The EE braggers thread!!! - Page 622

My chipmunks are turning out to be some of the prettiest...

At a day or two old, both looked like this:

They aren't full grown yet, but here they are at 7 weeks

Pullet...red/white/blue

Cockerel, red and blue

I also had 3 that were mostly brown, they had eyeliner but no chipmunk stripe, all 3 have lots of white.  And I had 2 that were sort of a solid reddish, two are now reddish-orange and brown, one is orange and brown. It's been so much fun watching their colors develop!!

Yep, chipmunk coloration just means it is duckwing based, genetically. With color it can vary quite a bit. Most EE's are duckwing based. Most do indeed end up shades of brown or orange in females and black red/white in males, but it does vary.

 i love that roo's pattern and how rich those colors are!

Hello everybody, 

I just got my first EE 2 weeks ago!!! Her () name is Midge! I look forward to seeing her grow and finding out what color her eggs will be!

I'm so sorry but I have a hunch already that is a boy. EE's though sold as sexed pullets are more often male than many other common "breeds," and the comb size at such young age as well as leg volume so far say boy.

I could be wrong, 6 weeks will be the definite sexing age, but, just forewarning you of the possibility. Adorable chick regardless.
 

How do you tell at 6 weeks?

6 weeks is when they're mostly feathered out, and males can be sexed by color (if wheaten or duckwing based, which, most EE's are)

There's a thread on color sexing EE's in the What Breed/Gender is This? section, but the easiest way to put it in a nutshell is that if it develops any deeper and especially solid colored feathers around the back (between wings) or on the wrist/arm part of the wings (not the actual secondaries or primaries) it's a boy. Colors like red which contrast to a normally orange, black and white, or black body. Also, look for glossy, triangular tipped, or toothy appearing feathers in that area, they will be very small and may just not be noticeable until 8 weeks. But, color is a big one. If the bird has a lot of smudgy, well blended colors it is likely a girl, especially if they're marked brown and black or white and black all over, but if the colors are more contrasted it is more likely a boy. Pics help a lot though.
 

Thanks for that gender help! That makes a lot of sense. That will be a great help when buying chicks, i always seem to get boys  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illia 

I'm so sorry but I have a hunch already that is a boy. EE's though sold as sexed pullets are more often male than many other common "breeds," and the comb size at such young age as well as leg volume so far say boy.

 

I could be wrong, 6 weeks will be the definite sexing age, but, just forewarning you of the possibility. Adorable chick regardless.
 

After looking at a lot of other pictures of EEs, should I be concerned about the extreme yellowness of the legs?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rvroman 

 

 

After looking at a lot of other pictures of EEs, should I be concerned about the extreme yellowness of the legs?

 

I've not found that leg color indicates sex. Thickness of the leg is the only indicator.