I have both araucana ( rumpless tufted ) and Easter Eggers ( which are my own araucana cross's). I sell my eggs at a farmers market and I have a flyer I made up that explains the difference if anyone is interested. The frustration I have is not with the hatcheries, it is with people on
ebay and eggbid who list their EE's as Araucana or Americana. If a person is looking for a good quality Americana or Araucana or any breed for that matter and they want it to be the best representation of the breed for breeding or showing they should look to breeders not hatcheries. If they are looking on
ebay and eggbid as i do, because a lot of reputable breeders post there, one surmises that they are expecting to get the actual breed they are looking for. If you want chickens to lay eggs and resemble your choosen breed (araucana withstanding) the hatcheries do that at a price most people can afford. The EE is a wonderful chicken. Most of mine lay beautiful blue eggs, a few lay green eggs and two lay pink eggs. My araucana's lay blue and blue green eggs.
Araucana and Americana breeders put a lot of time and effort into their choosen breed and the money they charge for birds, chicks, hatching eggs, or eating eggs helps further their hobby. I have people ask me why I charge so much for my eating eggs when they have the same birds and give the pretty blue ones to their familys as gifts.
Most people don't know the difference and don't really care, they just want pretty eggs, and nice chickens, it is the ones who do want the purbreds that are mislead.
Hope this rambling made sense. In sort EE's good, araucana's good, americana's good, people who misrepresent on purpose to make money bad.LOL!
Lanae