The EE braggers thread!!!

[debid]

I got the ones that I know are Easter Eggers from a local breeder but they were straight run and I wanted a few more.....but sexed ......so I went to a local feed store claiming to be selling "Americana pullets". They claimed they were resale from a hatchery. A friend of mine got Wyandottes there and hers were beautiful but I think mine are not going to be what I wanted. Here is a pic of a few... They ones in the middle look good ( I think) but the others look too much like my Rhode Island reds for comfort.

Having seen mislabeled bins firsthand and the reaction of the employees when I pointed out the glaringly obvious error, I'm going with mislabeled feed store chicks. They should lay lots and lots of big, brown eggs for you.

 

[lovingchicks]

Having seen mislabeled bins firsthand and the reaction of the employees when I pointed out the glaringly obvious error, I'm going with mislabeled feed store chicks. They should lay lots and lots of big, brown eggs for you.

I know this may be a silly question but is it not a good idea to breed an EE rooster with an EE hen??

 

[debid]

I know this may be a silly question but is it not a good idea to breed an EE rooster with an EE hen??

It's fine. But, it should be expected that you won't get all blue or green layers. Most EEs have genes for blue and brown so they lay green eggs. Breed two of those and some of the offspring will inherit brown from both parents and lay brown eggs but still may have the other features (fuzzy face, green legs, etc.). The hatcheries have selected for colored eggs over time to the point that brown layers are pretty uncommon. I suspect that they may get Ameraucana and Araucana roosters to help with that.

 

[salt and pepper]

I know this may be a silly question but is it not a good idea to breed an EE rooster with an EE hen??

You'll just get lot's a varying chickens, some will lay blue, some brown, some will look like EEs some won't and such =)

 

[lovingchicks]

Oh Ok That makes sense now. Thanks so much for taking the time to help me!!

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote:
I too think these were mislabeled chicks. They have no traits that I have come to expect from EEs. Their legs should be green at least - and with the red bodies, yellow legs, is that straight combs? no fuzzy faces.... I would say they are the Red Sex Links - the ones the feed stores sell as "Rhode Island Reds".

Next time, before you go to the feed store for EEs, look at the chick pictures on this thread and the other threads about EEs. Most of the chicks are chipmunk striped, look for the green legs and the fuzzy faces. That way you can know you are getting what you wanted, instead of what the feed store thinks they are...

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I too think these were mislabeled chicks. They have no traits that I have come to expect from EEs. Their legs should be green at least - and with the red bodies, yellow legs, is that straight combs? no fuzzy faces.... I would say they are the Red Sex Links - the ones the feed stores sell as "Rhode Island Reds".

Next time, before you go to the feed store for EEs, look at the chick pictures on this thread and the other threads about EEs. Most of the chicks are chipmunk striped, look for the green legs and the fuzzy faces. That way you can know you are getting what you wanted, instead of what the feed store thinks they are...

But EEs can have yellow legs, although they usually have green. But I do agree they aren't EEs.

 

[Kassaundra]

Just my opinion, but I personally think that yellow legged birds can lay colored eggs, however an EE needs to have beard, muffs, and dark legs (either willow or slate).

 

[salt and pepper]

Just my opinion, but I personally think that yellow legged birds can lay colored eggs, however an EE needs to have beard, muffs, and dark legs (either willow or slate).

An EE is any bird that carries the blue egg gene, so technically, they don't need any of those traits, but that is what they are associated.

 

[Kassaundra]

An EE is any bird that carries the blue egg gene, so technically, they don't need any of those traits, but that is what they are associated.

The chickens that were brought to the U.S. in the 1920's for the world fair that laid the blue eggs from South America, that later became known as EE were a form of quechua chicken from S.A. these chickens had a wild type pattern and beards, muffs, and dark legs, their descendents are the colored egg layers we call EE. This type and their descendents were the only ones given the name ameracana, and sold as such by the hatcheries until the late 70's and early 80's when a group of people standardized solid colors and other things and took the name ameracana and expected the hatcheries to change the name they had been calling thier wild type birds that laid blue eggs (EE). There are other colored egg laying chickens that are not refered to as EE, they do not have the muffs, beards, and colored legs like cream legbars for instance.

The descendents of the colloncas which became araucana chickens when imported to North America layed the blue eggs and were rumpless and tufted, these somehow got mixed up in the whole EE thing, but were never sold by the hatcheries as EE (or ameracana).

My original post stated that it was my opinion that EE needed to have beards/muffs/dark legs to be called EE, that is still and always will be my opinion. It is also my opinion that all this talk about EE can be anything, look anyway, etc..... is a bunch of propaganda spread by the "keep all chickens pure" side of chickendom. While it is true the wild type patterning and color can be greatly varied there is still a great deal of "likeness" in the group of chickens (since it isn't a breed) descendent from the quechua of South America. (and central to that "likeness" in my opinion is the facial feathering, and dark legs)