What is an Easter Egger Chicken? A Complete Guide to this Colorful Backyard Bird

Easter Egger chickens have become increasingly popular in recent years among backyard chicken keepers and small homesteaders. But what exactly are Easter Eggers, and what makes them such a fun addition to a backyard flock? In this complete guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about this unique mixed breed chicken.

What is an Easter Egger Chicken?

An Easter Egger chicken is a mixed breed chicken that carries the blue egg-laying gene but does not fully conform to breed standards to be considered a pure Ameraucana or Araucana chicken. Unlike purebred chickens from recognized breeds, Easter Eggers are not recognized by poultry breed associations.

Easter Eggers are the result of breeding a chicken that lays blue eggs (like an Ameraucana or Araucana) with a brown egg layer (such as a Rhode Island Red, Plymouth Rock, or Marans). The goal is to create a productive chicken that lays a variety of colorful egg shades while retaining hardiness from the non-blue egg parent.

While Easter Eggers all carry the blue egg gene, they are not considered a true breed. Individual Easter Eggers can vary widely in appearance and traits. This variability is part of the fun with this mixed breed!

Typical Easter Egger Characteristics

While Easter Eggers vary a lot from individual to individual, there are some characteristics that are common in the breed:

• Egg color As the name implies, Easter Eggers are best known for the colorful eggs they lay. Eggs can be various shades of blue green, pink or brown. Each individual hen will lay only one egg color.

• Appearance: Easter Eggers often have puffy cheeks and beards like their Ameraucana and Araucana ancestors. They may be any color and have a pea comb. Legs can be gray, green, yellow, or slate blue.

• Personality: Easter Eggers tend to be friendly, hardy, and excellent foragers well-suited for free-ranging. They are curious and active birds with great personalities.

• Production: Easter Eggers are very productive, laying around 280 eggs per year. Egg size ranges from small to extra large.

• Broodiness: Easter Eggers can be prone to broodiness. If allowed to incubate eggs, they make good mothers.

• Cold hardy: This mixed breed tends to tolerate cold winters quite well and continues laying through the shorter winter daylight hours.

Egg Color and Production

The main reason most people seek out Easter Eggers is for their rainbow array of egg colors. Each Easter Egger hen will lay eggs of a single color – you won’t get multi-colored eggs from an individual bird. But a flock of Easter Eggers together can produce eggs of many shades.

Egg colors include:

• Blue
• Green
• Pink
• Cream
• Brown (light to dark shades)
• Olive or sage green
• Aqua
• Even more unique blends!

Easter Eggers produce a decent number of eggs – around 5 eggs per week or 250 eggs annually. They have steady production year-round, even through winter. The hens start laying eggs around 5-7 months of age.

Easter Egger Chicken Origins

Easter Eggers have hybrid origins, being the offspring of chickens carrying the blue egg gene bred with brown egg layers. Blue egg layers like Ameraucanas, Araucanas, and Cream Legbars all originated recently in the past century or so.

Here’s a quick history on blue egg chicken origins:

• Araucanas – Originated in Chile in the early 1900s from crosses of local Collonca chickens with other breeds. They have distinct tufts, no tails, and lay blue eggs.

• Ameraucanas – An American breed developed in the 1970s from Araucanas but bred to remove lethal genes. They meet the American Poultry Association breed standard for large fowl and bantams.

• Cream Legbars – A British autosexing breed with crested heads that lays blue eggs. Derived from crosses between Brown Leghorns, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Araucanas in the 1930s.

When any of these pure blue egg breeds are crossed with a brown egg layer, the offspring are Easter Eggers. They have hybrid vigor from being a crossbreed. Their egg color genetics allow for a rainbow of egg shades.

Are Easter Eggers Good Layers?

Definitely! Easter Eggers are very productive layers and will provide your family with plenty of colorful eggs. On average, you can expect around 5 eggs per week from each Easter Egger hen, or about 250 eggs per year.

They have a high laying rate through cold winters and hot summers. As long as you provide a quality feed and proper lighting through the shorter winter days, your Easter Eggers should keep producing eggs year-round.

The hens start laying eggs at around 5-7 months old. Peak production is normally reached around their first winter when days lengthen again.

Easter Egger Temperament

A big part of the appeal of Easter Eggers is their friendly, outgoing personalities. They tend to be very active and alert chickens always on the move and foraging.

As a hybrid breed, temperament can vary a bit depending on the specific parent stock. But overall Easter Eggers are known for being hardy, low maintenance chickens ideal for free ranging.

They can be a bit flighty and active, so giving them adequate space to roam and forage helps prevent issues like feather picking. They aren’t necessarily chickens that enjoy being held and cuddled. But they are curious about their owners and open to treats!

Easter Eggers get along well with other breeds of chickens and can be kept in mixed flocks. They aren’t usually aggressive or bossy toward flock mates.

Health Issues in Easter Eggers

As a mixed breed, Easter Eggers are typically pretty healthy and vigorous chickens. By cross breeding two purebred lines, hybrids like Easter Eggers gain something called “hybrid vigor” which boosts their health and productivity.

Like any chicken, here are some potential health issues to be aware of:

• Parasites – External parasites like mites and lice can be an issue, especially in warmer climates. Monitor for signs like frayed feathers. Treating the coop and dust bath areas helps control parasites.

• Respiratory illnesses – Bacterial and viral respiratory infections are common in backyard flocks. Avoid overcrowding and poor ventilation to reduce risk.

• Marek’s disease – A highly contagious viral disease that impacts the nervous system. Vaccinating day old chicks prevents this disease.

• Egg binding – Excessive egg laying can cause issues like prolapse and egg binding. Give them free choice oyster shell calcium supplements.

• Predators – Easter Eggers free range well but are still vulnerable to predators like hawks and foxes. Proper housing and supervision is key.

Avoiding stress, overcrowding, poor nutrition, and unsanitary conditions goes a long way in keeping Easter Eggers healthy and thriving.

Are Easter Eggers Good Mothers?

Easter Eggers can be broody hens, meaning they have a strong natural urge to incubate and hatch eggs. This mothering instinct comes from their Araucana and Ameraucana ancestry.

If allowed to set on fertilized eggs, Easter Eggers normally prove to be attentive mothers devoted to raising chicks. It takes 21 days for eggs to hatch once incubation starts. The hen will lovingly care for and protect the chicks as they grow.

Not all Easter Eggers have broodiness tendencies. But they are known to be more prone to broodiness than breeds selected exclusively for high egg production.

You can collect the colorful eggs an Easter Egger lays and allow her to incubate them. Or add fertilized eggs from other backyard chickens. It’s fun to see the array of chick colors that hatch out!

Are Easter Eggers Cold Hardy?

One of the bonuses of Easter Eggers is their ability to tolerate cold winter weather very well. While no chicken thrives in extreme lows, Easter Eggers handle cold and snow better than most.

Their cold hardiness comes from parent stock like Ameraucanas that originated in cold climates. Cold hardy breeds evolved with small combs and thicker feathering that helps conserve body heat.

Easter Eggers will continue laying eggs consistently through winter. Just make sure they have a draft-free coop and access to food and water. Deep snow may limit free ranging, so you may need to clear them a path.

Even in cold areas, supplemental lighting stimulates winter egg production. Extending their day length to 14-16 hours encourages year-round laying.

Are Easter Eggers Good Foragers?

The active and alert nature of Easter Eggers makes them excellent foragers. They love to roam and explore their surroundings hunting for tasty seeds, greens, and insects.

Free ranging allows chickens to exhibit their natural foraging behaviors. It provides them with fresh food sources and sunshine. Plus it saves you money on feed!

Easter Eggers cover a lot of ground while foraging. Be sure to have proper fencing or supervision when allowing them to free range. Protect them from stray dogs, wild animals, traffic, or getting lost.

Their inquisitive personalities will lead them on foraging adventures further afield. But they should return to the coop at dusk to roost. Always account for all birds before locking up for the night.

Should I Get Easter Eggers?

For many small flock owners, the colorful eggs are what initially sparks their interest in Easter Eggers. But once they get to know them, most chicken keepers are delighted with their personalities and hardiness too.

Here are some reasons Easter Eggers make a great addition to a backyard flock:

• Fun variety of egg colors
• Decent egg production
• Foraging abilities
• Personality and active nature
• Cold hardy
• Broodiness for hatching chicks
• No special care required
• Hybrid vigor as a cross breed

Easter Eggers aren’t suited for everyone. Those wanting reliable egg color for selling at market would be better with a pure breed like Ameraucanas. People looking for lap chickens to cuddle and handle may find Easter Eggers too active and flighty.

But for most family backyard flocks, Easter Eggers are a perfect fit! They bring that fun factor while still being low maintenance chickens. Let your Easter Egger hens fill your egg basket with beautiful hues.

Finding Easter Eggers for Sale

Easter Eggers are a very popular backyard chicken, so finding them for sale is pretty easy. Here are some options:

• Local farm stores – Many farm and feed stores sell chicks in spring. Easter Eggers are almost always on the order lists.

• Local breeders – Search for chicken breeders in your area that may sell fertilized hatching eggs, started pullets, or adult hens.

• Feed stores – Stores like Tractor Supply that focus on rural/farm essentials often carry chickens.

• Online hatcheries – Order day old chicks to be shipped from hatcheries like My Pet Chicken or Cackle Hatchery.

• Farm swaps – Connect with local farmers to buy and sell livestock. Facebook groups for chicken swaps are great for finding Easter Eggers.

With their fun personalities and colorful eggs, Easter Eggers have become a go-to backyard chicken breed. They have just enough uniqueness while still being low maintenance and productive. If you want to add some fun flair to your flock, Easter Eggers certainly deliver! Let this guide help you decide if Easter Eggers are the right mix for your homestead.

The ISA Brown chicken breed is known for laying the most eggs, with some individuals reaching 350 eggs per year. These hybrid chickens are popular for backyard farming due to their high egg production and docile nature.