New to Chickens, not sure what breed or gender I have!

[WalkingOnSunshine]

isnt easter egger and americana the same bird?

Yes--if you're spelling it AmerIcana--which is a misspelling of AmerAUcana. Ameraucanas are a breed of bird with a Standard of Perfection. Easter Eggers are any chicken that carries the blue egg gene and doesn't meet the standard for a breed. Any time you see birds advertised as Americanas, or Ameraucana/Araucana, or even Ameraucana without a color attached (like Blue Ameraucanas) then you are most likely buying Easter Eggers. You can only get Ameraucanas through breeders or a couple of hatcheries (Meyer and My Pet Chicken), and they will always tell you what color you are buying. If they say the bird lays green eggs, it's an Easter Egger. If they don't tell you the color of the bird, or say they'll all look different, it's an Easter Egger.

Check out the FAQ and photos on www.ameraucana.org.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Yes--if you're spelling it AmerIcana--which is a misspelling of AmerAUcana. Ameraucanas are a breed of bird with a Standard of Perfection. Easter Eggers are any chicken that carries the blue egg gene and doesn't meet the standard for a breed. Any time you see birds advertised as Americanas, or Ameraucana/Araucana, or even Ameraucana without a color attached (like Blue Ameraucanas) then you are most likely buying Easter Eggers. You can only get Ameraucanas through breeders or a couple of hatcheries (Meyer and My Pet Chicken), and they will always tell you what color you are buying. If they say the bird lays green eggs, it's an Easter Egger. If they don't tell you the color of the bird, or say they'll all look different, it's an Easter Egger.

Check out the FAQ and photos on www.ameraucana.org.

ya, i knew i was spelling it wrong but i didnt know anyone spelled it like i did. just figured everyone would know what i meant

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

ya, i knew i was spelling it wrong but i didnt know anyone spelled it like i did. just figured everyone would know what i meant

That misspelling is a really good way to figure out if a breeder is really selling Ameraucanas or not. If they are misspelling it, they most likely are either trying to cheat people or are uninformed and think they have Ameraucanas, but do not.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i appreciate the info. i was considering these birds and would not have known the difference. guess thats why they say do your research first.

 

[Mommylarson]

The man selling them claimed that they were Ameracauna, I figured they were really Easter Eggers. Here is a pic of the beautiful eggs I did get from one of the hens.




She hasn't laid anymore though.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

i appreciate the info. i was considering these birds and would not have known the difference. guess thats why they say do your research first.

The only two hatcheries that I know have Ameraucanas are My Pet Chicken and Meyer. Otherwise, you might try the Buy Sell Trade forum here on BYC. Also, to me the easiest way to check if they are Ameraucanas is that the seller should tell you what color they are, and they should be one of the sanctioned colors at www.ameraucana.org (except for Splash; not a recognized color but you'll get them with Black and Blue, often, just because of the genetics). Mixed colors and "blue or green eggs" (any color but blue) are sure signs that you're getting EEs.

 

[Mommylarson]

Is there any reason why my hen would stop laying after these first 2 eggs. She hasn't laid any more and it has been 2 weeks! Is there anything I can do to help her to produce again? The other 2 hens that are the same size as her haven't laid any at all! I hope I am not doing something wrong.

 

[FrozenFeathers]

Is there any reason why my hen would stop laying after these first 2 eggs. She hasn't laid any more and it has been 2 weeks! Is there anything I can do to help her to produce again? The other 2 hens that are the same size as her haven't laid any at all! I hope I am not doing something wrong.

Chickens lay based on the amount of light they are exposed to. If you are in an area where the days are getting short then the girls will stop laying. A small light bulb in the coop will help stimulate them if you want to keep them laying. I usually let my girls rest a bit each year instead of having them lay year round though! Good luck!

 

[ChickenWisperer]

isnt easter egger and americana the same bird?

Definitely not.

Easter Eggers are mutt birds, descendants (usually) of Ameraucana and Quechua, but sometimes Araucanas. They're crossbreds; don't have a standard, rarely if ever come in standard colors. They can be any color, with just about any feature, lay any color egg.

"Americana" is a misspelling of Ameraucana - a pure-bred bird with a standard that breeds true.

 

[ChickenWisperer]

Is there any reason why my hen would stop laying after these first 2 eggs. She hasn't laid any more and it has been 2 weeks! Is there anything I can do to help her to produce again? The other 2 hens that are the same size as her haven't laid any at all! I hope I am not doing something wrong.

Are you in a region where it's getting colder/days are getting shorter? Then it's a biological response and she might be going through a late moult. My girls lay off during that time.

About the only way to get up more egg production is scratch, a heat lamp, and patience.