Easter Egger club!

[FridayYet]

Precious!

 

[cupofJoelene]

New EE babies today!!

jealous!

 

[Sylvester017]

It's funny that you have such a jittery am my flock consists of 7 pens one has a trio of young black ameraucanas (a little jittery), the next has a pair of wheatens and a silkie ( the hen is pretty new to the flock so she's kinda nuts), the next pen has a trio of silkies, frizzle and a silkie mix (3/4 silkie 1/4 EE), the next pen has an EE cockerel and a silkie mix cockerel both are very confident, then a trio of silkies, then a wheaten am roo (very confident), a hatchery Cornish hen, an old silkie/EE hen (at least four years old) laid more than four eggs last year, and a wheaten am/ buff laced white Cornish EE pullet (a little too confident) and lastly is my trio of silver penciled rocks

she tried to peck my eye after I took that picture...

Well, in the last 5 years this is just what our friends and we have learned about purebred Ameraucanas and hatchery EEs -- it is their inherent nature to be kooky, spooky, jittery, jumpy, alert, wary, skittish, careful, and downright afraid of almost everything like -- other chickens that pose absolutely no threat at all, floating mylar balloons, flapping tarps, helicopters, rolling leaves on the ground, flocks of crows or wild parrots overhead, a hummingbird at the feeder, a honking horn, etc etc etc. During our entire backyard/frontyard refurbishing with Bobcat tractors, electric nail guns, cement mixing trucks, power saws, and construction crews coming on and off the property all day didn't bother the other 3 hens at all but our Ameraucana stayed hidden the entire time. Our girl is not afraid of us and comes up to us for hand treats and let's us pet her and pick her up but everything else seems to bolt her. These blue-egg gene birds are too wary and skittish for their own good! Poor layers too -- so jumpy ours cracks her eggs with her big feet exiting the nestbox as fast as she can. However, I adore her gentle temperament around our other docile breeds of Silkies and Breda.

I consider Am/EEs totally non-combative birds to the point that I would never mix a single bird with heavier or dual-purpose egg-layer breeds that tend to be more aggressive in pecking order politics. A single Amer or EE would be bullied too much.

I had ordered 3 purebred Amers from different breeders but lost 2 juveniles before POL so they haven't been hardy enough for my liking. My single Amer was bullied by a couple Leghorns which I promptly re-homed. No more egg-layer breeds for me. I can't handle the drama of assertive aggressive breeds. For us the peace of the flock is where it's at! So far the newest addition, a Blue Breda, has been an amazing flockmate to both Silkies and the Ameraucana and will not reach over 4-lb. Not a bad layer either. Why are the Breda not more popular? - they aren't broody, lay a decent-size egg with good production numbers, easy on the feed, active forager, sociable toward humans and flockmates alike, a good pet candidate, beautiful and unique too (no comb--just a little crest). The cocks get to 6-lb+ but the hens stay lithe, dainty, and lightweight but still give a good egg production. Breda - where have you been all my chickeneering life!

 

[jerryse]

Getting eggs from my EE pen without extra light .

This is a picture of some of the young ones .

 

[cgmaster]

Well, in the last 5 years this is just what our friends and we have learned about purebred Ameraucanas and hatchery EEs -- it is their inherent nature to be kooky, spooky, jittery, jumpy, alert, wary, skittish, careful, and downright afraid of almost everything like -- other chickens that pose absolutely no threat at all, floating mylar balloons, flapping tarps, helicopters, rolling leaves on the ground, flocks of crows or wild parrots overhead, a hummingbird at the feeder, a honking horn, etc etc etc.  During our entire backyard/frontyard refurbishing with Bobcat tractors, electric nail guns, cement mixing trucks, power saws, and construction crews coming on and off the property all day didn't bother the other 3 hens at all but our Ameraucana stayed hidden the entire time.  Our girl is not afraid of us and comes up to us for hand treats and let's us pet her and pick her up but everything else seems to bolt her.  These blue-egg gene birds are too wary and skittish for their own good!  Poor layers too -- so jumpy ours cracks her eggs with her big feet exiting the nestbox as fast as she can.  However, I adore her gentle temperament around our other docile breeds of Silkies and Breda. 

I consider Am/EEs totally non-combative birds to the point that I would never mix a single bird with heavier or dual-purpose egg-layer breeds that tend to be more aggressive in pecking order politics.  A single Amer or EE would be bullied too much. 

I had ordered 3 purebred Amers from different breeders but lost 2 juveniles before POL so they haven't been hardy enough for my liking.  My single Amer was bullied by a couple Leghorns which I promptly re-homed.  No more egg-layer breeds for me.  I can't handle the drama of assertive aggressive breeds.  For us the peace of the flock is where it's at!  So far the newest addition, a Blue Breda, has been an amazing flockmate to both Silkies and the Ameraucana and will not reach over 4-lb.  Not a bad layer either.  Why are the Breda not more popular? - they aren't broody, lay a decent-size egg with good production numbers, easy on the feed, active forager, sociable toward humans and flockmates alike, a good pet candidate, beautiful and unique too (no comb--just a little crest).  The cocks get to 6-lb+ but the hens stay lithe, dainty, and lightweight but still give a good egg production.  Breda - where have you been all my chickeneering life!

The funniest thing is my EE's are home bred so I don't really know about hatchery EE, and the Easter egger I have pictured is more assertive than some of my roosters! My blue wheaten hen is fine with her roo and a silkie until I walk in then she freaks out, the roosters are very good, friendly, good protectors, noncombatant (the pure ones that is), confident, and my older roo was a great forager when I let him free range in the huge yard (almost an acre). I just wish I could let them free range, but I lost my favorite silkie rooster to a predator (most likely a coyote). But then again every bird is different my silkie/EE hens mom was a hatchery EE and she is pretty much as you have described except she must have gotten her egg laying from her silkie daddy. This is my first year with pure ameraucana hens but I have had my older wheaten rooster for a few years. When I first introduced my favorite silkie to the flock as a chick he followed my wheaten rooster around and my rooster didn't care at all!

 

[cgmaster]

Oh also mine don't seem to mind construction sounds (although they haven't been around heavy construction noises)

 

[Amelia Egghart]

I've posted Nero here before, but he's growing and at only 8 months has a ton of character. He's my EE cockerel from Cackle Hatchery. He's very confident and not flighty, used to lots of sounds (auto hobbiest next door) and keeps a steady eye on predators. However.... He HATES doves. For whatever reason. Can't stand them. But on top of being a confident roo, he's also a lap dog. I'm spoiled with the best rooster ever. No eggs though he HAS continued breeding with the girls who are actively laying over winter, so maybe he's got winter laying genes if he has any girl hatchlings? I could be being hopeful though, and he might just be being a boy! LOL

 

[Amelia Egghart]

So much for no eggs until March! Got this surprise from Grumpy Gilligan today. No wonder she's grumpy, it's huge!

 

[cgmaster]

So much for no eggs until March! Got this surprise from Grumpy Gilligan today. No wonder she's grumpy, it's huge!

that's huge!

 

[Amelia Egghart]

I checked her bum just yesterday - Dry and wrinkly and white! Not the bum of a layer but...that's hers all right. hah. Maybe it's one of three I'll get this year!