Pullet or Roo? I've been a chicken owner for one week! Help please! Lol

[FirstTimeFlock]

Thanks,! I hope you're right! Seems to be the popular vote so far, too!

 

[debid]

The one EE looks to have a brown back and black chest. If that's the case, it's a cockerel whether showing any other signs yet or not. The rest look feminine at this point.

 

[FirstTimeFlock]

I've read that the black chest can indicate a roo, but also read that it is not a sure fire way of sexing EE because they're mutts & unless you know what they were crossed with, or could be a trait of one of the parents. Any thoughts on that?
(Oh & that is the same reason another poster said that it was probably a roo.)

 

[debid]

I've read that the black chest can indicate a roo, but also read that it is not a sure fire way of sexing EE because they're mutts & unless you know what they were crossed with, or could be a trait of one of the parents. Any thoughts on that?
(Oh & that is the same reason another poster said that it was probably a roo.)

EEs are not "mutts", they're landrace chickens. But, that doesn't matter here. Certain color combinations are gender-specific and that's one of them. A pullet can have black patterning on her chest but in order to have a fully black chest, she'd have to be be black all over her body.

 

[FirstTimeFlock]

I've heard to them referred to as "mutts" because they're not an APA(?) recognized breed. I'm new to this chicken thing & you obviously know more about them then I do, so I'll take your word on them being landrace chickens, not mutts. I am hoping you're wrong about my EE being a roo, but unfortunately, suspect that you may be right! It's too bad because I don't think I'll be able to keep a roo. I've had him eating out of my hand so could possibly be a nice roo, but we're renting & may need to move back in city limits where there are no roosters allowed. I also only have 6 chickens (possible roo included) so not enough hens to keep him busy. (I've heard they recommend 8 hens for every 1 rooster.)

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I've heard to them referred to as "mutts" because they're not an APA(?) recognized breed. I'm new to this chicken thing & you obviously know more about them then I do, so I'll take your word on them being landrace chickens, not mutts. I am hoping you're wrong about my EE being a roo, but unfortunately, suspect that you may be right! It's too bad because I don't think I'll be able to keep a roo. I've had him eating out of my hand so could possibly be a nice roo, but we're renting & may need to move back in city limits where there are no roosters allowed. I also only have 6 chickens (possible roo included) so not enough hens to keep him busy. (I've heard they recommend 8 hens for every 1 rooster.)

There are a LOT of breeds that are not APA recognized, such as the Appenzeller Spitzhauben, or even just certain varieties of recognized breeds. But an EE is not just any old mix. My RIR x Marans chicks are not EEs, for example.

 

[FirstTimeFlock]

Yes, I did realize that they're not just a mix of anything. My understanding (which could very well be wrong) is that they are a mix of a chicken who lays blue eggs (Cream Legbars, Araucanas or Ameraucanas) with another breed. Like I said, not sure how accurate that is our if they are only mixed with certain other breeds. I believe that when mixed with Marans, for example, that they are Olive Eggers.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yes, I did realize that they're not just a mix of anything. My understanding (which could very well be wrong) is that they are a mix of a chicken who lays blue eggs (Cream Legbars, Araucanas or Ameraucanas) with another breed. Like I said, not sure how accurate that is our if they are only mixed with certain other breeds. I believe that when mixed with Marans, for example, that they are Olive Eggers.

That is correct. They are a mix that carries the blue egg gene. They are not APA recognized and do not have a "standard" which is why people use the term mutt but that gives the wrong impression to newbies that they are just mixed breeds of anything.

 

[debid]

The hatchery birds are not mixes of a blue egg breed and something else. They're from a very old stock of blue shell layers that were imported. And, those were the chickens used to create the Araucana and Ameraucana breeds. But, the hatcheries are using descendants of the originals bred to other descendants of the originals, not the breed standardized​ birds mixed with something else.

Now, there are breeders doing exactly that so theirs *would* be mutts as well as non-standardized chickens carrying the blue shell gene. Confusing, right?

 

[debid]

As for the coloring, maybe it helps to understand that the wild type patterning responsible for those chipmunk-looking chicks is universal to chickens, nothing to do with breed. A male golden duckwing looks like a male golden duckwing no matter if he's a game cock or a Welsummer or a Leghorn or a Phoenix... Then if you look at the females, you'll see that they all look like each other too and different from the males. Your EE may vary a little from pure gold duckwing and what you're seeing now is just a glimpse of his grown up coloration but it's enough to positively identify gender.