Breed and gender guesses?

[SurferchickinSB]

Thanks for the info! They were sold as pure an Ameraucana, but I know they are not because they were only seven dollars each. I knew they were half breeds, just trying to figure out what the other half is. I just picked them because they were real interesting looking. I am hoping to get colored eggs out of them though. They sure are different from my other chickens, just so skittish and fast! They also can fly, so that worries me a bit.

Hmm... I guess if they are not even half a Americauna, I might just get a brown egg. I picked them because I was hoping for a different color egg then the brown colors and the white ones that I have now.

 

[cstephens1987]

Thanks for the info! They were sold as pure an Ameraucana, but I know they are not because they were only seven dollars each. I knew they were half breeds, just trying to figure out what the other half is. I just picked them because they were real interesting looking. I am hoping to get colored eggs out of them though. They sure are different from my other chickens, just so skittish and fast! They also can fly, so that worries me a bit.

Where'd you get em

 

[cstephens1987]

Not necessarily. What @Frazzemrat1 was likely trying to explain was that the hatcheries breeding EE (even from Ameraucana stock originally) pay no regard to color standards as they want volume. They have some Ameraucana that they bring in to keep refreshing the blue egg gene due to their poor breeding practices but there's no real telling how many generations back you've got. Best case you get a hatchery quality pure bred Ameraucana. Next best case you get a purebred Ameraucana with some color issues. Next best case you get a 50% Ameraucana more mutt. Most likely case, you get some bird with some Ameraucana in it but less than 50% and closer to 25% and will have crazy features due to its mixed heritage. Some hatcheries will even use other blue egg layers to liven things up a bit. Based on the features visible on your birds they've likely got Ameraucana in them but also likely less than 50%. If that makes sense.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Where'd you get em

Feed store

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Not necessarily. What @Frazzemrat1 was likely trying to explain was that the hatcheries breeding EE (even from Ameraucana stock originally) pay no regard to color standards as they want volume. They have some Ameraucana that they bring in to keep refreshing the blue egg gene due to their poor breeding practices but there's no real telling how many generations back you've got. Best case you get a hatchery quality pure bred Ameraucana. Next best case you get a purebred Ameraucana with some color issues. Next best case you get a 50% Ameraucana more mutt. Most likely case, you get some bird with some Ameraucana in it but less than 50% and closer to 25% and will have crazy features due to its mixed heritage. Some hatcheries will even use other blue egg layers to liven things up a bit. Based on the features visible on your birds they've likely got Ameraucana in them but also likely less than 50%. If that makes sense.

Yes, that makes sense. I knew they were not purebreds because they do not look like a Americauna. I am very limited though because in my area they are not allowing movement of chickens because of Newcastle‘s disease. I just needed two chicks for my broody and they looked like they were part americana because of their puffy cheeks and gray legs. I am hoping for blue or green eggs though!

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Feed store

Then yea, they're from a hatchery....

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Hi all! Here is a photo of one of my Easter Eggers and she is nine weeks old in this photo. I am beginning to think she is a he. What do you think? Her tail feathers are very long and then they turn downwards at the end. I will post more pictures, but this is what I have now.I have just never had a chicken with such long tail feathers. I would appreciate it very much if you guys could take the time to look and guess.It’s a little hard to photograph a black chicken and get details

 

[cstephens1987]

View attachment 1916875 View attachment 1916874 View attachment 1916873 Hi all! Here is a photo of one of my Easter Eggers and she is nine weeks old in this photo. I am beginning to think she is a he. What do you think? Her tail feathers are very long and then they turn downwards at the end. I will post more pictures, but this is what I have now.I have just never had a chicken with such long tail feathers. I would appreciate it very much if you guys could take the time to look and guess.It’s a little hard to photograph a black chicken and get details

Can you get a clear close-up pic of the comb?

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Yes

Can you get a clear close-up pic of the comb?

Yes, Thank you for replying. I will take a picture and post it later. They are really hard to get close to because they were raised by my broody.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

.

Yes

Yes, Thank you for replying. I will take a picture and post it later. They are really hard to get close to because they were raised by my broody.

This photo was taken in the dark, because I cannot get near him or her otherwise. What do you think? The tail feathers are what I am concerned about. I have heard it is really hard to tell Easter Eggers because they do not grow very big combs or wattles. I am not familiar with this breed.The tail is very long and the feathers seem to curl downwards. Will be 10 weeks old on Thursday the 26th.