What's the deal with Easter Egger chickens?

You've probably heard about Easter Eggers, known for laying colorful eggs. While that's a common nickname, Easter Eggers are actually part of the Araucana breed.

Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten, and White Araucanas are recognized by The American Poultry Association.  Araucanas are believed to have come from South America during the 1920s or 1930s. These Araucanas laid blue eggs.

Araucana hen with tufts.

It's not just the eggs that set Araucanas apart from other chickens: they have no tail or tail bone and they have tufts near their ear lobes. The tufts are actually created by a lethal gene, meaning that some forms of the gene are fatal and results in chicks that die in the shell.

In the 1970s, Araucanas were bred with "normal" chickens, creating the Ameraucana cross-breed. Ameraucanas were admitted into the Standard of Perfection in 1984.

Purebred Ameraucanas have been crossed with other varieties of chickens, creating Easter Eggers, Rainbow Layers, Olive Eggers and other types of bird. Like most crossbred chickens, they are good layers. Due to the crossbreeding, though, not all Easter Egger chickens lay blue or green eggs.

As always, ask further questions in the comments.
--Dale, aka Turkeyman