The EE braggers thread!!!

[junebuggena]

The differences in the standards are more likely due to the APA restrictions for accepting new breeds. A new breed must be different from other breeds in 5 different ways.

 

[jerryse]

The name Easter Egger was part of the marketing. They were said to lay a rainbow of egg colors and these were likened to the dyed eggs popular at Easter.

@jerryse , do you remember whether the bearded and muffed look was popular prior to the establishment of the Araucana and Ameraucana standards or if the hatcheries changed their birds after that was decided? I've always wondered about that. How much of the standard was based on the original EEs and how much was arbitrary.

At the time the hatcheries called any blue egger a Araucana . Araucana were once in the standard as 4 different sub groups . Tufted rumpless , tufted tailed , bearded tailed and bearded rumpless . Tufted rumpless won and all others were dropped . Since tufts are lethal with 2 copies and rumpless can have mechanical problems breeding . That is with no tail the hen and rooster have some trouble moving feathers out of the way for good contact . Anyway that was our thinking at the time . So a group of us preferred the more practical tailed bearded type . So we created the Ameraucana bantams first . We were told they would never be admitted with Araucana in the name . That is no American Araucana ect . So our club took a vote on possible names Ameraucana won . The hatchery stock was much the same as today . Another club was working on large fowl . We got the bantams accepted by the ABA first and then by the APA . We had a lot of resistance from the APA . They lost the paper work for months . Frank Gary helped get the APA to accept . The large fowl were offered acceptance if they went with our colors . Araucana were accepted without a qualifying meet prior to this . We had to qualify to get accepted as it should be . Once the Ameraucana were accepted the hatcheries used Americana as the name for what they had . They clearly were not tufted rumpless Araucana . The early ads called them Araucana the Easter egg chicken then Americana the Easter egg chicken . So that is how the name Easter egger got started . Actually the Araucana was bred by a doctor or he had a doctorate degree . He took local tribal landraces and combined traits to get the current Araucana . The pea comb came about when a link to pea comb was discovered for the blue egg gene . Only in America . In Europe they have single comb breeds with the blue egg genes .

 

[debid]

At the time the hatcheries called any blue egger a Araucana . Araucana were once in the standard as 4 different sub groups . Tufted rumpless , tufted tailed , bearded tailed and bearded rumpless . Tufted rumpless won and all others were dropped . Since tufts are lethal with 2 copies and rumpless can have mechanical problems breeding . That is with no tail the hen and rooster have some trouble moving feathers out of the way for good contact . Anyway that was our thinking at the time . So a group of us preferred the more practical tailed bearded type . So we created the Ameraucana bantams first . We were told they would never be admitted with Araucana in the name . That is no American Araucana ect . So our club took a vote on possible names Ameraucana won . The hatchery stock was much the same as today . Another club was working on large fowl . We got the bantams accepted by the ABA first and then by the APA . We had a lot of resistance from the APA . They lost the paper work for months . Frank Gary helped get the APA to accept . The large fowl were offered acceptance if they went with our colors . Araucana were accepted without a qualifying meet prior to this . We had to qualify to get accepted as it should be . Once the Ameraucana were accepted the hatcheries used Americana as the name for what they had . They clearly were not tufted rumpless Araucana . The early ads called them Araucana the Easter egg chicken then Americana the Easter egg chicken . So that is how the name Easter egger got started . Actually the Araucana was bred by a doctor or he had a doctorate degree . He took local tribal landraces and combined traits to get the current Araucana . The pea comb came about when a link to pea comb was discovered for the blue egg gene . Only in America . In Europe they have single comb breeds with the blue egg genes .

 

Thank you for taking the time to explain that!

 

[debid]

@jerryse, can I also ask you, since you were obviously directly involved... How do you feel about the hatcheries using the name "Ameraucana"? Do you consider it a misrepresentation/false advertising or simply equal to them calling all of their "breed representative" chickens with various faults by the breed names they are intended to represent? I know that the RIR in particular angers some folks but the Ameraucana seems even more so and EE is flung about almost as an insult.

 

[jerryse]

@jerryse , can I also ask you, since you were obviously directly involved... How do you feel about the hatcheries using the name "Ameraucana"? Do you consider it a misrepresentation/false advertising or simply equal to them calling all of their "breed representative" chickens with various faults by the breed names they are intended to represent? I know that the RIR in particular angers some folks but the Ameraucana seems even more so and EE is flung about almost as an insult.

Well the club is against it and I agree also . It is a misrepresentation . However I guess I have a softer stance . You can not take hatchery production bred in any breed and have a chance in a show . Yet they do not have obvious disqualifications for their breed usually . Now rare breeds can be different . They are sometimes sourced from good breeders . Yes they are probably not his best breeder birds . That said there is a slim chance for a really good one . Since I took EE and helped turn them into Ameraucana I still find it hard to be really harsh on the EE . I still keep EE and make crosses . You can find some really neat genes out there .

 

[lomine]

Not to direct away from this great discussion (very interesting) but here are a couple pictures of my 10 day old chicks.

 

[debid]

Not to direct away from this great discussion (very interesting) but here are a couple pictures of my 10 day old chicks.

Never apologize for sharing cuteness!

 

[jerryse]

Here is a bantam EE . Blue silver partridge in color w/ feather feet . Still tinkering w/ crosses . Dad was a Dark Brahma bantam . Mom was a sale barn EE likely from a hatchery at some point .

 

[lomine]

Here is a bantam EE . Blue silver partridge in color w/ feather feet . Still tinkering w/ crosses . Dad was a Dark Brahma bantam . Mom was a sale barn EE likely from a hatchery at some point .

Lovely, I especially like the patterning on her chest.

 

[AUChickenGal]

This one is so cute! I'm curious to see how its color turns out when it matures.