Not a Lavender Orpington??

[Doc7]

Easter Eggers can lay any color egg, not just blue. So technically all the birds in your example would be Easter Eggers. And there are some traits that are common to them and that a lot of Easter Eggers will have, like the green/slate colored legs, pea combs, and beards/muffs, which these birds have. Not every Easter Egger will have them of course, it depends on the mix, but a lot of the hatchery ones will. Also even though EEs are technically mixes too, in my example I guess I was more meaning they could be a mix of a bunch of different breeds, like a barnyard mix. Hopefully this helps a bit.

it is true that an EE can lay any color egg, but it is only an EE genetically if it has a blue egg gene (regardless of egg color laid), to my understanding!

 

[The Happster]

I had also thought EE's weren't counted as EEs unless they laid blue/green eggs. And no those chickens are not pure Lavender Orpingtons.
Darn it, I'll just ask Google.

 

[Doc7]

I had also thought EE's weren't counted as EEs unless they laid blue/green eggs. And no those chickens are not pure Lavender Orpingtons.
Darn it, I'll just ask Google.

I know this isn’t true, an EE can lay brown eggs. But blue is a dominant gene so if it has that gene it’s unlikely.

I think most hatcheries that are selling EEs are selling a bird that is 50% Aracauna or Americana or Cream Legbar, Bred with (whatever) other breed. That way they know each offspring will have at least one (as those breeds are homozygous blue egg genes). But it’s when you breed an “EE” to an “EE” that you could end up with a mix of EE and Non EE, if your definition of EE is “Mutt mixed breed that has at least one Blue egg gene”, which is mine. In the end, there is no definition of EE and as breeds in chickens are based on phenotype rather than genetics, I suppose the conversation could never really be over.

for 95% of chicken owners, it really doesn’t matter to them at all that an EE, a Green Queen, a cinnamon buff, golden comet, Austra White, Red sex link, black sex link, isa brown, Are not breeds at all but are mixed breeds that are marketed and sold for various qualities. Me personally - I will continue to purchase EEs and Austra Whites but something about the red sex link (mine is golden buff from Meyer) just doesn’t appeal to me as much for some reason. She lays nearly every day but she’s on my cull list for the fall, as it’s a 3 way tie in terms of egg laying abilities, and the mixed breed status is what is being used as tie breaker as I have nothing else to go on.