# Please don’t tell me my hen is a rooster.



## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

Uh oh. Please not again 😭. I was with my chickens and I noticed that my ameracauna/Easter egger had some saddle feathers possibly. Her comb and wattles are not red at all. Her tail feathers are pretty long, but it looks like all her feathers are rounded. Let me know if you think she’s actually a boy. Thanks!


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## ChickenBiscuts (May 28, 2021)

Easter Egger pullet. Not an Ameraucana.

Hens have saddle feathers too, but theirs are rounded. Males have pointy saddle feathers, which she does not have. They come in at ~12-14 weeks.


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

ChickenBiscuts said:


> Easter Egger pullet. Not an Ameraucana.
> 
> Hens have saddle feathers too, but theirs are rounded. Males have pointy saddle feathers, which she does not have. They come in at ~12-14 weeks.


Thank you. Whew that makes me feel better. I’m not really familiar with the breeds but I believe that’s how she was advertised. I have heard there is not really a true “Easter egger”. Is that true?


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

Also, she is about 9 weeks old.


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## ChickenBiscuts (May 28, 2021)

anava said:


> Thank you. Whew that makes me feel better. I’m not really familiar with the breeds but I believe that’s how she was advertised. I have heard there is not really a true “Easter egger”. Is that true?


Yes. Easter Egger is not a breed. It has no standard or set features that make something an Easter Egger.


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## ChickenBiscuts (May 28, 2021)

anava said:


> Also, she is about 9 weeks old.


Ah, okay. She looked older than that. I do still believe she is a pullet with that coloring and pale comb. However the comb is a bit large. I would give her a few more weeks before being certain. But that comb doesn't even have a dash of red, which a cockerel at this age usually would have. And her pattern looks like a common female EE coloring.

Can you get a picture of her from the side in better lighting? I would like to see if she has any wing bars coming in or not.


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

ChickenBiscuts said:


> Ah, okay. She looked older than that. I do still believe she is a pullet with that coloring and pale comb. However the comb is a bit large. I would give her a few more weeks before being certain. But that comb doesn't even have a dash of red, which a cockerel at this age usually would have. And her pattern looks like a common female EE coloring.
> 
> Can you get a picture of her from the side in better lighting? I would like to see if she has any wing bars coming in or not.


It is dark at my house now, but tomorrow morning I will try to take a better picture tomorrow. Is this picture any better?


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## ChickenBiscuts (May 28, 2021)

anava said:


> It is dark at my house now, but tomorrow morning I will try to take a better picture tomorrow. Is this picture any better?
> View attachment 41870


Yeah, she's a pullet. Common female coloring,


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

ChickenBiscuts said:


> Yeah, she's a pullet. Common female coloring,


Thank you!!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Hurray for CB being here. I would put in my 2 cents but I'm not sure it's even worth that. 

Looks like you escaped having to go through the rooster rehoming thing again.


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Hurray for CB being here. I would put in my 2 cents but I'm not sure it's even worth that.
> 
> Looks like you escaped having to go through the rooster rehoming thing again.


Yes I got pretty worried for a second. Hopefully no more issues there.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

ChickenBiscuts said:


> Yes. Easter Egger is not a breed. It has no standard or set features that make something an Easter Egger.


Aracaunas, Americaunas, Ameracaunas, some folks treat it like religion, however they were originally brought to the states for the pastel eggs. I thought for some years that they were headed for a possible Standard but the fad has diminished somewhat and we seem to be past the peak of the curve. I have some, they are good all purpose chickens and good for kids to learn with. They are not large but we need to remember this is the size of most chickens on the planet. The states is really the only place that farms the giant commercial meat chickens and turkeys.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

At the Araucana championship show one of the breeders showed me how to show they are true. The muffs on Araucanas and Ameraucanas is actually feathers attached to a thing of skin hanging from their cheeks.


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

robin416 said:


> At the Araucana championship show one of the breeders showed me how to show they are true. The muffs on Araucanas and Ameraucanas is actually feathers attached to a thing of skin hanging from their cheeks.


Interesting. So I guess my Easter egg is basically some sort of mixed chicken that will lay a blue/green egg??


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Or pink or tan. If you get enough of them you could have a whole rainbow of eggs. One of our members did that once. She had olive, blue, green, pink, tan, white. It was neat to see all of the eggs in a basket.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Or pink or tan. If you get enough of them you could have a whole rainbow of eggs. One of our members did that once. She had olive, blue, green, pink, tan, white. It was neat to see all of the eggs in a basket.


I did not know that about the muffs. I think I have all those colors now, I should check for sure.


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Or pink or tan. If you get enough of them you could have a whole rainbow of eggs. One of our members did that once. She had olive, blue, green, pink, tan, white. It was neat to see all of the eggs in a basket.


Hopefully she lays a cool colored egg. Can’t wait to see.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Poultry Judge said:


> I did not know that about the muffs. I think I have all those colors now, I should check for sure.


Aren't turkey beards actually feathers on a dangle of skin?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

anava said:


> Hopefully she lays a cool colored egg. Can’t wait to see.


I guess that means you won't try for the rainbow effect.


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

robin416 said:


> I guess that means you won't try for the rainbow effect.


Maybe one day when I have space for more chickens. For now, I may already have a rainbow effect somewhat. If she lays a colored egg and my unknown chicken (which is probably a Green Queen) lays a green egg then it’ll be awesome. Other than those two I have a buff Orpington, a lavender Orpington, and a salmon faverolle. So I think all their eggs will probably be a shade of brown?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

To me the favorelle is more of a tan color than brown. And that can be light or a little darker.

No clue what color the orpies lay.

Or get a Marans and get a chocolate colored egg. 

Yeah, I know. Space is a problem. Which makes it so hard to choose for so many.


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

robin416 said:


> To me the favorelle is more of a tan color than brown. And that can be light or a little darker.
> 
> No clue what color the orpies lay.
> 
> ...


Yeah my chicken coop and run isn’t very big and I’m too scared of predators to let them free range if I’m not with them so five is plenty for me now. Me and hubby just bought ten acres of land though. Not moving there just holding it for now but I would love to move there and get tons of chickens 🥰. And turkeys and ducks. We’ll see hopefully one day!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

anava said:


> get tons of chickens 🥰. And turkeys and ducks. We’ll see hopefully one day!


Had to laugh. One day, maybe your dreams will come true. Read what some of our group has. Turkeys, peacocks, ducks. It's easy to get hooked when you read their experiences with them.


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## ChickenBiscuts (May 28, 2021)

Poultry Judge said:


> I thought for some years that they were headed for a possible Standard but the fad has diminished somewhat and we seem to be past the peak of the curve


Well, if you think about it, are Ameraucanas and Araucanas not EEs with standards?

Araucana used to be the name for all blue laying chickens, they were imported from South America, some tufted, some rumpless, some bearded, etc... 

Many breeders bred them in many different way to how they thought the standard should be. Eventually the APA accepted "Araucana" as a breed, but only accepted the rumpless and tufted varieties. Leaving the birds with muffs and beards excluded. 

Later in 1984 the bearded varities were accepted under the name "Ameraucana."

Back to the point of Ameraucanas and Araucanas being EEs with a standard, excerpt from the Ameraucana Alliance:

"Which came first the Araucana or the Ameraucana? Actually since both are now legitimate names of official APA breeds let’s say the Easter Eggers came first. They came to this country as mongrel chickens and were bred to other types of chickens. Over the past several decades some breeders bred them to look the way they wanted. Some bred for tufted and rumpless characteristics, some bred for muffs and tails and others bred for whatever they wanted. Araucanas were not developed from Ameraucanas and Ameraucanas were not developed from Araucanas. They were both bred up from Easter Eggers or mixed breed chickens."


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Isn't that true of so many of our birds though. Crossing them out to another breed to get certain characteristics.


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## ChickenBiscuts (May 28, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Isn't that true of so many of our birds though. Crossing them out to another breed to get certain characteristics.


Yes. My main point was that many EEs actually _have_ grown to have a standard, in response to Poultry Judge saying they thought they were on there way to receiving a standard, and are now APA accepted breeds. Due to the vast variety in EEs I think it would be rather disappointing if they entirety of Easter Eggers were to have gotten a single standard. I love that you can find them in so many different forms and color variations. Some with crests, some with feathered feet, some with muffs, some with tufts, some with silkied feathers, you name it.


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## Love My Chickies (Jun 25, 2021)

Looks like my Easter egger pullet, Ducky ❤


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## anava (Jul 10, 2021)

Love My Chickies said:


> Looks like my Easter egger pullet, Ducky ❤
> View attachment 42508
> View attachment 42509


So cute! They do look so much alike. 🥰


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## chickenpersoon (Sep 11, 2021)

ChickenBiscuts said:


> Yes. Easter Egger is not a breed. It has no standard or set features that make something an Easter Egger.


yes, an easter egger is actually just a "type." They are kind of a mutt


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