How do you tell the difference between Easter Eggers and Ameraucanas?

Answer 1

This might seem hard to do at first, but there are a few key points that will almost always immediately tell you whether the bird is pure or a mutt.

• Color. Is the bird one of the 8 recognized colors of Ameraucana? Black, Blue, White, Wheaton, Blue Wheaton, Brown Red, Buff, or Silver. Splash and Splash Wheaton are also included as standard colors, as they are included in the genetics of Blue birds, though they are not recognized.

  Very rarely you might see project Ameraucanas - birds which meet all points of the standard but are a project color that isn't excepted for the breed, but it is seen in other breeds. This includes colors like Lavendar, Mottled, spangled, laced, etc. However these birds are rare to see as they are project birds and typicaly have small populations.

  If the bird is not a standard color then it is usually safe to say the bird is a mutt EE. If the bird is a mixed color than you can say with certainty it is a EE.

• Facial feathers. Pure bred Ameraucanas will always have both muffs and a beard. EE's may have one, both, or may be clean faced.
• Comb type. Ameraucanas will alwayshave a pea comb. EE's often have combs which appear to be a mutated pea comb, or might even have another type of comb.
• Leg color. The shanks of an Ameraucana will always be black or slate, with white/pinkish bottoms to their feet. Easter Eggers can have any leg color, but most often will have green legs, or slate/black with yellow bottoms.
• Egg color. An Ameraucana will only lay blue eggs, while EE's can lay any color egg. While this doesn't help on initial deduction or at all with Roosters, it is sometimes a major factor to telling the difference.