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Easter Eggers

The Easter Egger is not really a breed. They are relationed to the breeds Ameraucanas and...
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General Information

Breed Purpose
Egg Layer
Comb
Pea
Broodiness
Seldom
Climate Tolerance
All Climates
Egg Productivity
Medium
Egg Size
Medium
Egg Color
Blue/Green
Breed Temperament
Friendly,Easily handled,Calm,Bears confinement well,Quiet,Docile
Breed Colors/Varieties
Any and All Colors
Breed Size
Large Fowl
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The Easter Egger is not really a breed. They are relationed to the breeds Ameraucanas and Araucanas, then bred with many different breeds so they no longer fit either breed's standards. They usually have muffs and pea combs, but come in nearly every variety and color, some even have ear tufts or are rumpless. Each EE is different, but overall they are usually a smaller bird that lays pink, green, or blue eggs. They are normally friendly and calm, and their colorful eggs make them a popular choice in backyard flocks.

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Easter Egger chicks

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Easter Egger egg

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Easter Egger rooster

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Easter Egger hen

For more info on Easter Eggers and their owners' experiences, see our breed discussion here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/easter-egger-club.361185/
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Latest reviews

talkinboutchickens
I feel bad that I have to give this chicken a 3-star.....
Pros: Cute fluffy cheeks, pretty eggs, small comb
Cons: Super skittish, not afraid to stand their ground
On all websites I've visited says that easter eggers are one of the sweetest chicken breeds you can get. Yes, that can be true....But all chicken's personalities vary! I can barely get close to my easter egger, she startles when I make the slightest movement. She is not afraid to stand up for herself. She will fight. She fights with a hen that is twice the size as her. On the other hand, she lays pretty eggs and her face is cute. She only has 2 friends in my entire flock, they were in the same batch. She only really hangs out with the chickens her age. She has a very weird laying time, will lay all throughout summer, and after Winter she starts back up again very early, about February.
Purchase Price
$4.00 at a local breeder
Purchase Date
March 2019
StinkyAcres
One of my very favorites!
Pros: Good layers, lay large pretty eggs, generally very healthy, cold hardy, heat tolerant, small for a standard chicken, so many colors!
Cons: They can fly high and tend to wander, can be skittish, often mislabeled
Easter Eggers are one of my very favorite chickens. I've found them to be the healthiest chickens I've raised and they live a long time. They lay lots of large and jumbo eggs and continue to lay a decent amount when they're older. Because they are mixes you never know what color you are going to get or if they'll have beards or not or what color eggs they are going to lay which is exciting to me. You can usually easily tell individuals apart too. They are on the small side for a standard chicken so they probably don't eat as much as, say, a dual purpose breed, but their size and weight allow them to fly quite well which can be a problem if you're trying to keep them within a fenced area or catch them.

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Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies
Amazingly sweet and to-be layers
Pros: Very cute
Much more weather tolerant than my silkies
Very sweet as well
Lay well in my friend's experience
Cutest chicks EVER
The muffs are too cute
Adventurous
Colorful eggs!!! What's not to love?
Cons: A bit smelly
Always jumping out of brooder because why wouldn't they
Easter Eggers are one of my favorite breeds, and I wanted to get them for a while. I got 3 chicks a week ago, and I absolutely love them! Very sweet and adventurous. Would recommend to a first time chicken owner.
Purchase Price
20$ for 3 chicks
Purchase Date
Jan 11, 2023

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Comments

fiddlechicken
What other traits do EE's have that you like or dislike? Seems a bummer to rate a chicken one star just because it is following it's instinct to eat food- food which gives you such pretty eggs!
Tamdeva makes a great point about wing clipping- it has saved many a garden, not to mention many a chicken life (i.e., escaping over a fence and into the neighbor dog's mouth, poor things.) Hopefully this solution worked for you- and saved your garden- so you can enjoy this breed's many other charming traits. Happy Chickening!
 
tamdeva
EE's are the smart ones in my flock. They figure out how to get where the food is alright. They are the ones that get into the cats food. I have to put up a fence the cats can jump over but the chickens don't. They "could", but for some reason don't. And they are the sweetest, besides my Faverolle.
 
The ChickenKing
Mine is at the top of the pecking order of the other pullets and she is one the most intelligent besides Pasty, my silver laced wyandotte who's at the bottom of the pecking order. I guess it depends on the individual.
 
Shawneegyrl
My EEs are the best layers I have. I can count on 5-6 eggs a week grin each. 1 LF and 2 bantams
 
GuineaFowling
Each EE has its own personality. I noticed they are more funkier than other chickens and startle easily. From all the EEs I have ever owned all layed green eggs except for one who layed pink eggs. They are really good layers, not like the commercial layers who will slow their laying after a year and a half. They lay an egg everyday and will take a break occasionally but will start right up. They continue to lay prolifically for a good 3 1/2 years and then begin to slow down. Of course it also depends on what you feed them!
 
KieksterChicken
Hate to tell you but Easter Eggers are Easter Eggers only by virtue of the blue egg gene they carry and display. If they don't lay a blue shelled egg they don't carry the blue egg gene and therefore are not Easter Eggers.
 
commanderforts
mine lay blue and green eggs. we have 3 and all of them like to make a lot of noise when i come out side. they always want out. one of them is suddenly very scared of me while the others are tame and crouch down to be picked up. nearly a year old and they dont seem to care about the new baby chicks
 
curiositykt
"Easter Eggers are not a breed per se, but a variety of chicken that does not conform to any breed standard but lays large to extra large eggs that vary in shade from blue to green to olive to aqua and sometimes even pinkish." Also quite a number of people report shades of brown, and light colors that look whitish.

They are Easter Eggers by the fact that they are mutts with some Araucana or Ameraucana ancestry.

www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2013/12/ameraucana-vs-araucana-vs-easter-egger.html
 
Mommy 2 Wee Ones
Should I send my EE, Star over to your house to show your hens what to do. Star is a Gray/Brown EE, who thinks she is one of the dogs. As soon as the door opens, she is trying to get in. I got them at a week old, and they lived in the house for 7 weeks in a rubbermaid container. Once they moved out to their own pen, (still too small to go with the older chickens), Star would spot me coming down the stairs and as soon as I got close to their pen, she would fly over the fence & land on my shoulder. She is a talker, and loves to be picked up & carried around. I tell her when she comes into the house, "Remember No Poops!" So far so good. Star's two sister Lacy & Coco, are more skittish, always have been, even as chicks. We tried to hold & cuddle them equally as chicks, but Lacy was always timid. When I had my Barred Rocks, they were my friendliest hens. They fought on who would get to sit in my lap. I would have one on my head, one on my shoulder, and one on my lap. 2 of my 3 EE have started laying (green eggs). I have 2 other EE who I got from a friend, they will come when called, and will follow, and my girls can catch them, but they are not cuddlers. Am hoping for blue eggs from them. Just keep trying!
 
luvmichx
My EE are skittish as well although my broody hen that just hatched a clutch of eggs is tolerating me a lot more now that she has 7 chicks to raise. I will say that one of my EE chicks will stand quietly as I pet her and seems to like it so I am hopeful she will continue to love her two legged momma! lol I also have a chick that will come to me and take food from my fingers and I just love it. As Mommy2WeeOnes said, just keep trying. Pick them up daily and cuddle them if you can. My older hens will allow me to pet them but only when its dusk and they are getting ready to roost. Funniest thing I've ever seen. I can pet them and pick them up but only at that time of the day.

Good Luck!!
 
JennieRD
I have EE also, mine are quite, very layed back. I can trust them with the smallest of chicks, or the larges of roosters. What I appciate about mine is the fact they are very willing to accept any new bird into their pack. But mine are like yours they shy away. Honestly, I would rather have them shy away from me, and willing to accept new chicks without harassing them or hurting them. Sometimes maybe we have to give up one trait to get the other. Im sorry they don't run to you like you want. I know that sometimes when mine try to outwit me an run, I make a habbit of buying an extra loaf of bread at the store, when they see the bag they are tripping over each other to get to me first. May try giving them an extra treat every day for a while will help them learn to trust you. Don't throw it to them, make them take it out of your hands. As long as your flock is small this should not be a problem. If you have a large flock, I do not recommend this as too many at your feet jumping at your hands for a slice of bread may be overwhelming for you or a guest or small child. Good luck!
 
fiddlechicken
Our EE is a love! Not the highest in the pecking order, but seems to be the peacemaker, and intervenes during a squabble. However, if I don't go out there for a day or two to sit with them, she will "forget", and take a little time to warm up again.

Thinks2much2, I think I understand your situation perfectly... the chick/ breed I was most excited about the day they came home? Our little Astrolorpe, Boo. The reviews were SO GREAT, I thought she would be our super-chicken: gorgeous iridescent feathers, good egg production, great, friendly personality. Well, she IS gorgeous, but from the very beginning, she would run away from my hands, only to scream bloody murder when I picked her up. This has never gone away, despite constant, daily handling. She even freaks out when I take her down from the roost at dusk- wings flapping, sqawking like mad! AT DUSK? WHA???? WHY DO YOU HATE ME, bird???? : / (It is definitely a challenge not to take this behavior the TEENSIEST bit personally- I know it breaks my heart a little bit each time.)

Boo hasn't started laying yet (she's close though!), and I have read that, sometimes, birds will calm down once they have reached POL. And she WILL approach me, and eat out of my hand- she just doesn't like being handled- this may change with time, but she will probably always be this way.

I am just at the point where I have resigned myself to the fact that some chickens will be special, and some will just give me eggs, and that will do for now.

Being a first time chicken owner myself, I have to say that, overall, this has been an incredibly enjoyable experience, one which I would recommend to anyone! Thinks2much2, I hope you are having a great time too, knowing that you are in good company. Hope my story helped, and best of luck with chickeneering!
 
thinks2much2
Thank you everyone for the input! I wish sending Star over to visit would train my chickens! :) I need to get hatching EE eggs from someone with a chicken like Star next time, I think. Like fiddlechicken said, I think I just have to accept the fact that some of my chickens will be pets and some will just give me eggs.
 
Wol1
Thinks2much2: Most chicks are skittish when young. I've never had a baby be cuddly. It often gets better as they start to lay eggs. They will squat down when you reach for them and can be picked up and loved on. They may then learn to be more tolerant if you give them an exceptionally coveted treat only while being held. If you can only have hens, I suggest NOT getting hatching eggs unless your source will take any males that hatch. It's a 50-50 chance. We got three EEs last year from Mt. Healthy Hatcheries and they were all females. Got six this year from TSC and got 2 males. :(

That said, some chickens will never warm up to being held. It's just their personality. Others practically beg to be picked up and carried around. One of my golden comets does this. Follows me so closely I fear I'm going to step on her. She has come to be called Sweet Pea.

Fiddlechicken: I will never get Black Australorps again. Mine scream bloody murder all the time. BWAACK! BWAACK! My neighbors thought we had a billy goat or a donkey. They make more noise than the two roosters combined... showing that ordinances prohibiting roosters don't accomplish peace and quiet. Fortunately we live in a semi rural area and our neighbor's house is about 200 feet away from the chickens. However, many people have said that their Australorps are quiet. So it seems to be the genetics of their parentage.

Picking them up off the roost. That is the ONLY time I can pick up one of our EEs. She has only laid a few eggs in her lifetime, so she is very flighty. I've also found that some of the hens freak out about the loss of balance when being picked up off the roost. I reach one arm around their chest, using my chest to hold their wings down and use the other hand to lift them just in front of their legs, cupping their thighs in my hand. NOT the way one is instructed to pick up chickens, but it works well most of the time and greatly reduces the stress when we have to give them medicine. If things go badly the first time I try, I put them down at the end of the line and give them time to calm down before I try again. I can even pick up my roosters this way with a minimum of fuss. Once I can corner them, that is. Because they are so big, I sometimes add my chin to hold down the outer wing until they calm down. Then I use the around the chest arm to also hold the thighs and put the other hand over their wings. Maybe that would help also with the ones that won't be picked up off the roost?

Me, too on the wonderful experience. I had no idea I would love chickens so much. I am obsessed with chickens now. :)
 
Sylvester017
PA Ameraucanas as well as EEs are slow to mature. They are agile, alert, kooky, spooky, klutzy, talkative, busy birds and probably one of the sweetest I've ever had. They are busy bees and like to explore every inch of yard. They are slow to mature to accept the rules in your back yard. Our Amer kept flying over the 2-foot rabbit fence that divides the chicken yard from my raised garden beds. It took a month of slowly ushering her out of the garden by getting behind her and making her go out the exit on her own leg power. After a few times of calmly ushering her out this way she doesn't fly over the 2-foot barrier and respects its now. In fact, she panics if she accidentally gets in the garden and is relieved when we open the gate so she can scamper out on her own. Once I realized it's normal for these birds to be slower to mature and settle down it has been a joy having her since she is a non-combative breed and very accepting of any chicken that gets put in the yard. I have never found it necessary to clip any breed's wings since I like them to have the ability to escape predation. Our Amer can easily fly out and over the yard fence if she chose as I've seen her fly to the top of the coop roof as a youngster - a few times of gently picking her up and putting her back down on the ground and she knew not to fly up there again. She knows the rules and knows the boundaries and we've never had her "escape" in the one year we've had her. She'd rather stay close to the rest of the flock anyway.
 
tlsandm
I have two that are a little skittish and seem smart/inquisitive. They don't like to be caught, but once I do get them, they seem to enjoy being held. They are not even laying yet, so I am thankful to hear that they mellow with age:)
 
foghornleghorn9
I love my EE's. They are awesome layers and are very friendly. Some of them can be a bit skittish but as they grow up they learn that they can trust you. They have been so great that I recently added some Bantam EE. They haven't begun to lay yet but I'm looking forward to their cute little eggs. Congratulations and good luck.
 
zeusyboy
We love our EEs too. They are by far the friendliest, calmest chickens we have. You're right - they are so easy to tell apart. Ours are almost a year old now, and they have been great layers of beautiful shades of green/blue eggs. (We've been told the green eggs are so much better than all the others.) You'll love these girls & I know your grandson will too!
 

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Category
Chicken Breeds
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Comments
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Reviews
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Last update
Rating
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