What breed are my hens?

[littlelemon]

I would like some input here on what breed my two hens exactly are. I have a photo of their eggs here. Notice how some are blue and some are green? They are all different looking, and we really don't know which hen lays which egg. The eggs are always in the same nest.

Here's a picture of each of the hens. The lady I got them from said they were Aracaunas, but I am not so sure. What do you all think? The gold one has a fluffy face, and she didn't lay for awhile after we got her, but now we are getting at least an egg a day-sometimes two, so we are pretty sure she is laying now. Opinions?

 

[speckledhen]

No, they're not Araucanas, they are Easter Eggers, crossbred chickens with the gene for tinted eggs. Pretty colors! The first hen looks more like a black sexlink than an Easter Egger , but if she's laying tinted eggs, she's a mixed breed with that gene in her background somewhere.

 

[littlelemon]

Thank you! Is there any way I can tell which hen lays which egg (aside from watching, of course!)? Will one hen's own eggs vary in color, or will they always lay the same tint?

 

[soonerdog]

Each hen could lay a different shade of the blue or green color. Some lay really darker color eggs and some are lighter. BTW, I have a hen that looks identical to your reddish hen, in fact they are twins. Good luck and enjoy your pretty girls and pretty eggs.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Your second hen looks closer to an Ameraucana, even though she doesn't quite meet the standard. Most pullets/hens that lay colored eggs (other than brown or white) are considered Easter Eggers.

Auracanas are rumpless (tail-less), and have ear tufts - two of the main identifiers.

They are pretty birds! With their shell colors being so close together it'd be difficult to judge which is laying the bluer-egg, without bringing out a lawn chair to watch, wait, and see.

Do you get two eggs a day? As far as I know, a pullet/hen can only lay one egg in a 24 hr period.

 

[Blisschick]

The color of the egg will stay the same for each bird. The only time I've ever noticed differences in the intensity of the color is when they have a change in diet or may have something making them not feel real well, but even then, the difference isn't really drastic.

 

[pipermark]

Auracanas - I read recently that the APA now reconizes a Auracana with a tail, can anyone
verify this?

 

[speckledhen]

I know Jody called them something like Quetzos or some odd name. She could tell us about that more. Whether they're accepted in the standard, I dont know.

 

[hinkjc]

Nope, no tails in the American standard of perfection. To be shown as an araucana, it must be tufted and rumpless. Ameraucana in "all other varieties" will be muffed/tailed.

According to araucana history, the tufted tailed birds were known as Quetros. The clean faced rumpless birds were called Colloncas. When bred together they created the tufted/rumpless Modern Araucana known in America. Of course, this is not consistent in their offspring and you could get clean faced tailed birds as well. Most araucana breeders use all three in their breeding programs for various reasons.

That first pic could have araucana genes, but no way to know for sure without seeing the parents. The second pic is definitely not araucana because araucana do not have muffs/beards. That is typical of ameraucana or easter eggers. If the muffed one is an easter egger - and I'm betting it is - that is probably the one laying the greener egg.

As for the person who sold them as 'araucana', they probably bought them from a hatchery as that and continued misusing the name, unknowingly. Without proper education and research, people just don't know what they have.

Jody

 

[speckledhen]

Quetros! That's the word I was looking for, LOL. Couldn't remember it right, sorry. Thanks, Jody.