The True Truth: How to tell an Easter Egger from an Ameraucana. Even if you think you have an Ameraucana, do check!

[VegaCoyote]

Got a conundrum for y’all!

So, we got chicks from Fleet Farm this year, and they had separate bins with one labeled AmerIcana, and one labeled Easter Egger. Priced the same, and definitely both containing EEs, but suggesting the hatchery sees a meaningful difference between the two, at least from a marketing point of view.

We got 1 of each, and to be fair, they are very different birds, physically. “AmerIcana” Alvin was chipmunk patterned as a chick, as were the other chicks in her bin, and she feathered out in a chestnut-and-golden partridge pattern, with a hawkish face, beard and a muff. (Not old enough yet to say boo about egg color or comb type.)

“Easter egger” May started out gray with a white head spot, and she’s grown up with lovely barred blue feathers, with no muff or beard, but with a crest that’s just slightly less pronounced than the one on our cream legbar (making me think that’s probably what’s in the mix to make the eggs Easter.) (Same as Alvin re: eggs & combs.)

(I’ll get photos in a bit- I have good ones of Alvin but not of May.)

IMO, there is a meaningful difference between “a hawk-faced, poofy-cheeked bird that may or may not lay blue/green eggs” and “at least one of this chick’s ancestors laid blue, we prommy. No other prommies, though.”

My question is, what’s a good way to indicate that without engaging in deceptive advertising? And does anyone else think this is necessary/relevant?

(I agree AmerIcana is right out though, as are other misspellings. I find myself emphasizing the “ric” syllable every time I pronounce it. Feedstore bird from a misspelled bin, maybe call that a Ricky?)

 

[Frizzle and Friends]

Got a conundrum for y’all!

So, we got chicks from Fleet Farm this year, and they had separate bins with one labeled AmerIcana, and one labeled Easter Egger. Priced the same, and definitely both containing EEs, but suggesting the hatchery sees a meaningful difference between the two, at least from a marketing point of view.

We got 1 of each, and to be fair, they are very different birds, physically. “AmerIcana” Alvin was chipmunk patterned as a chick, as were the other chicks in her bin, and she feathered out in a chestnut-and-golden partridge pattern, with a hawkish face, beard and a muff. (Not old enough yet to say boo about egg color or comb type.)

“Easter egger” May started out gray with a white head spot, and she’s grown up with lovely barred blue feathers, with no muff or beard, but with a crest that’s just slightly less pronounced than the one on our cream legbar (making me think that’s probably what’s in the mix to make the eggs Easter.) (Same as Alvin re: eggs & combs.)

(I’ll get photos in a bit- I have good ones of Alvin but not of May.)

IMO, there is a meaningful difference between “a hawk-faced, poofy-cheeked bird that may or may not lay blue/green eggs” and “at least one of this chick’s ancestors laid blue, we prommy. No other prommies, though.”

My question is, what’s a good way to indicate that without engaging in deceptive advertising? And does anyone else think this is necessary/relevant?

(I agree AmerIcana is right out though, as are other misspellings. I find myself emphasizing the “ric” syllable every time I pronounce it. Feedstore bird from a misspelled bin, maybe call that a Ricky?)

Sounds like Fleet Farm is getting their chicks from Hoover's. I've noticed in recent years they've started selling what the call Easter Eggers alongside their "Americanas." Both are Easter Eggers. The Americanas are your traditional Easter Eggers with muffs, beards, and pea combs. Their Easter Eggers are Cream Legbar crosses with barring, crests, and typically single combs. Both have a chance to lay colored eggs.

I normally distinguish between the two as Legbar-based and Ameruacana-based Easter Eggers. I kinda just consider them as two subcategories of Easter Eggers.

 

[VegaCoyote]

Huh! Sounds like maybe they were trying to breed some guaranteed blue-egg genes back into their usual EE lines, and that resulted in something they couldn’t pass off as any purebred, no matter how misspelled?

Seems a little disrespectful to their ancestors that they didn’t even try for a proper misspelling, though. Like at least call them Craem Lagbers or something.

 

[Frizzle and Friends]

Huh! Sounds like maybe they were trying to breed some guaranteed blue-egg genes back into their usual EE lines, and that resulted in something they couldn’t pass off as any purebred, no matter how misspelled?

Seems a little disrespectful to their ancestors that they didn’t even try for a proper misspelling, though. Like at least call them Craem Lagbers or something.

To add to the craziness, I'm not even sure if they have any Americana in them. They appear to have single combs and no beards, traits I would expect if they had any Americana or Ameruacana ancestry. At least pea combs because it is linked to the blue egg gene.

I almost wonder if these were the culls from their Olive Egger line. Any bird who didn't lay a dark enough egg was put in the Easter Egger pen. It makes sensebecause they are both blue egg laying, single combed breeds with Legbar ancestry.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

To add to the craziness, I'm not even sure if they have any Americana in them. They appear to have single combs and no beards, traits I would expect if they had any Americana or Ameruacana ancestry. At least pea combs because it is linked to the blue egg gene.

I almost wonder if these were the culls from their Olive Egger line. Any bird who didn't lay a dark enough egg was put in the Easter Egger pen. It makes sensebecause they are both blue egg laying, single combed breeds with Legbar ancestry.

They don’t. The new type of Easter eggers are legbars crossed with various other breeds, they’re usually an F1 cross, not an Easter egger x Easter egger cross like the “ameraucana type” EEs are.