Easter Egger Sexing "tips and tricks" *Pictures Included*

[Mr Beaks]

@Wishing4Wings IKR!? They are so greedy. It's a good thing they are so stinking cute. Think it's funny they won't eat the bread unless I'm holding it. I guess it isn't a real "treat" unless it came directly from the hands of the treat fairy lol!!

Cute video! I think the treats must taste better coming from our hand b/c mine are exactly the same way. Have you tried cooked spaghetti yet? Now that's a sight to see!

 

[cbookout]

*I already know which of my chicks are cockerels*
Just wanted to show all the first time Easter Egger owners some good girl versus boy Easter Egger pics. Plus, the fight sequence is pretty funny.
My group of 8 week old chicks. I knew their genders by about 4 weeks old. The barred chick was a black sexlink Easter Egger, so I knew his gender at hatch. The two darker red chicks are cockerels. The two that are golden/yellow are pullets.
Here they are, just hanging out, enjoying some group preening.

My dominant female chick decides to move to the front of the coop. Tweet is likely going to be very large, golden yellow hen.

Everybody followed Tweety, except for these two.

The cockerel stare down. Also notice the patchy deep red coloring. That coloring started showing at 3 to 4 weeks old, making it clear that these were boys.

The dominant male comes over to referee.

When that didn't work, Tweety came over and pecked each of the boys soundly on the head to tell them to knock it off. Tweety is the boss.

See how both pullets are lacking the dark red patches. Their coloring is even and uniform across their body.

Hi there! I am curious. I am seeing lots and lots of comments about the fact that EE's will start to have red coloring if they are males. I actually have 3 EE/Speckled Sussex crosses (and speckled sussex chickens have quite a bit of red). All 3 have lots of red feathering, 1/2 white and 1/2 greenish feet, and 2 look like they are going to have pea combs and one looks like its going to have a single comb. So are all bets off for me as far as trying to determine sex of my EE crosses based on red feathering?

 

[chikieboo]

I am worried about my almost 5 week old EE being a cockerel. What do you guys think? No comb development but a roo personality and the black and white coloring. But the coloring is even. Thoughts?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Hi there! I am curious. I am seeing lots and lots of comments about the fact that EE's will start to have red coloring if they are males. I actually have 3 EE/Speckled Sussex crosses (and speckled sussex chickens have quite a bit of red). All 3 have lots of red feathering, 1/2 white and 1/2 greenish feet, and 2 look like they are going to have pea combs and one looks like its going to have a single comb. So are all bets off for me as far as trying to determine sex of my EE crosses based on red feathering?

No, it will still help you sex them. Like junebuggena was explaining, it's the pattern of the color coming in. Males tend to get splotches of color, giving them an overall patchy pattern, while females generally keep an even uniform pattern. It would be the same as sexing Speckeld Sussex by male color patterns. Post some pics and we'll see if we can help!

 

[bruceha2000]

So...here is a video of my crazy 5 week old EEs. I posted their pics a few days ago. Now we can maybe watch them grow a bit. Plus they are so cute who could resist?
EE chicks 5-weeks at treat time:

Pretty birds! I suspect at least the B/W one with the scruffy tail is a cockerel based on the comb.

Also, I wouldn't go real heavy with the white bread. It isn't the healthiest stuff for man nor beast (fowl?) Better treats are "real" food like BOSS, grains, fruits and veggies that the birds would naturally find. No processed bread out in the wild

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I am worried about my almost 5 week old EE being a cockerel. What do you guys think? No comb development but a roo personality and the black and white coloring. But the coloring is even. Thoughts?

How many chicks do you have? I'm not sure I would make any decisions based on "roo personality" at that age. All birds are individuals and even at a few weeks of age they are setting the pecking order and someone will end up being dominant. And I don't see a 3 row comb on our chick. Keep us posted

 

[chikieboo]

We have 10 chicks and so far 2 are definitely cockerels

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I am worried about my almost 5 week old EE being a cockerel. What do you guys think? No comb development but a roo personality and the black and white coloring. But the coloring is even. Thoughts?

I think the chances for a pullet are pretty good. Not a hint of pink in that comb. Hope you can update pics in a week or so. Just curious, what is the chick doing that makes you think it has a roo personality?

 

[mymilliefleur]

Quote: Also, cockerels will be a deeper red (more of a mahogany) while the pullets will be lighter, like the ones shown in junebuggenas pictures.

 

[mommaxcate]

Okay here I am back a week later. One of my EEs seems less concerning this week and the other is still leaving me with questions!
Here's 7.5 weeks "Peach" or maybe "Pete"? This one seems exclusively picked/pecked by our Wyandotte, who leaves all the others alone, but he/she is healing nicely. However it seems like this one is taking FOREVER to pop tail feathers! I hope I just have a late blooming female. I'd really hate to pass this one off since it's my son's favorite bird. Super friendly and willing to pose for pics!

 

[junebuggena]

Okay here I am back a week later. One of my EEs seems less concerning this week and the other is still leaving me with questions!
Here's 7.5 weeks "Peach" or maybe "Pete"? This one seems exclusively picked/pecked by our Wyandotte, who leaves all the others alone, but he/she is healing nicely. However it seems like this one is taking FOREVER to pop tail feathers! I hope I just have a late blooming female. I'd really hate to pass this one off since it's my son's favorite bird. Super friendly and willing to pose for pics!

Pullet. That's not the deep red of a cockerel.