Depending where you got those chicks from, if from hatchery they are more likely EEs unless you got them from a true breeder. You are correct about EEs being "mutts" but they are fun & lay colored eggs.
Araucana
Characteristics[edit]
There are both full-sized and
bantam Araucanas.
[18] They may be either normally tailed or rumpless. The Araucana has a
pea comb and lays approximately 250 blue or green eggs per year.
[12]
In Australia, only the tailed Araucana is recognised in the
Australian Poultry Standards;
[19] both tailed and rumpless may be exhibited.
[11]
The British standard accepts both tailed and rumpless;
[18] they may be treated as separate breeds.
[20][21] The British type of Araucana has a beard and muffs which conceal the earlobes.
In North America, Araucanas have long ear-tufts and are rumpless. As both ear-tufts and rumplessness are caused by
autosomal dominantlethal alleles, not all of the birds can display these traits.
[22]
A total of twenty
plumage varieties are listed for the Araucana by the
Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture.
[23] Of these, five are recognised by the
American Poultry Association for large fowl: black, black breasted red, silver duckwing, golden duckwing, and white; for bantams, buff is added to these.
[3] The Australian Poultry Standard recognises black, cuckoo, lavender, splash, white and any colour which is standard in
Old English Game.
[19] The
Poultry Club of Great Britain recognises twelve colours: black, black-red, blue, blue-red, crele, cuckoo, golden duckwing,
lavender, pile, silver duckwing, spangled, and white.
[2]:43–44
