What is this hen?

[LAChickens]

The hen on the left came to me as an Easter Egger / Ameracauna / Aracauna mix, the others - like the on on the right, have the classic ear tufts, muffs and beards, this one is shaped more like a bird and less like a hen. She did lay a blue egg yesterday, so there is Aracauna in her lineage, I'm just wondering what else? The photo doesn't do her justice, in the light the black on her feathers is irridescent green/purple and she's a quite striking hen. Willow green legs, Nice Partridge (?) plumage, with a black overtone, calm demeanor.

 

[RedIII]

She could be a beardless EE. Whatever the case, she's very pretty! Congrats on the blue eggs!

 

[Pele]

I agree with Red, she's a beardless EE. Hatcheries are very loosey goosey with the genetics of EEs, as they are not a standardized breed. Ideally (in my mind) they should have willow legs, muffs, pea combs, and lay green or blue eggs. But, they can be missing any one of those elements and be legitimately still called EE.

 

[LAChickens]

Thanks Red! Pele, I agree. The other three conform pretty much to standard—willow legs, muff, pea comb, ear tufts, this one, not so much. She has willow legs, but almost no comb at all, and she looks more like a bird than a typical chicken.

 

[hdowden]

its an ee, ee's since they are mixed breeds they can look like whatever. as long as they have Ameracauna or Aracauna in them its an ee (i think there is a thrird breed but i dont remember its name). ee's dont have a standarded because they are mixed

 

[mycutekitties]

She is pretty.

 

[BlazeJester]

Where did you get these birds? Do they have tails? Araucana are quite rare. Neither of your birds have tufts and it is VERY unlikely any of them do. Google it and see - tufts are really unique and VERY VERY rare.

Basically you have easter eggers that may be closer to Arau/Amer lineage than most, but they are still blue/green egger mutts and therefore EEs. Unless they are bred back to standard, they should not be labeled otherwise.

The pattern on both is duckwing, and this darker one is heavily melanized (overlaid with black). Not sure what you mean by "looks like a bird" - chickens are birds!!!

A side or top view picture would really help.

 

[mama24]

She's pretty! It's almost impossible to say what else is in her lineage. So many different breeds can carry so many different coloring genes, and it looks like she has a lot of different coloring genes mixed in there! 2 of my hatchery EE's have what I think are cushion combs. They are definitely not pea combs, at least they don't look anything like the "real" pea combs I've seen in pictures or in person. They look like squashed red marshmallows, just a rounded rectangular blob, with a few creases, no bumps or points at all, and very flat to their heads. My 3rd EE has a really foldy accordian comb that is obviously a single comb crossed with something else, probably that same cushion type comb her "sister" have. I call them the 3 stooges. They're a hoot! I love them! My floppy combed girl is the only one that lays a blue egg, the other 2 lay green. They are laying every day this week, nice large sized eggs. I got some real Ameraucanas in the fall, but now I'm thinking I might just stick with the EEs since they are more prolific layers and their eggs are bigger.

 

[LAChickens]

Thanks I think she's pretty also! BlazeJester here are few more photos I took this morning. No she's not even close to form for an Aracauna, and even farther than the other Easter Eggers I have. She is very likely a mutt but I wondered what else she might have in her. She does have an oil sheen of melanized black over her feathers which lead my 7 year old niece to naming her Smokyback. I'd never heard of duckwing coloring, thanks for that. The patterning on the bird on the left immediately above is quite elegant and elaborate, I think of it as men's suiting material. I got the birds from a neighbor who picked them up at a local feed store. All four of them are very nicely marked. I only mentioned that she had Aracauna in her lineage as her eggs are blue (see below).