Really Confused

[Becky89*]

I bought twelve chicks from my feed dealer yesterday. He said that they were all Araucana!!! I am not so sure about that cause aren't Araucana suppose to have ear tuffs even as chicks??? What is the difference between Araucanas, Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers??

 

[georgialee]

They're most likely easter eggers.

araucanas are tail-less and have tufts (is that the right word? can't remember... anyway, funny feathers on their cheeks), lays blue eggs
ameraucanas have tails and muffs/beards, lays blue eggs
ee's can be a mix of either of the above and another bird. Most lay blue or green eggs but could really be any color depending on the cross.

 

[chicmom]

Oh, I'll bet you've got some Easter Eggers! They could have some Araucana, or Ameraucana in their genetics, which is the genetics for the green or blue egg. But hey, I have three EEs and they are the most beautiful birds! You will LOVE them!

 

[sgtmom52]

Becky89* :

I bought twelve chicks from my feed dealer yesterday. He said that they were all Araucana!!! I am not so sure about that cause aren't Araucana suppose to have ear tuffs even as chicks??? What is the difference between Araucanas, Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers??

Pictures ~ we need pictures!!

 

[RAREROO]

They would be Easter Egger. Your feed store ower told you they were Araucans because he most likely got him from a hatchey who falsely sells their Easter Eggers as Araucanas or Ameraucanas. And he just didn't know any better. Yet another victim of false advertising by hatcheries.

Read throught this thread for the differences between the three.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=128806

 

[Becky89*]

will I only get green and blue eggs? When my mom had her Araucans they laid blue, green and one of them even laid a pinkish colored egg everyday....

 

[cashdl]

Araucanas shouldn't lay a pinkish, white, or brown egg. They can lay blue, blue/green, or green egg.

If you look at their combs it will tell you wether you will get a blue or blue/green egg. The pea comb is linked to the blue egg gene.

Lanae

 

[alicefelldown]

I'm sorry dear - but if they came from a feed store then they are actually Easter Eggers and not pure Ameraucanas. Not the end of the world though - EE's are fun!

As a rule of thumb - if it comes from a feed store or hatchery it's an EE. True/Pure Ameraucanas tend to come from backyard breeders who adhere to the APA standard.

Here's one of my fave pics of EE eggs, from fellow BYC member CottageGarden:

http://www.apa-abayouthprogramsite.org/Edu_Material/Easter Eggers vs.pdf :

The EASTER EGGER OR AMERICANA as people like to call them are actually a mish-mash of mixed breeds, with definitely some of the blue laying, lethal gene of the Araucana or Ameraucana mixed in. This is what causes them to lay eggs of several different colors. The eggs can be anywhere from light tan, dark tan, blue, pinkish or even a pale yellow.

These chickens are actually very pretty, with a mix of color in their feathers and they are often found in the backyard flock that farmers use for egg layers. Of course with all of the beautiful colors they became known as the Easter Eggers because they look like eggs we color for Easter.

Being these Easter Eggers are a cross breed type of chicken their feathers can be as colorful as a painting with every color imaginable on one bird, whereby the two standard breeds have very definite colors indicative of their particular breeds. The AMERAUCANA and the ARAUCANA are both fancy purebred breeds that are listed in the American Standard of Perfection published by the American Poultry Association and the Bantam Standard that is published by the American Bantam Association.

The EASTER EGGER/AMERICANA is a cross breed that hatcheries sell to fill the need of the hobby farmer that wants a colorful backyard flock and beautiful eggs. If you don’t wish to show your birds, the Easter Egger is the perfect bird for you.​