If you are new to the poultry world, chances are high that you have heard of Easter Egger chickens. They are basically the fowls that can lay blue, white, green, tan, and even pink-colored eggs.
However, note that there is more to Easter Eggers than just their multicolored eggs. In fact, from productivity to personality and appearance, they offer a lot of benefits for any backyard flock owner.
Luckily, this article delves deep into the Easter Egger’s profile, shedding light on its traits, care requirements, and more. So, if you are curious about this fowl breed but don’t know where to start with your research — read on!
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Easter Egger Chicken Overview
| Origin: | Chile |
| Weight: | 4–5 pounds (1.8–2.3 kg) |
| Size: | Medium |
| Lifespan: | 4–7 years |
| Plumage Color: | Red, partridge, splash, black, blue, white, brown, buff |
| Price: | $2–$50 per chicken |
| Hardiness: | Tolerant of hot and cold temperatures |
| Purpose: | Egg production |
| Broodiness Level: | Low |
| Egg Production: | 4–5 eggs per week; 200–280 eggs per year |
| Egg Color: | Blue, tan, pink, green, white, brown |
| Egg Size: | Medium |
| Suitable for Beginners: | Yes |
| Children-friendly: | Yes |
What Is an Easter Egger Chicken?
The Easter Egger, a result of mating Araucana and Ameraucana breeds with brown-laying fowls, is a mixed breed of chicken known for producing a variety of colorful eggs. It often comes in a medium build with puffy cheeks, fluffy muffs, and a pea comb.
Easter Eggers can also produce many eggs, which is their primary appeal. In fact, every Easter Egger hen is expected to lay up to 280 eggs in a single year. This trait alone makes it one of the most popular breeds for eggs.
However, despite their popularity among backyard chicken keepers, Easter Eggers aren’t recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA), as they don’t meet any specific breed standard.
Nonetheless, keep in mind that their hardiness and friendly streak make them an excellent addition to any flock.
Easter Egger Chicken Origin and History
The Easter Egger chicken originated in Chile during the early 1900s. It’s believed to have descended from Araucana or Ameraucana chickens, which were combined with other breeds.
It’s their ability to yield a variety of colored eggs that makes them so popular today.
To understand how this hybrid chicken came to be, you must first learn where the Araucana and Ameraucana chickens originally came from.
As with the Easter Egger chicken, both of these breeds are thought to have originated in South America. They are specifically known for laying bluish-green and blue eggs, respectively.
The only difference between these two species, though, lies in breed type. While the Araucana chicken is a heritage breed, the Ameraucana is not.
Instead, Ameraucanas are hybrids developed by mating Araucanas with mixed-breed chickens.
Easter Egger Chicken Appearance and Breed Standard
The Easter Egger doesn’t have a set appearance because of its diverse heritage. This means no two Easter Egger chickens are guaranteed to look alike, making each one distinguishable.
Starting with their feathering, Easter Eggers can come in many colors, including black, brown, red, white, blue, and gray. Some also exhibit patterns like spots, stripes, laces, or mottles, adding to their visual appeal.
Feathers aren’t the only colorful aspect of these fowls; their legs may also catch your eye. Whether clean or feathered, their leg colors span green, blue, and yellow.
Moreover, the Easter Egger chicken is known for its distinctive pea combs, puffed-up cheeks, muffs, and beards.
In terms of tails, some Easter Eggers can be rumpless, which means they don’t have a tail. However, if they possess one, it is usually short and round or full-length but thinned out at the end.
Check out this adorable video showing a flock of Easter Eggers snuggled up together:
easter eggers over easy
Easter Egger Chicken Size and Weight
The Easter Egger chicken is a medium-sized fowl, typically weighing between 4 and 5 pounds. However, even within this breed, size can vary based on several factors.
For instance, factors such as nutrition, environment, and genetics each play a role in determining the final size of an Easter Egger. Thus, it’s possible to find two Easter Eggers with noticeable differences in weight and stature.
So, while these chickens are generally of average size, you will find that some may be taller or shorter than others.
Easter Egger Chicken Temperament and Behavior
Easter Eggers are generally known for their friendly streak and non-aggressive temperament. They make great pets, especially for households with children who want to learn about raising animals.
These chickens are curious, active, and energetic as well. Their love for exploration shines when they’re free-ranging, often seen actively investigating their surroundings.
While it gets along well with humans and other chickens, the Easter Egger’s gentleness can sometimes be a drawback within the flock. Specifically, it might be bullied by more dominant types of chickens.
Fortunately, this is easily fixed by giving your Easter Egger its own space in the coop or pen.
Though commonly amiable, Easter Egger roosters still have their territorial instincts. However, compared to other roosters, they are calmer, making them a bit easier for chicken keepers to manage and raise.
Egg Production and Broodiness of Easter Egger Chickens
Easter Egger chickens are renowned for their impressive egg-laying abilities. As a matter of fact, they are one of the best egg-laying breeds today and have a reputation for being consistent in their production.
On average, an Easter Egger hen can lay 4 to 5 eggs a week, amounting to an outstanding 200 to 280 eggs annually.
In fact, when I first introduced five Easter Eggers to my coop, I was surprised by their steady egg production. I consistently find their nest boxes filled with Easter Egger eggs almost daily.
On top of that, these are not just any eggs; they are large and came in many hues, like blue, pink, green, and brown. For someone who is into egg production like me, Easter Eggers are an excellent choice of breed.
Note, though, that an Easter Egger hen will only lay eggs of one color throughout its entire life. For example, if it inherits the dominant blue egg gene of Araucanas and Ameraucanas, it will always lay blue eggs.
For this reason, if you want to collect eggs of different shades daily, you may need to purchase two or more female Easter Egger chicks.
In terms of broodiness, Easter Eggers may have a low tendency. This means that while they’re diligent layers, they might only sometimes be interested in hatching their eggs.
Noise Levels of Easter Egger Chickens
For those of you who want a more peaceful backyard experience, the Easter Egger chicken is a good choice. This is because Easter Eggers are known for their low noise levels.
To be specific, they are more on the quiet side compared to many chicken breeds. Although co*cks and hens will still crow, cluck, and make other chicken sounds, their vocalizations are often less intense than most.
There are, however, many factors that affect animal loudness. For one, your Easter Eggers’ noise levels can differ from one chicken to another, influenced by stress, the environment, and the quality of care they receive.
From personal experience, raising Easter Egger chickens has been a joy. I recall one Easter Egger named Daisy, who was particularly quiet. Even during her egg-laying sessions, her gentle clucks were hardly noticeable.
How to Take Care of Your Easter Egger Chicken
Looking after your Easter Egger chicken requires some basic knowledge and understanding.
In this section, everything you need to know about raising your little chick is laid out for you.
Lifespan and Health Issues
Easter Egger chickens have a typical lifespan of 4 to 7 years. If they are well-cared for, given the right environment, and treated with love, many owners report that their Easter Eggers can live beyond this range.
With that being said, these chickens aren’t exempt from health issues. They can suffer from worm infestations, coccidiosis, and egg-laying problems like egg binding.
To prevent these issues from occurring in your flock, it’s important that you keep your chicken coop clean and dry every day. Make sure to wash their feeders and waterers at all times as well.
Moreover, having a poultry expert examine your Easter Egger chickens occasionally is highly recommended. This way, any potential health risk can be identified early on and treated accordingly.
Feeding
From birth to adulthood, your Easter Eggers’ dietary needs evolve.
For chicks, a 21% protein starter feed is ideal. This will help them grow quickly, containing all the nutrients needed to develop strong bones and feathers.
However, once Easter Egger chicks are mature enough to be sexed as pullets or co*ckerels, you can begin giving them an 18% protein grower feed with more calcium.
Feeding adult fowls is a little different than feeding teens, though. Instead of an 18% protein diet, they should be given a 16% protein layer feed. This will ensure they get enough fats, vitamins, and minerals but only a little amino acid.
Most importantly, whether you own chicks or adult Easter Eggers, it is essential that they have access to clean water daily. Doing so makes sure their digestive systems run smoothly.
Coop Setup and Roaming
Undoubtedly, space is crucial for Easter Eggers. These chickens need enough room to roam and play — otherwise, they’ll get depressed and stressed out.
To start, plan on providing your flock with about four square feet per chicken in the coop. They’ll also need a roosting area, with 8 to 10 inches per chicken.
Meanwhile, for laying Easter Eggers, make sure there are adequate nest boxes. In particular, a standard 12x12x18-inch nesting box is ideal for every four hens.
Regarding outdoor roaming, allocate roughly ten square feet per chicken in their run. This ensures your Easter Eggers can forage, exercise, and explore freely without getting lost.
Temperature
While Easter Eggers are hardy in diverse climates, their temperature needs vary with age.
For your reference, keep chicks in a brooder at approximately 95 °F. By the time they reach six weeks, you can lower the temperature setting to about 70 to 75 °F.
However, as they mature, reaching about 20 weeks old, they’ll find the same temperatures humans enjoy to be comfortable.
At this point, your Easter Egger chickens don’t need heat lamps or cooling devices, especially if you live in an area that’s naturally warm or cool all year round.
How Much Does an Easter Egger Chicken Cost?
If you are considering adding an Easter Egger chicken to your coop, it’s best to know the potential costs. For a general overview, Easter Egger chickens have a broad price range, averaging anywhere from $2 to $50.
This pricing largely depends on the chicken’s stage of life. For one, if you’re starting with straight runs, where the gender is unknown, they’ll cost between $2 and $4.
Meanwhile, for those who want to specify their choice, pullets or young female Easter Eggers, along with co*ckerels or teenage males, fall in the $3 to $8 range.
On the other hand, fully-feathered Easter Eggers typically sell for $10 to $50, depending on their age and quality.
Further, since Easter Eggers can lay eggs of different colors, they tend to be more valuable than other breeds.
Is the Easter Egger Chicken Right for You? (Pros & Cons)
Like any other breed, Easter Eggers will give you tons of benefits. However, note that there are also some cons to consider before adding these chickens to your flock.
To assist you in making your decision, the following are some of the advantages of owning Easter Egger chickens:
- Produce colorful eggs: Easter Egger chickens may lay eggs that are blue, green, white, brown, or even pink in hue. However, the final color of the egg produced by any one hen will remain consistent; it is determined by its genetic makeup.
- Unpredictable plumage color: As with their eggs, the coloration of Easter Egger chickens is highly varied. Their feathers can be multicolored or have just one hue, with black and red being the most common.
- Prolific egg layers: Generally, the joy of collecting your first egg is unparalleled. With Easter Eggers, that joy is frequent, as these fowls are known to lay four eggs or more weekly.
On the flip side, below are the disadvantages of buying an Easter Egger chicken:
- Non-standard breed: While they have a bunch of pros to offer, Easter Eggers come with a catch; they don’t meet any particular breed standard. This can be a turn-off for some people looking to raise chickens that conform to the standards of poultry competitions.
- Inconsistent size: Due to their mixed heritage, the size of one Easter Egger chicken can vary significantly from another. This unpredictability might make it difficult to know how much space is enough for a flock of them.
- Rarely go broody: If you’re hoping your Easter Egger chickens will naturally hatch their eggs, remember that they seldom go broody. This only means they’re less likely to sit on and incubate their eggs.
As you can see, raising Easter Eggers is not without its challenges. Nonetheless, they can be a great addition to your homestead if you really think they are the right chickens for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Easter Eggers Good Chickens to Have?
Yes, Easter Egger chickens are good to have. For one thing, they are prolific layers known for producing eggs in various colors. Besides, they are hardy chickens that can withstand hot or cold climates.
Additionally, Easter Eggers are considered very friendly and can be socialized easily. They even enjoy human company.
Are Easter Eggers Good Egg Layers?
Yes, Easter Eggers are impressive egg layers. On average, these chickens lay 4 to 5 times a week, amounting to a significant total of up to 280 eggs yearly.
What Are Easter Eggers Known For?
Easter Eggers lay 200 to 280 eggs a year, which gives them the reputation of being one of the best layers out of all chicken breeds.
Yet, one of the Easter Egger’s primary claims to fame is its ability to lay a range of differently colored eggs, spanning from blue and green to white and brown.
Easter Eggers are also known for their friendly attitude towards people. They make excellent pets, as they don’t mind being handled by kids and will happily sit on your lap or shoulder if you let them.
Are Easter Eggers Good for Beginners?
Easter Eggers are an excellent choice for beginners due to their docile disposition. They are usually quiet, non-aggressive, and don’t require a lot of space or high-maintenance care.
Easter Egger chickens also boast an easygoing streak and often integrate well with other fowls, making the early days of poultry-keeping smoother.
However, if you plan to register your potential chicken with a poultry association, note that Easter Eggers do not meet any particular breed standard. In short, they can’t be entered into shows and competitions.
From its capability to lay different-colored eggs to its adaptability and hardy nature, Easter Egger chickens will surely make a great addition to any flock. If you have any questions or thoughts about the breed, feel free to drop them in the comments!
