Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[ochochicas]

I hadn't actually thought of hatching my own. I don't have an incubator or anything, and they are pretty expensive. hmmm. decisions decisions.

I thought the same thing. I bought one for about $70 plus $15 for shipping. It was pretty easy to use and my first attempt I hatched 20 chicks. I can hardly wait for warmer weather so I can hatch more. I figure it is a hobby that is going to have some minor expenses. The incubator was cheaper than golf clubs or buying a saddle for the horse. LOL

If you can't find any chicks close to home, you might just have to make a road trip. There are a lot of nice breeders all over Puget Sound. I'd drive over 3 hours if I could get my hands on some Wheaten Marans eggs. The idea of shipping eggs (or chicks) does not appeal to me either.

Has anyone had a good experience with Baxter Barn? Don't they just buy their birds from hatcheries anyway? Someone I know bought some Marans and Ameraucana pullets from them and they all ended up being mutts. Cute birds but not what they paid for.

 

[CarolynF]

Quote:
There is a woman on Key Peninsula that has great wheaten marans. She used to have BLRW, not sure if she still does. I believe Pam at RainCreek Pottery has BLRW, too.

I understand not wanting shipped eggs since the typical hatch rate is closer to 50%. Baxter Barn sells hatchery chicks like all the other feed stores, and they don't really take very good care of them according to several friends of mine that have complained to their management more than once. So.... anything they sell as "Americana" (they always spell it wrong like that) is an EE, not an Ameraucana.

 

[jbkirk]

I understand not wanting shipped eggs since the typical hatch rate is closer to 50%. Baxter Barn sells hatchery chicks like all the other feed stores, and they don't really take very good care of them according to several friends of mine that have complained to their management more than once. So.... anything they sell as "Americana" (they always spell it wrong like that) is an EE, not an Ameraucana.

I'm totally confused. Could someone please explain the difference between an "Ameraucana" and a "Easter Egger".

Thanks MK

 

[SunnySky]

I'm totally confused. Could someone please explain the difference between an "Ameraucana" and a "Easter Egger".

Thanks MK

I'll try to get as close to right as possible. Ameraucanas are not my specialty (at this time lol.) Ameraucanas have to fit a strict 'standard of perfection.' This 'SOP' dictates details such as leg color, feather color (right now, there are only 8 accepted colors as far as I know), egg color, comb type, etc etc. You can google the ABC (Ameraucana Breeders Club) for a complete description of the Ameraucana SOP. http://www.ameraucana.org/standard.html

Easter Eggers do not have a 'breed standard' they have to follow. EE's can lay any color egg; they usually have green, yellow or slate colored legs, may or may not have muffs and beards, and can have any comb type.

I've seen breeders hatch chicks from pure (legit) Ameraucana parents but some of the chicks had to be considered Easter Eggers because they lacked muffs or beards. So even though they were 100% Ameraucana genetically, the chicks could not be called Ameraucanas due to their faults or their inability to meet the Ameraucana SOP.

I hope this helps.

Here's a link that might help explain further: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/ameraucana-vs-easter-egger

 

[CarolynF]

Quote:
The short answer is: An Ameraucana is a recognized breed with Standards. An EE (or americana) is a mixed breed with some Ameraucana blood in their background.

Commercial hatcheries, imho, are probably the biggest reason for the confusion.
The correct spelling of the breed is AMERAUCANA. It is a true breed with specific Standards, e.g. they lay only a Blue Egg, not green, turquoise, teal, olive, mint, pink, brown, or any other color. They are one of a specific group of colors, their legs and eyes are a specific color, and they have fluffy feathers on cheeks and chin.

Easter Eggers are a cross of Ameraucana and any other breed. They are NOT an actual breed. They are mixed breeds that lay any of a number of different egg colors. The egg color can be almost anything and depends on the parentage. Most often they will lay a green or blue-green egg which is a cross between a blue egg layer + a brown egg layer. The birds we popularly call "Olive Eggers" are part of the EE group, they have been selectively crossed to get the olive green eggs. When 2 EEs are bred together the egg color varies even more. Other mixes that are less common and create a variety of egg colors use the other blue egg layers -- Cream Legbars and Araucanas.

Just like dog breeds that have mixed blood, they can no longer be accurately called that breed. Commercial hatcheries aren't interested in keeping the blood lines pure. The offspring have some degree of similarity to Ameraucanas, but they are not the actual breed. The hatcheries want the public to think they are getting Ameraucanas, so they choose to mis-spell the name as Americana or something along those lines, generally containing the letter i. Hatchery Americana = Easter Egger.

Hope this helps.

 

[catface]

I've noticed some Jubilee Orps for sale on Craigslist in Whatcom co. Just wondering if it's someone on here who's selling them...

 

[angelfishfan]

@tiffrosef I made my own incy for like 50$ using a foan cooler, hardware cloth, a light, some sponges, a computer fan, and a water heater thermostat, easy peasy. I only lost 2 eggs of the 33 i put down, they were shipped eggs too, I was even surprised

 

[Amberjem]

re: the amercana/EE thing it's breeders versus hatcherys.. the hatcherys have trademarked Easter eggers so the breeders have the amercana which follow a standard it's a big political drama thing between breeders n hatcherys..... but easter eggers are basically mutt chickens that throw easter eggy colored eggs.........amercana's have a set standard of perfection anything differing is a DQ

 

[jbkirk]

The short answer is: An Ameraucana is a recognized breed with Standards. An EE (or americana) is a mixed breed with some Ameraucana blood in their background.

Commercial hatcheries, imho, are probably the biggest reason for the confusion.
The correct spelling of the breed is AMERAUCANA. It is a true breed with specific Standards, e.g. they lay only a Blue Egg, not green, turquoise, teal, olive, mint, pink, brown, or any other color. They are one of a specific group of colors, their legs and eyes are a specific color, and they have fluffy feathers on cheeks and chin.

Easter Eggers are a cross of Ameraucana and any other breed. They are NOT an actual breed. They are mixed breeds that lay any of a number of different egg colors. The egg color can be almost anything and depends on the parentage. Most often they will lay a green or blue-green egg which is a cross between a blue egg layer + a brown egg layer. The birds we popularly call "Olive Eggers" are part of the EE group, they have been selectively crossed to get the olive green eggs. When 2 EEs are bred together the egg color varies even more. Other mixes that are less common and create a variety of egg colors use the other blue egg layers -- Cream Legbars and Araucanas.

Just like dog breeds that have mixed blood, they can no longer be accurately called that breed. Commercial hatcheries aren't interested in keeping the blood lines pure. The offspring have some degree of similarity to Ameraucanas, but they are not the actual breed. The hatcheries want the public to think they are getting Ameraucanas, so they choose to mis-spell the name as Americana or something along those lines, generally containing the letter i. Hatchery Americana = Easter Egger.

Hope this helps.

SOOOOO Ameruacanas,Araucanas, and Legbars are breeds that lay colored eggs. EE and Americanas are mutts made out of these and (insert any breed). correct?

 

[Amberjem]

DIY incubator