Easter Egger club!

[Sylvester017]

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!

I totally agree about the kindness pure Ameraucana breeds exhibit toward flockmates. They are a very kind nurturing non-combative breed and accept orphaned chicks and injured birds without the meanness that other breeds might show.

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

Only my wary careful Ameraucana stayed hidden during most of the construction projects. The Silkies and Breda toodled around the workers like part of the family!

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

Nero's coloring reminds me of some of the SFH patterns - pretty!

that's huge!

Agreed! That was one big egg!

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!

Well, at least you got one egg so far! My girl is still stubborn. She's always been stubborn and only wants to do things HER way! But still, I cling to hopes of seeing another blue egg some day!

 

[lizardandchicks]

This is why I have to have a mixed flock. I have decided I am ok with a retirement home for chickens (since I am a soft hearted sucker) so I stagger the chicks in small batches each year and have 4 different breeds (so far) so that I still get the few eggs we need for the house but the ones that are not great layers keep the others warm on cold winters nights, eat lots of bugs, make manure for my garden. I should be a little tougher but I just can't. 

X2 that is me all the way

 

[Sylvester017]

New EE babies today!!

Babies are always so cute! Your avatar bird sitting on the edge of the wire fence - how do those girls do it? No one but our Ameraucana can do it so deftly. The other breeds try to sit on the thin edge but only the Amer manages to balance almost as if it's no effort at all LOL!

 

[pamperedamber]

We got to EEs for Christmas. They are 5ish weeks. We are still going over names as we think one might be a Roo.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I was told these were Ameraucanas but now realize they're EEs, not a problem. They have a lot more personality than the 2 RIRs, very timid but coming around. Dusk (darker) and Tawny are 11wks, as are Rojo (tuff on back) and Ehu.

 

[Sylvester017]

I was told these were Ameraucanas but now realize they're EEs, not a problem. They have a lot more personality than the 2 RIRs, very timid but coming around. Dusk (darker) and Tawny are 11wks, as are Rojo (tuff on back) and Ehu.

As you may already know I'm not a fan of mixing non-combative gentle purebred Ameraucanas or the related EEs with heavier dual-purpose breeds like RIRs but the fact that you have more than one EE to pal around should help keep the breeds out of each other's hair in flock politics. Our Ameraucana is an only Amer in our flock because the other two died as juveniles -- she is just too docile, skittish, and careful about tip-toeing out of the way of the other breeds. She's not afraid of us humans but she bolts away from the other hens. It seems to be the nature of the breed to be wary of everything. When a dog attacked our friends' chicken coop the only 2 birds to survive the 5-bird flock were the EEs. These girls can hang onto high thin wire with those long strong toes to stay out of reach of jumping dogs. They inherently monitor potential threat and avoid danger with great agility. Not 100% of the time but often owners report their EEs/Ams are the best and quickest at escaping predator attacks. The first year we had our Amer she looked like a blur flying, running, and jumping across the yard all day. Your EEs are lovely - I bet you'll find them one of the sweetest birds. I love all chickens but was amazed at how incredibly sweet and kind these girls are. They would rather flee than fight a challenger.

 

[newmarch2014]

Babies are always so cute! Your avatar bird sitting on the edge of the wire fence - how do those girls do it? No one but our Ameraucana can do it so deftly. The other breeds try to sit on the thin edge but only the Amer manages to balance almost as if it's no effort at all LOL!

My EE's are like that, I used to think it was because they were smaller but we realized the other day that they are now as big as my Production Reds and they are both always up on precarious perches that the others would never attempt looking snug and comfortable.

 

[newmarch2014]

As you may already know I'm not a fan of mixing non-combative gentle purebred Ameraucanas or the related EEs with heavier dual-purpose breeds like RIRs but the fact that you have more than one EE to pal around should help keep the breeds out of each other's hair in flock politics. Our Ameraucana is an only Amer in our flock because the other two died as juveniles -- she is just too docile, skittish, and careful about tip-toeing out of the way of the other breeds. She's not afraid of us humans but she bolts away from the other hens. It seems to be the nature of the breed to be wary of everything. When a dog attacked our friends' chicken coop the only 2 birds to survive the 5-bird flock were the EEs. These girls can hang onto high thin wire with those long strong toes to stay out of reach of jumping dogs. They inherently monitor potential threat and avoid danger with great agility. Not 100% of the time but often owners report their EEs/Ams are the best and quickest at escaping predator attacks. The first year we had our Amer she looked like a blur flying, running, and jumping across the yard all day. Your EEs are lovely - I bet you'll find them one of the sweetest birds. I love all chickens but was amazed at how incredibly sweet and kind these girls are. They would rather flee than fight a challenger.

I had a problem at first when I added my 4 new (2 EE's and 2 Brahma) My Production Reds were bent on killing them, particularly the Brahma rooster. Luckily though the 4 newbies were picked up on the same day so they all bonded quickly and so as the Brahma rooster quickly outsized the bully RIR and got his rooster mojo he has knocked the Reds down considerably. I am almost sad to see my Reds that used to be so confident and pushy are now submissive and almost reclusive but it means that the EE's are relatively safe because they hang out under the shadow of the rooster all day as the older girls hide from him by hanging out on top of a compost pile that he cannot easily navigate due to him being a bit of a klutz. Though he is really a sweetheart of a guy he is a little too randy for the older girls liking but the EE's benefit from his tactics haha.

 

[jeremy]

Just ordered 14+ bantam EE eggs, can't wait!

 

[Shawneegyrl]

Babies are always so cute! Your avatar bird sitting on the edge of the wire fence - how do those girls do it? No one but our Ameraucana can do it so deftly. The other breeds try to sit on the thin edge but only the Amer manages to balance almost as if it's no effort at all LOL!

They are athletic, acrobatic and escape artists too. These two babies were from LF hens and little bantam Wheaten Americana. He likes the big girls for sure