unpopular chicken opinions??

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I have one Ameraucana (the real breed) x bantam Cochin and his half sister an Ameraucana x leghorn (neither have a blue egg though)

And then I have the mixed males kids, which have a Japanese bantam mix, a calico princess mix, and a Phoenix mix.

Then a pullet from the Phoenix mix and the bantam mix.


I consider an EE to be a muffed bird that is bred to lay green or blue eggs only. Not just any mix breed

I think my definition of an Easter Egger seems to be unpopular. Most people think an EE is a muffed bird that has pea comb and lays blue eggs.

An Easter Egger is a bird with Ameraucana, Araucana, or Legbar background. Let me explain.

A first gen cross of any of the blue egg laying breeds will ALWAYS be an Easter Egger. - Pretty common. Here's where things begin getting fuzzy and unpopular.

All second gen crosses will also be Easter Eggers, whether they lay colored eggs or not.

Then if you cross the second gen crosses all the ones who lay blue eggs are still EEs. No questions asked.

But if you have girls who lay brown eggs it gets complicated. If they came from a mother who laid a blue egg they are still EEs. But if they came from a brown egg they are just mixed breeds - but it's still acceptable to call them Easter Eggers.

As you get further along through breeding with no new blue egg genes getting added they are no long Easter Eggers but simply mixes. When exactly to draw the line is hard. I would say probably when a lot of the traits from the original blue egg parent start to fade. (Legbar, Araucana, Ameraucana.)

Hatchery colored layers get fuzzy.

When they first start selling them with a fancy name they are still just EEs. But once they start breeding true they still aren't an official breed but aren't just simply Easter Eggers anymore. They are just hatchery hybrids.

Mixed color Ameraucanas are also fuzzy. According to many breeders even mixed color Ameraucanas are Easter Eggers even if they came from two pure Ameraucana parents.

For me, I think they are still Ameraucanas. Not Easter Eggers. Though I will call them EEs until proven that they came from Ameraucana parents and the person with a "mixed color Ameraucana" know what they are talking about and didn't just buy an "Americana."

I also don't believe there is such thing as an "Easter Egger Mix." EEs are mutts as it is. I think they are either Easter Eggers or not.

Unpopular? yes.

Oh, and also Olive Eggers are a subsection of Easter Egger. Olive Eggers and EEs aren't different things. OE is just more specific.

I define Easter eggers as any first generation mix of a blue egg laying breed or any hatchery bred Easter egger x Easter egger. However, for example, calling a legbar x australorp an EE doesn’t mean it’s not a legbar x australorp, it just means it can also be classified as an EE because it’s a mixed breed that lays colored eggs. I wouldn’t call any second generation legbar x australorp an EE unless they lay colored eggs. The first generation cross should always lay colored eggs, though, since a purebred legbar should have two copies of the blue egg shell gene, which is a dominant trait.
As for hatchery EEs, they actually do have somewhat consistent traits, though not enough to be an actual breed. They usually have green or slate legs, beards, pea combs, a similar body type/size, tail shape, and usually do lay green or blue eggs. While their colorations may seem random, there’s actually many recurring, distinctive colors I’ve seen multiple times in EEs. To me, that means any cross of hatchery EE x EE is an EE, regardless of egg color, due to shared traits. Sort of like a landrace breed.
The various hatchery hybrids involving EEs, including olive eggers, are all types of EEs to me. This is simply because they don’t have enough traits to differ them from the “original” Easter eggers to be considered something totally separate. Though I see OEs, for instance, as a kind of EE, that doesn’t mean I’ll call a chicken I know to be an OE an EE, because an OE is a specific type of EE.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

calling a legbar x australorp an EE doesn’t mean it’s not a legbar x australorp, it just means it can also be classified as an EE because it’s a mixed breed that lays colored eggs.

I agree with this.

The various hatchery hybrids involving EEs, including olive eggers, are all types of EEs to me. This is simply because they don’t have enough traits to differ them from the “original” Easter eggers to be considered any different.

I can see this too. And do agree.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Well my Orpingtons are not supposed to look like a Wyandotte. They’re supposed to have different body shapes.

I’ve noticed that too. Most of the hatchery dual purpose breeds have a very similar body shape, while SQ versions of those breeds are much more distinctive. Same for the layer breeds.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I define Easter eggers as any first generation mix of a blue egg laying breed or any hatchery bred Easter egger x Easter egger. However, for example, calling a legbar x australorp an EE doesn’t mean it’s not a legbar x australorp, it just means it can also be classified as an EE because it’s a mixed breed that lays colored eggs. I wouldn’t call any second generation legbar x australorp an EE unless they lay colored eggs. The first generation cross should always lay colored eggs, though, since a purebred legbar should have two copies of the blue egg shell gene, which is a dominant trait.
As for hatchery EEs, they actually do have somewhat consistent traits, though not enough to be an actual breed. They usually have green or slate legs, beards, pea combs, a similar body type/size, tail shape, and usually do lay green or blue eggs. While their colorations may seem random, there’s actually many recurring, distinctive colors I’ve seen multiple times in EEs. To me, that means any cross of hatchery EE x EE is an EE, regardless of egg color, due to shared traits. Sort of like a landrace breed.
The various hatchery hybrids involving EEs, including olive eggers, are all types of EEs to me. This is simply because they don’t have enough traits to differ them from the “original” Easter eggers to be considered something totally separate. Though I see OEs, for instance, as a kind of EE, that doesn’t mean I’ll call a chicken I know to be an OE an EE, because an OE is a specific type of EE.

I edited this post to make my point clearer.

 

[Chickenslol]

I don’t think that’s what people mean. But they aren’t going to match the standard which is why people say “low quality“ doesn’t have anything to do with the bird itself. But it’s not gonna win any awards no matter how much you want it to.

i see what you mean, but specifically the “pretentious” part is what’s important, there’s definitely two different types of people who want breed integrity, and people who look down on little backyard chicken owners who just want some nice pets and fresh eggs and really don’t care about how good their chickens are is what i have a problem with. wanting breed integrity and loving chicken breeds/showing chickens and just wanting eggs are two things that can coexist without one being a threat to the other, i mean i certainly don’t have the audacity to walk into a professional showing competition and pretend my bird is good enough, and i don’t appreciate people who think they can judge my birds on that criteria because i don’t put them into a place where they should be judged because i know they’re not show quality.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

i see what you mean, but specifically the “pretentious” part is what’s important, there’s definitely two different types of people who want breed integrity, and people who look down on little backyard chicken owners who just want some nice pets and fresh eggs and really don’t care about how good their chickens are is what i have a problem with. wanting breed integrity and loving chicken breeds/showing chickens and just wanting eggs are two things that can coexist without one being a threat to the other, i mean i certainly don’t have the audacity to walk into a professional showing competition and pretend my bird is good enough, and i don’t appreciate people who think they can judge my birds on that criteria because i don’t put them into a place where they should be judged because i know they’re not show quality.

Oh yes, I understand that. I don’t look down on people who don’t have show quality birds. And if I ever did I guarantee it would be a joke. I don’t have show quality birds. Not that I’d be opposed to having any - I think show quality birds are stunning. But I think mutts can be just as pretty. But I know what you’re saying. I don’t treat my birds as if they are show birds, and I don’t want others to judge them as such.

 

[JadeFarms]

i see what you mean, but specifically the “pretentious” part is what’s important, there’s definitely two different types of people who want breed integrity, and people who look down on little backyard chicken owners who just want some nice pets and fresh eggs and really don’t care about how good their chickens are is what i have a problem with. wanting breed integrity and loving chicken breeds/showing chickens and just wanting eggs are two things that can coexist without one being a threat to the other, i mean i certainly don’t have the audacity to walk into a professional showing competition and pretend my bird is good enough, and i don’t appreciate people who think they can judge my birds on that criteria because i don’t put them into a place where they should be judged because i know they’re not show quality.

I have show birds and I’m hoping to get rid of my Hatchery birds. I hate them. But I do not look down on people who own hatchery birds and I don’t look down on their birds. I believe all animals are good and deserve respect but I also believe that hatcheries/breeders should put time and effort put into breeding. Not just putting any bird with any bird. There should be a standard.

Hatcheries are just making money. They know that Easter eggers are not ameraucanas but still they call them ameraucanas. To them about money, not about the animals.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Yep, I‘ve never had chicks from a hatchery, but I do think hatcheries seem to focus more on pumping Out as many chicks as possible instead of the quality and health of the chicks.

 

[JadeFarms]

Yep, I‘ve never had chicks from a hatchery, but I do think hatcheries seem to focus more on pumping Out as many chicks as possible instead of the quality and health of the chicks.

Yea they throw them around like freaking baseballs.

 

[Chickenslol]

Yep, I‘ve never had chicks from a hatchery, but I do think hatcheries seem to focus more on pumping Out as many chicks as possible instead of the quality and health of the chicks.

it’s such a shame too, i feel glad to have gotten birds and taken care of them well but i’ve always wondered what happens when the bargain bin at tractor supply needs to be filtered out because the chicks are too old, where do the poor unwanted chicks go?