What is the difference between an EE and Amaraucanas?

[herbmom]

We have 2 with fluffy checks and someone said they look like EE's and not Amaraucanas. What is the difference? I'm new to chickens. In fact I've never really paid attention to real chickens before but have caught that chicken fever.

We got 6 chicks and are suppose to have 2 buff orpingtons, 2 RIR and 2 Americanas or EE's. I wanted the colorful eggs.

I'll try and post pictures. I've posted some earlier and have been told they look like what they are suppose to except the Amaricanas look like EE's so that's the only one I'm confused about.

Thank you.


Diane

 

[Happy Chooks]

You can only get pure Ameraucana's from a breeder. If you got them from a hatchery or a feed store, they are EE's.

These are what pure Ameraucana's look like:
http://www.ameraucana.org/scrapbook.html

 

[wolftracks]

Your opening a c an of worms. LOL

Basically Ameraucanas lay a blue egg, where EE's can lay just about any color. They are usually a mix of AM and another breed and they are what feedstores and hatcheries offer.

You can also get a pure AM, but if it isn't a recongnized color, it is considered an EE.

OK that's just basic, but you'll start getting more posts. Trust me!

I have a couple of EEs. I have pure AMs in silver, lavender, BBS, black and blue. BBS is Black/Blue/Splash all possible from the same breeding. I love my AMs sweet birds all but Clyde my black roo. H's a pain sometimes. My EEs are not friendly. I have to wait until they roost to even be able to pick them up. Most people say theirs are very friendly though. My EEs lay a pink egg, not green or blue, so you get a variety of colors with the EEs.

 

[TheReidHomestead]

If the birds don't match an accepted standard for Ameraucana, than they are a mutt, also known as an Easter Egger. You can see which colors of Ameraucana are accepted in the standard, and read their standard here on the Ameraucana Breeders Club website. Here is the Standard written for the Ameraucana breed: http://www.ameraucana.org/standard.html
Here are photo's of accepted varieties of the Ameraucana breed: http://www.ameraucana.org/scrapbook.html

The American Standard of Perfection book lists all breeds and their standards accepted by the American Poultry Association. These are what the birds are judged against at Poultry Shows. Many hatchery's breed Easter Eggers because the demand is high for blue/green eggs, but the hatcheries do not breed to standard. So you will get off colors. The hatcheries still call them Ameraucana, but technically, they are not, if they do not match one of the accepted standards in the book.

You will find lots of discussion on this topic here if you do a search. If you want true Ameraucana's, get eggs or chicks from a breeder. You can find good breeders on the same website I posted up there.

 

[herbmom]

Wow that was educational. Thank you for the links. I'm okay with EE's that's what we wanted, colorful eggs. We are beginners with chickens so not needing true/full breeds. Just want some good egg layers with a gentle/friendly disposition if possible. We hold them lots and they do squawk but hoping they will be friendly when I let them loose. I do give them treats and they come to me when I put my hand in there.

I love their fluffy cheeks. Seems to me that most newbies to chickens are calling the EE's Americanas so that is why I was so confused. I didn't know they came in so many colors. Mine are brownish bodies with Golden heads. Kind of have brown stripes on their head and around eyes when they were little chicks but loosing that and getting spotted type of colorings in their feathers. I think they are pretty. Still growing in their adult feathers but so cute.

 

[Nicole01]

My EE cheeks is looking exacty like a solid wheaten Americana! How funny is that?

 

[Brody's Broodello]

I guess the question to ask here is if you breed Pure Ameraucanas to develope a new color variety, will they be considered Ameraucanas or EE's by the powers that be. And if a Lavender Ameraucana is not an accepted standard color is it really an EE? Yeah I know worms are over flowing with this question.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Brody's Broodello :

I guess the question to ask here is if you breed Pure Ameraucanas to develope a new color variety, will they be considered Ameraucanas or EE's by the powers that be. And if a Lavender Ameraucana is not an accepted standard color is it really an EE? Yeah I know worms are over flowing with this question.

If you breed a pure Ameraucana of one color to a pure Ameraucana of another color - like a black to a wheaten - it's still a pure Ameraucana, but is a non standard color.

Blue, black and splash can be bred together and so can Lavender and black.​

 

[Brody's Broodello]

Quote:
If you breed a pure Ameraucana of one color to a pure Ameraucana of another color - like a black to a wheaten - it's still a pure Ameraucana, but is a non standard color.

Blue, black and splash can be bred together and so can Lavender and black.

Ok but as it was stated the offspring are not a standard color so therefore they are considered EE's by the PTB.

 

[herbmom]

So I looked at that link and clicked on every picture of the adult chickens and none of them look like mine. The wheaten baby chick pictures looked a lot like when they were babies but mine gals are more colorful now that their adult feathers are coming in. I like them and I do hope we get different colored eggs.