3 wk old EE's..take a guess!! Added better Pics.

[warmwater]

Hello, I purchased my 6 EE's at an auction 3 wks ago. My DH was at the tool auction and me.....buying "chipmunk cheeks".

It was my first time bidding, I didn't know how old they were and I hadn't even checked them out before bidding. I got them for .50 each....After I won the bid the auctioner asked me if I wanted them ALL...I asked him "how many are there?"...he said 30 (3 boxes with 6 each and a box of 12....soooooo I told him a box of 6....lol, wasnt' brave enough to get them all. The 6 EE's were so small, they didn't even know how to drink water. I figure they must of been incubator chicks, hatched that day and stuck in a box for the auction.

We have 7 hens, Harriet hatched 5....3 pullets and 2 roos.(9wks old)...My DH is already building me another coop because I can't get rid of my little roos and they always fight, so each will have a coop and hens of their own.

My DH is worried these 6 will be roos.....I only get 2 coops....1 is 8x8....the new one will be 12x10.

So can you take a guess at gender for these 6....to ease my DH's mind (hoping they're pullets...lol..wishfull thinking). Also it will give me time to talk him into building a roo only pad if a few turn out to be boys...Thanks

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[LeBlackbird]

2 and 5 look like boys

 

[warmwater]

Thanks Blackbird...I know it's early. Have looked up everything I can find about sexing EE's.....some you can tell at 4 wks--others are not so easy.

I guess 2 out of 6 isn't bad.....just hope it's to early and your wrong....

.....Thanks

 

[M To The Maxx]

The pictures are a little blury but I agree with blackbird12.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

#s 2, 3, & 4 look like pullets (due to their feather coloring & patterns) although the comb on #2 does look pink. Does the comb on #2 look pink to you compared to the other chicks (in person), or does it just look pink on the computer screen?

#s 1, 5, & 6 - can't see the chick well enough to tell


Try taking some new photos of the entire chick (side or back view), so that we can see their coloring. The photos should be clearer if you take them from a little farther away and then just crop off the extra.

 

[Sillystunt]

I'm dizzy

 

[warmwater]

Okay ArizonaD.C. I'll take side views...I'll have my DH hold the chicks for me, hope pics come out better. Thanks

Was just curious.....if EE's come in all colors, HOW can you tell gender by color???

 

[justmeandtheflock]

My EE roo was much slower feathering than the girls. I would say at 3 weeks I had a good idea that he was going to turn out to be a roo but knew for sure around 6 weeks. I think #2's comb looks rooish.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

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It's kind of hard to explain. You can't tell the sex by their feather coloring on ALL EE's but there's SOME that you can (once their feathers come in). I don't know how to describe the pattern, but many of the pullets have more of a speckled look to their feathers with a differently colored neck, while the roos are more splotchy. Some females can be splotchy, but I haven't seen any males that have the more speckled look.

This works great with hatchery or feedstore EEs. They say EE's can come in all colors, but the hatchery EEs are much more standardized - the hatcheries probably use the same mixes, or maybe even just breed EEs to each other?. EE's bred at home (ameraucana x barred rock) don't look anything like the hatchery EE's and I have no idea on sexing those when they're little (other than by combs).

Here's an example of one of my speckled pullets and a splotchy pullet (at 7 weeks). The speckled chick is very typical of hatchery EE pullets and would be easy to tell the sex - the splotchy one would be one you might have to wait on sexing (unless the comb made it obvious).

These are 2 different EE's that I was able to sex by their coloring at this early age because they had that typical speckling:

 

[warmwater]

Here are the side and hopefully better comb pics.....Thanks (Not in the same order as the first set of pics....two pics of each.)

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