauben in the US, and preservationist breeders (like P. Allen Smith) are working hard to breed out the "fluff" and get back to the (unofficial) Standard, so that they can be finally recognized by the APA. There are even a few hatcheries that have very good lines of both breeds now, advertised correctly and priced accordingly. Easter Egger was once a marketing ploy, now it's a solid group of its own, and Americana/Ameracana/Ameraucana/Araucana is the marketing ploy. Who'd of thought that raising chickens would be like an episode of Dynasty?

have to say, my rescue pup of whatever background is THE BEST PUP we could ask for! He’s lovable, cuddly, energetic & smart. I have no idea what he is, nor do I care. He’s beautiful just the way he is.

I feel the same way about EE. There are some amazing combinations of mixes & they are beautiful & amazing too.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

EE are a great .. um... I almost said "breed" ... They are a great CHOICE for the backyard chicken owner, especially, IME, for the beginner. Calm, personable, curious, friendly, productive. Not skittish or flighty, not likely to go broody. What's not to love? Okay, so they're not a breed you can show. Big deal. If you want a show bird, there are dozens of others to choose from. I can get EEs for about $3 to $4 a chick. Their more expensive counterparts may run me ten times that. And they could still end up as hawk, raccoon or coyote fodder in spite of my best efforts to keep them safe, or die of a reproductive disorder in three years. No thank you. For my money, you just can't beat those lovely, honest Easter Eggers, which to me are the very symbol of what America is all about: the melting pot of diversity. Because after all, aren't we all mutts when it comes right down to it? Americanas, that's what they are. Mixed heritage and proud of it! Yeah!

 

[EEforMe]

I'm sorry, but your article and My Pet Chicken are wrong. The men that created the Ameraucana breed are still alive and quite active in the fancy.
http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/history.html
http://ameraucana.org/Ameraucana Chickens

Also of note is that a bred to Standard Araucana is completely different depending on which side of the pond you're on. Europe's Standard Araucanas look like Ameraucanas, whereas over here, the Araucana and Ameraucana are two different Standard breeds. It's a kindness to remember that Araucana are more plentiful in other countries and look different than ours, so two people getting into an argument about it can actually both be right.

I have purebred Ameraucanas that I picked up from Paul Smith myself, Easter Eggers which I love dearly, Appenzeller Spitzhauben which aren't a "breed" here but are well recognized in Europe, and a whole ton of mongrels and mutts from letting them run together in the fall and winter. Those mongrels and mutts are all what we call Easter Eggers today, and without them, I wouldn't be as far along in my genetics research as I am. Legbar mix Easter Eggers (i.e., most of the hatchery ones, because they can be sexed at hatch - it's all about the money) are by far my favorite for friendliness and hijinks.

I don't care what anyone calls my Easter Eggers as long as they don't call them Ameraucanas or Araucanas and vice-versa. It is upsetting to both pure breeders and new hobbyists when they pay more than hatchery price for a bird they think is something it's not. That's where the current controversy is. Dog breeders are the same, and no one argues the merits of a wonderful, loving, mixed-breed mutt from the pound, but unscrupulous breeders trying to pass off mutts as "purebreds without papers" is wrong, because it's usually only about profit and often the animals' welfare is ignored, or worse. This is not the image that the poultry fancy wishes to encourage.

Side Note: The history of the Appenzeller Spitzhauben is also fascinating, albeit with less modern drama. Nearly going extinct three times in the last century, saved by monks and German breeders, brought to America by a German prisoner of war that immigrated after being released from a US-based prison camp.... It reminds me of the last "pure" Araucana trio that was imported then all but lost if not for a few passionate and dedicated poultrymen.

Regardless of where you stand now or once stood, passionate (and sometimes argumentative) breeders are what will preserve these breeds. Standard Ameraucanas, mostly the large fowl, have become too large and very "unstandard" by outcrossing with other breeds. The same happened with Spitzhauben in the US, and preservationist breeders (like P. Allen Smith) are working hard to breed out the "fluff" and get back to the (unofficial) Standard, so that they can be finally recognized by the APA. There are even a few hatcheries that have very good lines of both breeds now, advertised correctly and priced accordingly. Easter Egger was once a marketing ploy, now it's a solid group of its own, and Americana/Ameracana/Ameraucana/Araucana is the marketing ploy. Who'd of thought that raising chickens would be like an episode of Dynasty?

Honestly…I completely agree. Except for the first sentence. I don’t think I, or My Pet Chicken, ever said the people who created them weren’t still around. Also My Pet Chicken was just one source of many that I though explained it the best.
You our right about specifying that I am talking about American Araucanas and Ameraucanas though

 

[BleuSaphir]

It was this thread is just fascinating to read the history regarding the South American Breeds including how Easter Egger became to be. I knew my knowledge to be fuzzy!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...raucana-easter-eggers-in-vino-veritas.402512/

 

[EEforMe]

It was this thread is just fascinating to read the history regarding the South American Breeds including how Easter Egger became to be. I knew my knowledge to be fuzzy!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...raucana-easter-eggers-in-vino-veritas.402512/

Yes! Just yes. That is it. Boom. Mic-drop.