It was the first blue egg laid by my first Americana (Easter Egger) hen from our very first flock that got me hooked on colored eggs. There was something special about finding that brilliant aqua blue gem of an egg in the nest box. I was smitten and have owned Hoover’s Hatchery Americanas every year since 2018. Here is what we have experienced from these delightful colored-egg laying girls:
Hoover’s Hatchery Americana Easter Egger Review
I love this hybrid and Hoover’s is my favorite place to get them! Hoover’s Americana chicks arrive 100% fluffy faced (meaning they have muffs and a beard) with willow (greenish) and slate (gray-blue) colored legs. Americanas are Easter Eggers, meaning they can lay blue, green, or “peach” eggs, which means they are a lightly tinted shade that can range from cream to brown. The absolute best part is NOT knowing what egg color you are going to get and excitedly waiting to see what shade each hen lays!
Chick Colors:
The 3 Americana chicks in my 2018 shipment and the 10 chicks in my 2023 shipment were ALL “chipmunk” (wild type e+ or partridge eb) in appearance. They can have varying shades to them, with some being lighter and some being darker. Most chicks are either a shade of cream or brown with stripes down their backs. Most of the 10 I received were colored like the two chicks above. The reddish brown chick was the most unusual colored individual. Everyone else looked pretty much the same with slight variations.
Hoover’s Americana Egg Colors
I absolutely adore the shades I get from these Americana hens! I simply cannot get enough of their pretty pastel eggs. There is a chance you may get a light sage or olive-like layer in your mix. Our 3 Americanas from our 2018 order laid sea glass blue, green, and peach – one of each color! The 9 surviving pullets in our 2023 order laid an absolutely STUNNING mix of powder blue, bright blue, aqua, bright green, one sage green that mimicked a light olive egger and one who laid a beautiful shade of light cream.
A Rainbow of Americana Egg Colors
I arranged the eggs our 9 hens lay in hue order. One hen lays a very faint powder blue egg that is so faint it is nearly white (far left). Another hen lays an egg that is a nice powder blue. 3 hens lay what I call Aqua blue eggs, which are kind of blue-green. Two hens lay very pretty soft sea glass green tones. One hen lays a light sage colored egg (second to last on the right) and one Americana hen lays a beautiful light cream egg that I simply love! Her egg is the perfect illustration of the faint tint overlay genes some Easter Eggers carry that allow them to lay eggs in the aqua and sea glass range.
Body Size
You may notice the Americana chicks are rather roly poly in appearance, similar in size to dual purpose breed pullets if not larger. Hoover’s claims the birds will be 4-6 pounds and I have found that to be correct, with most girls being in the 5+ pound range. Hoover’s is doing something right with their breeding program because their Americanas grow to be nice size hens.
Broodiness
A surprisingly low number of the Americana hens have gone broody. As in…one…and she was easy to break. I have not had any of my Americana hens sit or hatch out eggs for me.
Temperament of Hoover’s Americanas
My Americanas have all been sweethearts. They are not flighty and almost of them quickly learn that I’m a source of food and treats so they come running! Very friendly birds when hand raised and some of them will be persistently friendly even when not hand raised.
Which Colored Egg Layer Should I Get?
Americanas, Easter Eggers, Prairie Bluebell Eggers or Whiting True Blues? This is a frequent question and my answer is that it depends on your goals. If you want robust backyard colored egg layers, the Americanas are my favorites for a soft pastel egg carton. If you intend to breed, the purebred Whiting True Blues who carry two copies of the blue egg gene are the way to go. If you want guaranteed blue egg layers plus some Easter Eggers but only want to order from one hatchery, get Prairie Bluebell Eggers and Americanas from Hoover’s.
Breeding with Hoover’s Americanas
Remember, Americanas are simply Easter Eggers and they are a hybrid (mixed breed), not a purebred. If you breed an Americana rooster to an Americana hen, you get more Easter Eggers. I began my Bright Layer breeding project using Americana and Prairie Bluebell Egger hens bred to a Whiting True Blue rooster and kept selecting for the most vibrant egg colors. There is a market for guaranteed blue and green laying Easter Eggers, especially with fluffy faces. Bonus if they come in a rainbow of feather colors.
Americana/Easter Egger Egg Color Genetics
Our article on Easter Egger Egg Shell Color Genetics is a must-read if you want to breed colored egg layers. Here is a quick visual to help you figure out the genes your Americana hens may be carrying:
Give these Pastel Beauties a Try!
If you are smitten with the aqua blues and sea glass greens some hens lay, consider Hoover’s Americanas! You can often find them for sale at Tractor Supply (marked as Americanas spelled with a letter i) during the spring. I think you’ll love their happy personalities and the classic pastel tones they add to your egg basket.
You Might Also Enjoy Reading:
The BEST Hatchery Colored Egg Layers (including unique color layer chicks!)
How to Breed for Every Egg Color with Pictures
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