8-week Easter Egger "pullet" - is it actually? *Updated 10-week pics pg 3 - Boy or girl?*

[aoxa]

x2   I'm guessing male.  




hope it shows, and sorry not good picts.  Female ee's born May 25th 

I wouldn't jump to the girl conclusion yet. They aren't even 12 weeks old yet. The one in behind looks like a roo to me.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I think your EE is a pullet. I used to have a hen that looked almost exactly like her (ordered from Ideal Poultry). She had a bright pink comb like yours and almost the exact same feather pattern. I thought she was a boy for the longest time-and she almost ended up in the stew pot- then one day I went into the coop to check for eggs and she was in the nest box. About 20 minutes later she came out, and there was a cute little olive egg left behind. Good luck!

 

[debid]

I pulled up pix of my EE cockerel from ~9 weeks and this is how developed his comb was:



Pullet, same age, same date:


Honestly, I see nothing masculine about your bird except that tail. So, while I was searching, I also looked at pix of my speckled Sussex girl because her juvenile tail feathers were pointy. They were pointy at 9 and rounded at 16 so there was a molt in that timeframe.

Since we don't know what went into the mix, IDK if the tail feathers are meaningful. I'm still thinking girl.

 

[wordgirl]

Thanks, everyone! Hmm.... So 50-50?

This bird is so in-between - some of its features say boy, others say girl. Eventually it's got to go one way or another, right?

spikennipper - EE roos with pea combs can get medium-big-sized combs, but not as big as some single-combed breeds. Usually, I think, EE cockerels get raised (at least somewhat) combs from a rather young age. But Sneaky's comb doesn't seem as tall as some 8-week-olds I've seen. But it's quite red. So...

greenegglover - do you have any pictures of your girls that you could post?

aoxa - Do you think those are hackle feathers? I can't really tell. On the Orpingtons, I can tell there's a difference in color (and shine) between the normal feathers and the roo feathers, but I don't know how obvious (or at all) it is in black and white birds. Would they be extra shiny? I've heard that about the black-and-white EEs being often boys - but most black-and-white EE roos also have red on their shoulders by this age, which Sneaky doesn't have at all, even when you check under the top feathers to see if any are growing in.

ChicKat - Thanks for the picture! To me, Sneaky looks rather similar to those, although the black in Sneaky's neck feathers may be a little more pointed than your two, and Sneaky's comb may be redder. Sneaky also is a little darker. It's good to be able to compare, so thanks for the pic!

howfunkyisurchicken - Thanks for the encouragement - I do hope Sneaky is a girl. I already have one rooster that I wasn't supposed to get, but so far I like his personality, so hopefully that will be okay. I don't mind having a rooster as long it's not mean. Sneaky isn't mean either, but he/she is very flighty and hates being picked up, and is always hiding behind everybody else. Doesn't seem very rooster-ish, but I suppose I could just have a "chicken" rooster.

debid - Thank you for those pictures! Yes, Sneaky's comb is so short compared to most EE cockerels, even ones younger than him/her. It is red, but not big. That's good to know about your Sussex - I'm hoping Sneaky's tail is turning into a hen's tail. It's not filling up and out like the BO roo's tail, it just has the same pointy ones it's always had, but now some very round feathers are growing into it, which make me hope it's going to round out like a hen. I guess we'll see. (BTW, I love the muff on that EE roo - it's so white and fluffy!)

Thanks, everyone! I'll keep updating pictures as Sneaky gets older. If anyone else wants to share their opinion or any pictures of EE girls or boys, please do!

 

[aoxa]

I pulled up pix of my EE cockerel from ~9 weeks and this is how developed his comb was: Pullet, same age, same date: Honestly, I see nothing masculine about your bird except that tail. So, while I was searching, I also looked at pix of my speckled Sussex girl because her juvenile tail feathers were pointy. They were pointy at 9 and rounded at 16 so there was a molt in that timeframe. Since we don't know what went into the mix, IDK if the tail feathers are meaningful. I'm still thinking girl.

This is my girl @ 20 weeks old. It is less developed then the OPs. That's why I said boy.

Here she is @ 12 weeks

 

[aoxa]

aoxa - Do you think those are hackle feathers? I can't really tell. On the Orpingtons, I can tell there's a difference in color (and shine) between the normal feathers and the roo feathers, but I don't know how obvious (or at all) it is in black and white birds. Would they be extra shiny? I've heard that about the black-and-white EEs being often boys - but most black-and-white EE roos also have red on their shoulders by this age, which Sneaky doesn't have at all, even when you check under the top feathers to see if any are growing in.

The roo feathers don't usually come in until week 12-14. The boys often have different colours in them if black and white, but not always. It could go either way, and I agree that you should name him/her Sneaky!

 

[wordgirl]

The roo feathers don't usually come in until week 12-14. The boys often have different colours in them if black and white, but not always. It could go either way, and I agree that you should name him/her Sneaky!

Okay, thanks! You can see some of the saddle feathers on my BO cockerel under the some of the feathers, so I was wondering if you'd be able to see them if you looked underneath. Probably not all cockerels always get them at the same time. Thanks, aoxa!

ETA - Thanks for the picture. Sneaky's comb is redder than your girl's, but I don't think it's much bigger.

 

[aoxa]

Okay, thanks! You can see some of the saddle feathers on my BO cockerel under the some of the feathers, so I was wondering if you'd be able to see them if you looked underneath. Probably not all cockerels always get them at the same time. Thanks, aoxa! ETA - Thanks for the picture. Sneaky's comb is redder than your girl's, but I don't think it's much bigger.

Which age do you think it's not much bigger? 12 weeks or now? Can you take a really close up picture of Sneaky's comb? I sure hope it's a girl. My Stanley didn't get them until 13-14 weeks.

This is him at 12 weeks.

My girls looked much different in the tail feathers.

 

[LakeBird]

I'm curious with EE, if you determine sex by the size of their legs. I have orpingtons, and one of the characteristics is the width and height of their legs in comparison. I just got 2 EE have been trying to follow along with this thread to make a determination if they are boys or girls.

 

[aoxa]

I'm curious with EE, if you determine sex by the size of their legs. I have orpingtons, and one of the characteristics is the width and height of their legs in comparison. I just got 2 EE have been trying to follow along with this thread to make a determination if they are boys or girls.

I wouldn't bank on it. My girls had thick legs from the get-go.