Buff Orpingtons & EE Ameraucanas

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good suggestions above. Easter Eggers are mixes so their temperaments can be all over the place, ime they do tend to be very nice birds that get along well with the flock. How old are the chicks / do you know if the chicks are the same age? Were they sexed at the hatchery as females?

 

[Blooie]

I started out with 5 EEs, 4 Buff Orpingtons, 5 Golden Laced Wyandottes, 2 Speckled Sussex, 2 Cuckoo Marans, and 4 Red Sex Links. I am down to 1 Buff Orpington, no GLW, no SS, 2 Cuckoo Marans, and 3 RSL - but I kept all 5 EEs. Mine are fun, friendly, and good layers, plus they get along fine with the rest of the flock. Sadly I lost one of my EEs, Pearl, earlier this fall, due to a stupid accident, but the fact that out of all the chickens in that order the 5 of the were a given for keeping tells you how much we like them.

I agree with the others....given plenty of space and a few distractions from time to time boredom is kept to a minimum, and sometimes boredom can be the root of the problem. I don't need to repeat the good ideas about distractions because the other fine folks have offered many. I put a swing in my run, and they all tend to sit outside on that rather than on the fixed roosts out there, which is fine.

Occasionally a chick that will end up being a roo feels the need to exert his influence over the other chickens pretty early in life, and even from the best suppliers mistakes can be made in the sexing of the chicks. I'd just keep an eye out and make sure he/she isn't drawing any blood on the other chicks because that is an irresistible target for the rest of the flock. Other than that, just remember that chickens are like any other critter, with personality quirks good and bad. I know when I first got chickens I thought they'd remain sweet, fluffy little sweethearts forever and when that didn't turn out to be the case reality set in hard. For me it was the GLW - they seemed to have this gang mentality. If one of them was picking on another chicken the other four rushed in to get their licks in on the unfortunate victim too. Yet most people love them for their gentle friendly natures. So aggression isn't necessarily breed specific - it's more like the luck of the draw!

 

[liz9910]

you've received some good suggestions, best of luck to you.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

The above posters have given you great advice.

 

[LIChickens]

Welcome to BYC!

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