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Easter Egger Chicken: The Complete Guide

April 24, 2023

Easter Egger chickens are popular among backyard chicken keepers because they are easy to care for, have friendly personalities, and are good egg layers. They are also hardy and adaptable to different climates, making them a good choice for many different regions.

History of the Easter Egger Chicken Breed

The history of this breed is somewhat unclear because they are not a standardized breed which is recognized by the American Poultry Association. Instead they are a mix of different breeds, also referred to as a hybrid chicken breed. However, it is believed that they originated in South America, where the Araucana and the Quetero chickens were first bred.

These two chicken breeds were brought to the United States in the 1920s and 1930s and were crossed with other breeds to create the Easter Egger. This new breed was prized for its ability to lay eggs in a wide range of colors, including blue, green, pink, and brown.

The Easter Egger became popular among backyard poultry keepers and small-scale farmers because of its friendly personality, good egg-laying abilities, and adaptability to different climates. Today, this breed can be found all over the world and are a favorite among many chicken enthusiasts.

My Pet Chicken offers these Easter Egger chickens for sale:

The Personality of an Easter Egger Chicken

Easter Eggers have friendly, curious, and active personalities. They are typically docile and easy to handle, which makes them a good choice for families with children or beginner chicken keepers.

This breed is also intelligent and have a reputation for being curious. They enjoy exploring their surroundings and can be quite active and energetic, often running and jumping around their environment. They are also social animals and enjoy interacting with both humans and other chickens.

The Appearance of Easter Egger Chickens

Easter Egger chickens can have a wide range of appearances due to their mixed breed heritage. They typically have a small, compact body with a medium-sized pea comb, though some may have a single comb. The comb, wattles, and earlobes of Easter Eggers are often red, though they can also be white or other various colors.

Easter Eggers are medium-sized chickens, hens typically weigh around 4-5 pounds and roosters weigh around 5-6 pounds. They have a compact, muscular build with a broad breast and a short tail.

Feather Facts About Easter Egger Chickens

One of the most distinctive physical features of Easter Eggers is their feather coloring. They can come in a variety of colors and patterns, including black, blue, brown, white, gray, buff, and red, and may have spots or speckles. Some Easter Eggers may also have feathered legs or a fluffy beard and muffs on their face.

This Easter Eger Reference chart lets you know what colors to expect your hen to lay.

Egg Color and Production of Easter Egger Chickens

Easter Eggers are popular for their ability to lay beautiful eggs colors, including blue, green, pink, and brown. The most common colors laid by Easter Egger chickens is blue and green.

While Easter Eggers chiefly lay blue or green eggs, a small percentage will lay another egg color, including tinted, brown or even pinkish. Each hen will give ONE egg color. The egg color will not change from one egg being laid to another. For example, if your hen has just laid a green egg, it will lay a green egg its entire life.

In terms of egg production, Easter Eggers are good layers and can produce around 150-200 eggs per year. This can vary depending on factors such as their diet and environment. They typically start laying eggs at around 5-6 months of age and continue to lay consistently.

Care and Health for Easter Egger Chickens

Easter Egger chickens are hardy and adaptable to a wide range of climates including both hot and cold weather. With proper care and attention, they can live healthy and productive lives, laying colorful and abundant eggs for years to come. The average life span of this chicken breed is 5-8 years.

Do you have any Easter Egger chickens in your flock? Share with us in the comments below.

5 comments

Do easter eggers have red or white earlobes? Mine have some of both. I want to make sure that the ones that have white lobes aren’t getting sick or some sort of fungus. It doesn’t seem to bother them,,, its not sore to the touch and its not powdery. What do you think?

Our Easter, Egger “Petunia” is our most noble chicken. She has such a lovely personality. She is calm and collected. Seems to enjoy when we pick her up gently and cuddle her. Her eggs are such a gorgeous, pale green, in fact, we love the color so much that we painted our kitchen and the exact same shade :-).

I would like two hens pullets and two olive eggers which I believe they green a total of 4 hens how can I order

I have 5 year old typical brown and gold layered feathered Easter egger, that has consistently layed light pink eggs throughout her life.
She has the beard, fluffy cheeks and
small comb, as well.
I ignorantly thought this is the standard description, other than the variety of egg colours.
I decided to increase my flock and have 3 more chickens to my flock.
2 Barred rocks and another Easter Egger. To my surprise this supposedly coop ready chick was very light gray. At first I thought they brought me the wrong breed because of the color.
I was assured she was an Easter, but still had doubts. Smaller than the rest she is lowest in the pecking order.
Her hatch date was March 3 2023 and still has not laid. Should I be worried?

I’ve got an easter egger and 2 green queens ordered! Can’t wait to get them next month!