What exactly is an Easter Egger?

[Pequena Bandada]

An Easter Egger is not just ANY mutt... it's an Ameraucana that doesn't breed true, or a chicken with Ameraucana or Araucana in it's history that still carries the colored egg gene. They have pea combs and usually have greenish or olive legs. They come in most colors and frequently have beards and muffs. You can breed Easter Eggers from other EEs or from Ameraucanas crossed with other chickens.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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The blue/green egg gene is dominant right?

 

[Inkheart]

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Ok thank you - and i looked at the thread real quick and have noticed that they generalyl have beards - but not feathered legs?
And where does their temperament lie? What ever they may be mixed with or more like an Ameraucana?
Sorry just trying to learn here

 

[oesdog]

Hope this is helpful got it from Wiki

However when I asked on BYC if my Cream Legbar Roo (Hatched from a BLUE egg!!! Hens lay Blue eggs!!!!) was an EE as it does have the blue egg gene I was told NO?????? Maybe we need some clarification here????

Oesdog -

Easter Egger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An Easter Egger is any chicken that possesses the "blue egg" gene, but doesn't fully meet any breed description as defined in the American Poultry Association (APA) and/or the American Bantam Association (ABA) standards. The name derives from the resemblance of their colorful eggs to Easter eggs. Araucanas, Ameraucanas, and Easter Eggers are descended from the same founder stock that spread around the world from Chile and the Falklands. Three main founder breeds were involved in the creation of what we today call Araucanas, Ameraucanas, British tailed Araucanas, and the Easter Eggers. These would be the Quechua, the Quetro, and the Colloncas. In about 1976 some Chilean Araucanas were imported to the United States and are still here today unchanged. They appear except for color to be Ameraucanas or British tailed Araucanas. Some Easter Eggers breed true to type and color over fifty percent of the time. Molecular data retrieved from specimens of known provenance in the Falklands, United Kingdom, Shetland Isles, and Canada proved to be closely related. Consequently, the Ameraucana is probably closer genetically to the South American founders than the North American Araucana. None of these, Araucana, Ameraucana, or British tailed Araucanas were actually a breed in South America.

Often confused with the rare, pure breeds of Araucana and the not so rare Ameraucana, the majority of chickens in laying flocks that lay blue or green eggs are Easter Eggers.[1] Even if a bird meets an APA or ABA Standard of Perfection breed description, but doesn't meet a variety description, or breed true at least fifty percent of the time, it is technically considered an Easter Egger. These chickens also may exhibit the muffs and beards similar to the Araucana and Ameraucana.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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That is how I understood it aswell, that an EE is not a breed, simply a decendant of the Ameraucauna and Araucauna carrying the gene

 

[Inkheart]

However when I asked on BYC if my Cream Legbar Roo (Hatched from a BLUE egg!!! Hens lay Blue eggs!!!!) was an EE as it does have the blue egg gene I was told NO?????? Maybe we need some clarification here????

Oesdog -

Easter Egger
Thank you soooo much - that WAS helpful - still confusing but helpful! LOL

 

[Inkheart]

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Thank you - am checking out right now!

 

[dandelionheart]

I like my mutts. Sorry to not have pictures, but the others have posted so many varieties. It isn't just the pretty eggs, they have such a beautiful variety of plummage and our EEs are so cuddly with each other and are much more people/child friendly. But mutts they are.

Breeding for pet status (because egg color isn't really important in meat birds or plain layers) I think has caused these birds to be friendlier than maybe other chickens would be. Just a thought. But EEs have taken on a different subgroup, although not a breed, certainly a collection of traits that they often exhibit (egg color only being one of those).

 

[oesdog]

This is what Wiki says about the Cream Legbar???? -
IS he an EE or not ????????????
Can I join the EE thread ????? Or Not - I mean I just want to know as I was sure he was an EE as he has the blue egg gene?????
Help???? Oh yeah just so you know HE HAS YELLOW LEGS NOT GREEN LEGS!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a recognised rare breed chicken!!!!

Oesdog -

Cream Legbar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Cream Legbar is a sex linked type of chicken. This means that you can tell the sex of the chick at hatch. The Cream Legbar originated as a cross between Brown Leghorns and Barred Rock with some Araucana blood in them. This is reflected in the crest and the blue eggs that they lay. The egg colour is usually blue, though some will give olive eggs.

BLUE THE ROO!!!!! Am I EE or NOT?????????????????

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Thats very interesting, I have never heard of the Cream Legbars... They could just be EE's, EE's can have yellow legs although ,ost have slate colored legs.