i dont know how to handle easter eggers.

[undine]

I've only been raising chickens for about half a year now, but I've done my research of each breed of chicken before raising them. I like all personalities (-2) so far; some of my chickens could be mean to the others, but hopefully, thats normal. Anyways, I've been losing my patience recently. My 5 1/2 month Easter Egger that I've been raising ever since she was a baby still sees me as a stranger and freaks out like no other when I approach her (I read they're the most timid type of chicken, but I didn't realise HOW timid that would be... I really like them because of their fluffy cheeks and the beard they grow haha). The 4 month easter egger was an addition that I added along with the silkie 4 months ago. When the babies turned a month old, I put them together along with the older chickens in the quarantined area, but in very close proxminity with the older chickens so that they'll get used to each other. Its been 3 months now and the older chickens still haven't gotten along with the baby chickens... which annoys me a lot. The older chickens are very territorial when it comes to food, so the two babies hardly eat unless I'm there feeding them huge scoops of cooked rice mixed with chicken meal to them. The silkie has no problem with that. The baby easter egger on the other hand (I don't know what traumatized her) gets scared of every little thing; she literally poops when getting scared. A chicken that passes by her (doing no harm) makes her jump, freak out, and run all over the place causing the other chickens to react and chase her. She'll rarely eat because she's always on constant watch over the other chickens to see if they're going to "attack" or chase her. I'll even bring her out of the fenced area (a secured place) just to feed her so that she'll eat without any disturbances, but even then she's scared of every tiny thing. There are no chickens around her, but she still acts like everything is out to get her.. Im really deciding to re-home her, but I cant beacuse i want to keep the silkie. If i rehomed her then id have to rehome the silkie along with her because theyre a whole tiny flock. I really want to keep the silkie because he has the cutest personality ever So right now i don't know what to do. I don't think space is the issue because with the amount of chickens i have, they still have a lot of space to be running around.

 

[Bullitt]

I don't think the way your Easter Egger behaves is true of most Easter Eggers.

But an Easter Egger is not even a breed so they are really just similar to Ameraucanas and Araucanas. They can behave in many different ways, although they are usually like Ameraucans. They are a little more flighty which allows them to avoid predators.

From what you have said, your pullet is paranoid. I am not sure what can be done. Have you thought about keeping the Easter Egger and the Silkie separated from the others? Maybe in another coop.

 

[creepygothnursi]

My Easter Eggers are all like this, all six of them. It has been a... less than pleasant first chicken experience at times. I think it probably does have to do with whatever breeds go into the mix with any particular EE, since as the other poster pointed out EEs are really a mix of Ameraucana/Araucana + whatever, and the whatever can get interesting. While mine did calm down somewhat when they hit point-of-lay, they're still not super pleasant birds and they freak out over nothing on a regular basis, though not to the extreme of pooping themselves from fear as yours does. Is it possible to get the silkie another friend of a similar age and rehome the EE? While people on here have had pleasant EEs, it seems like when they start out this crazy they remain so to at least some degree.

 

[Bullitt]

It has been a... less than pleasant first chicken experience at times.

Why did you choose Easter Eggers are your first chickens? Maybe the colorful eggs?

 

[undine]

Why did you choose Easter Eggers are your first chickens? Maybe the colorful eggs?

I chose them as one of my first chickens because i really liked their puffy cheeks and big beards. Now im just having a really hard time trying to deal with them. I dont mind much about my 5 month EE since she just minds her own business sometimes. I just dont want my 4 month EE starving...her crop has been nearly empty for the past two days. Hand feeding, and taking her to a place where shes the only chicken there hasnt worked. I did have a little place for them before. I thought they were excluding themselves too much. So i took down my ghetto contraption i was using as a little "quarantine/safe house" for them. The older chickens wrecked it so i had to take it down anyway. Guess ill be trying to build something thats similar to what i had.

 

[Bullitt]

I chose them as one of my first chickens because i really liked their puffy cheeks and big beards. Now im just having a really hard time trying to deal with them. I dont mind much about my 5 month EE since she just minds her own business sometimes. I just dont want my 4 month EE starving...her crop has been nearly empty for the past two days. Hand feeding, and taking her to a place where shes the only chicken there hasnt worked. I did have a little place for them before. I thought they were excluding themselves too much. So i took down my ghetto contraption i was using as a little "quarantine/safe house" for them. The older chickens wrecked it so i had to take it down anyway. Guess ill be trying to build something thats similar to what i had.

Did you buy chicks and then integrate them into an existing flock?

 

[undine]

Did you buy chicks and then integrate them into an existing flock?

Like i mentioned, basically i have two existing flocks going on. A month after i bought my first baby chicks, i bought two more baby chicks. They are the EE and silkie. After my "second flock" turned a month old, i put them together with the older flock. I already had a quarantined area ready for the two baby chicks because i read that it takes time to put two different flocks together. Three months later, there is still no improvement of those two flocks ever getting along...especially when the 4 month EE triggers the older chickens to attack and chase her.

 

[Bullitt]

Like i mentioned, basically i have two existing flocks going on. A month after i bought my first baby chicks, i bought two more baby chicks. They are the EE and silkie. After my "second flock" turned a month old, i put them together with the older flock. I already had a quarantined area ready for the two baby chicks because i read that it takes time to put two different flocks together. Three months later, there is still no improvement of those two flocks ever getting along...especially when the 4 month EE triggers the older chickens to attack and chase her.

OK, now I understand.

You should wait until chicks are grown to put them with older chickens. If they are raised by a hen you don't have to worry about it. But if you put chicks with a flock they will get attacked. You put the chicks in the flock too soon. They should be about the same size as the hens when you put them with the flock.

 

[rainlips]

Is there any way you could bring her inside and give her some special one on one time?
I had a hen that was kinda the same.... I turned an old dresser into a smaller coop for her... After about 2 weeks of her being in the dining room with all the crazyness of our house hold she chilled... Just a thought

 

[undine]

OK, now I understand.

You should wait until chicks are grown to put them with older chickens. If they are raised by a hen you don't have to worry about it. But if you put chicks with a flock they will get attacked. You put the chicks in the flock too soon. They should be about the same size as the hens when you put them with the flock.

Yeaaah i thought that too. Although i thought the longer i waited, it would be more complicated to integrate the two flocks. When the babies turned a little over a month old, i put the babies in with them, but seprerated. They were in no physical contact from the other chickens because there was a screen between them. All the contact they had were just looking at each other. I didnt think that was a problem. I dont know how that still didnt help. Theyve seen each other for a little over 3 months now..with a little contact, but with no improvement at all.. It takes time, but seriously? Three months together and nothing =\ Theyre just a month and a half apart.