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I've always felt that the terminology on this is a bit confusing as well, and agree with you on the "pet quality" vs. breed thing.
For example, if someone were to cross a black Ameraucana with say, a wheaten Ameraucana, a lot of people would call the offspring Easter Eggers, even though both parents were Ameraucanas, simply because of the color genetics not being pure, even though the birds would adhere to every other conformation of the breed, ie. muffs, leg color, size, egg color, etc.
Now if someone were to breed an Ameraucana with a different breed altogether, say a RIR, then the offspring are also referred to as Easter Eggers. Then that Easter Egger could be bred to another RIR, and the result would still be called an Easter Egger even though it is 3/4 RIR and only 1/4 Ameraucana. This could go on and on until you have birds that are only 1/8 or 1/16 Ameraucana.
A bird that is 1/16 Ameraucana is going to be a vastly different bird than one that had two purebred Ameraucana parents that were each different colors. I think it would be much, much simpler just to refer to mixed color Ameraucanas as non-show quality, pet quality or mixed color Ameraucanas. Reserve the Easter Egger designation for birds of mixed breed parentage.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the hard work that goes into breeding a line that breeds true. I also appreciate the birds of mixed color. But if we use the term Eater Egger to apply to both birds of mixed breeds
and to birds with all Ameraucana lineage, but with mixed colors, then things get confusing when birds are marketed.
I have a example !!! (AQHA quarter horse bred to AQHA horse = AQHA quarter horse NOW) 2011. When the for fathers of the club started the assocaition it was for solid colored horses with select white marking, no belly spots over just a couple inches, Blaze faces, socks or stockings below the knee. As time went by color restriction got changed a little at a time. NOW AQHA horse can have all the white it wants. And a loud painted pattern known as overo. I've heard there is a few loud appaloosa patterns also.As long as both sire and dam are registered.
I personally don't agree with the change. I am old school. I have both breeds. I think they will live to regret the change!!!!
There was two registys that would handle the 2 different colored animals.
the Ameraucana people want the reconized colors to breed true, ( a gene pool that will breed true ) The ones that don't are culls.
In the horses AQHA It is noted on papers (undesirable color )
Now APHA will not register the spotted horses from 2 AQHA horse unless the AQHA is double registered. Many cropout quarter horse APHA Paints (spotted AQHA horses) are now double registered because their parents were AQHA horses
So I welcome the Ameraucanas into my flock as EEs . Most EE people dont care about a pedigree and love the color eggs and varied.
It is people establising standards In the AQHA after 50 years the changed the standards of the breed
Hope that make sence.