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Guest:
I found your forum doing research on a rooster I have.  Last spring I was given a chick that came from Murry McMurry as an exotic chicken.  We had no idea what it was and had fun just watching him grow and the antics that he performed.  I decided to do some research and here I am.

He has the muffs and beard and a pea comb.

I have attached a picture I took yesterday.

Martha

Guest:
Hi Martha,

Your rooster is what we call an \"Easter Egger\", which is a term used for a non-purebred Ameraucana (one who has other breed blood in him.) He\'s actually rather lovely for a crossbreed, and one can see he has Wheaten blood in him by his coloring (although it is not completely correct.) The real giveaway is his green legs. Purebred Ameraucanas must have slate legs (blue) with no hint of yellow in them (which makes them green)

Your bird, even if crossed to a purebred hen, will sire hens who will lay green, rather than blue eggs. And as a crossbred, you will not do well with him if you show him in APA shows. However there\'s no reason you can\'t keep him and enjoy him if you\'re not concerned with purebred status. How is his temperment?

Cheers,

Guest:
Laura,

Thanks for the information.  Yes his legs are green and I always thought that was kind of unusual.  He is fun to watch and enjoys helping me in the garden.  He is anxious for spring so I will be out with him all day.  I have a plant nursery and so I\'m outside quite a bit.
Last summer he would fly up onto my back when I was bending over pulling weeds or sit on my shoulder.  He is a good runner and I like to watch him chase the grasshoppers.  
He has gotten a little aggressive, especially in the morning when I first let him out so I have a walking stick with me just to keep him away.  Later on he is better.  He used to have a couple of rooster buddies but they are no longer with us.  Do you think he would be happier with some friends?

Martha

John:

--- Quote ---will lay green, rather than blue eggs
--- End quote ---

Laura,
I agree with most of your comments, but would say we really can\'t predict the egg color.

Guest:

--- Quote from: John --- we really can\'t predict the egg color.
--- End quote ---


Very true. The eggs might be anything from a tinted cream to pink to blue to olive green. Unless you know the breeds his parents were (and with hatchery birds you don\'t know) there\'s no way to be sure. Often though, Easter Eggers will lay greenish eggs, as they usually have a brown egg-layer in their background.

Martha, if he is the only chicken you have, I am sure he would appreciate some company, but another rooster may only lead to fighting and more aggression. And getting only a few hens might not be enough for him (the usual ratio quoted is ten hens to every cock bird.) So if he’s reasonably happy alone, and you don’t want to get into chicken ownership in a big way, why not just enjoy him as he is, a solitary bird?

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