Easter eggers

[Rick589]

Ok, so here’s another question that will probably seem odd. How do you know you’re getting an EE? My understanding is that they’re sort of mutts and not really a breed?

 

[Farrari]

All birds are individuals, it impossible to say.

I have a mixed flock that all get on very well, EE’s can be bred from so many different breeds, most of mine are marans x aracuana, lovely big girls that many seem to call blue marans or bluebells. I did however have one small hen chick arrive that has the, “fluffy cheeks” of the so named Americanas that obviously came from my frizzle hen and she is very small and bossy, the only one amongst my flock of fifty cock and hen birds that certainly has her feisty moments. So there we are

 

[No Coop No Problem]

How prevalent is this crossbeak issue you folks have mentioned? I get the sense this is a fairly common issue with EE’s.

Never encountered it myself. Maybe it's an issue with hatchery EE getting overly inbred

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ok, so here’s another question that will probably seem odd. How do you know you’re getting an EE? My understanding is that they’re sort of mutts and not really a breed?

Rick, where to even start. This could get long.

First, thousands of year ago there were feral chickens, then people started domesticating them. They learned to selectively breed them to enhance egg laying in some, meat in some, and just pretty in others. These became landraces. Then one day a group of nobles were hanging around a tavern table and decided to have a contest of who could raise the "best" chicken. To get someone to judge the chickens they had to come up with "standards". What should the comb look like, what color eyes, leg color, skin color, posture, number of claws, size, and many other features.

Thus were breeds born. The general method was that they developed the standards and then had to breed a chicken that came up to those characteristics. It could take several chicken generations. I may have taken a liberty or two in telling this story but it is remarkably accurate. A landrace is a chicken well adjusted to the area it was developed. Some selective breeding may have influenced how they were shaped but it was largely climate and use.

The blue egg layers were discovered in Chile, not a breed but a landrace. There were no breed standards, no standard colors and such, they were just chickens that laid blue eggs. In the general area was a different tribe that had chickens with muffs, pea combs, and were tailless. Another landrace, no breed standards.

There was absolute confusion where these chickens were introduced to western civilization. Somehow the blue egg layers and the muffed, pea combed, and tailless were thought to be one landrace. Over time the blue egg layers made their way around. Breeders in the UK developed a breed that laid blue eggs, might have a tail or might be rumpless, and had other certain characteristics. In the US breeders developed what we call the Auracana, bearded rumpless and such and got their breed accepted by the American Poultry Association (APA). A few years later another group of breeders developed a blue egg laying breed that had tails and other different characteristics and got what they called Ameraucana approved by the APA. Since then other breeds have been developed that lay blue eggs. Some have been accepted by the British or American or other national poultry associations but some have not.

Some hatcheries had flocks of blue egg laying chickens before the APA developed or accepted the Araucana or Ameraucana breeds. They still have them. They may not come that close to the recognized breed standards but they were being called Araucana before the breed was even developed.

Easter Egger is a slang term for a blue egg layer that is not a breed. They are not a breed, there are no breed standards. There is not really a commonly accepted definition. For some people the hen needs to lay a blue or green egg to be considered an EE. How do you account for roosters that don't lay eggs? For some they need to hatch from a blue or green egg to be considered an EE. For some if one of their ancestors laid a blue or green egg then they are considered EE even if their mother or grandmothers laid brown or white eggs.

If someone has an EE, they may be from a flock before breeds were developed. Those colored egg laying flocks were not just in hatcheries. They may be an Auracana or Ameraucana that doesn't fuly meet breed standards. They may be a mix of a blue egg laying breed and a white, or brown egg laying breed.

I see all these comments about EE's not going broody, having crossbeaks, and other things as it these were common with all EE's. I have no doubt their EE's display those characteristics but that does not mean all EE's do. They are so diverse how can there be any consistencies.

I developed my own EE's. I got some Ameraucanas that a neighboring lady (working with a consortium) was developing a new color/pattern to try to get them accepted as an approved color/pattern Ameraucana by the APA. That got me the blue egg gene. I crossed them with my flock that was a mix of Speckled Sussex, Black Australorp, Delaware, Buff Orpington, and Buff Rock. After a few years of selective breeding I had a flock that were all either black or red speckled, that lay really well, and grew large enough to be really useful as meat. Every hen went broody because I selectively bred that into my flock. None were crossbeaked. Every hen laid either a blue or green egg. Some had a single comb, some had a pea. Most had a comb that was a mix of pea and single. Some had muffs, some did not. I consider mine EE's though they look a lot different than many other EE's.

probably a lot more than you wanted to read, if you even made it to the end. Try to enjoy your chickens whatever you want to call them.

 

[Debby R]

I see a lot of folks, here and other sites, that really like these birds. Never really got a clear understanding of the attraction so I’m asking, what is it about these birds that people enjoy so much?

 

[Debby R]

I had one Easter egger in my original six chicks. She was the sweetest, friendliest, and the best layer of them all. Unfortunately, she was also the first one that was killed by an owl. I cried for two days.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How prevalent is this crossbeak issue you folks have mentioned? I get the sense this is a fairly common issue with EE’s.

2 of 3 for me, but both mild and manageable. It is more common with EEs but I don't know how common.

Edited to add, these were hatchery chicks from a feed store.

 

[AntiqueB]

I have 2, neither with crossbeak.

 

[stuccofarm]

I have my first ever EEs 3 and a rooster companion mixed with my Wellsumers and a little red Silkie hen that has yet to lay an egg
All three EEs lay the most gorgeous blue eggs like Robin eggs only large egg size -hoping to raise my own if any hen goes broody - interesting enough all three EEs seem to roost together with rooster by their side I’ll send a photo if I can figure out how

 

[Clcatto]

I see a lot of folks, here and other sites, that really like these birds. Never really got a clear understanding of the attraction so I’m asking, what is it about these birds that people enjoy so much?

Every EE I’ve ever had has been super sweet, friendly, calm, interactive and have lived a long time (my best pal Ethel lived to 11.5 and loved being picked up, lap time and cuddles).