Does anybody have Americanas/easter eggers from Mt. Healthy?

[Blackfoxbog]

Hi all,

I just lost 5 hens to marauding neighbor dogs.

I really want to raise chicks again in hopes that any will turn out as wonderful as the Easter egger and the Plymouth blue rock that were killed. They were the kind of birds that every bird owner wishes they had - smart, curious, personable, and extremely cuddly.

Problem is, I'm trying to limit the number of chicks this time around. I got the Plymouth blue rock from Mt. Healthy, and the easter egger came from Cackle Hatchery. I know Cackle hatchery has a 3 chick minimum and they always send extra. Mt. Healthy also has a 3 chick minimum. I don't want to add 7 hens to my remaining flock. Our coop and run just aren't big enough. It would bring the number to 16. We've had 16 before, and it was really pushing it.

I'm not willing to compromise about the Plymouth blue rocks, so I'm going to stick with Mt. Healthy. Does anyone have experience with their Americanas/Easter Eggers as pet animals as opposed to production animals? How is their temperament?

 

[IvyBeans]

Mt healthy does send an extra, too. I only wanted 2 new chicks this year, but I ordered 3 from mt healthy and they sent an extra. My plan is to raise them together and sell the 2 I don’t want. I didn’t want to sell 1 lone pullet. They’re all adorable though, so it’s going to be hard choosing. Easter eggers have less accurate vent sexing than other breeds, so having one extra isn’t a bad thing.

My Easter eggers are flightier than my other breeds. I only have Marans, orpingtons, and Easter eggers.

 

[EleventhHour]

I have three “Americana” EEs from Mt. Healthy. They have been healthy and great layers (two lay medium size blue eggs and one lays large light tan eggs). They are a little flighty but friendly enough. Not cuddlers tho. Definitely not the smartest birds either but super cute

 

[slukeplass22]

Hi all,

I just lost 5 hens to marauding neighbor dogs.

I really want to raise chicks again in hopes that any will turn out as wonderful as the Easter egger and the Plymouth blue rock that were killed. They were the kind of birds that every bird owner wishes they had - smart, curious, personable, and extremely cuddly.

Problem is, I'm trying to limit the number of chicks this time around. I got the Plymouth blue rock from Mt. Healthy, and the easter egger came from Cackle Hatchery. I know Cackle hatchery has a 3 chick minimum and they always send extra. Mt. Healthy also has a 3 chick minimum. I don't want to add 7 hens to my remaining flock. Our coop and run just aren't big enough. It would bring the number to 16. We've had 16 before, and it was really pushing it.

I'm not willing to compromise about the Plymouth blue rocks, so I'm going to stick with Mt. Healthy. Does anyone have experience with their Americanas/Easter Eggers as pet animals as opposed to production animals? How is their temperament?

I know this thread is kinda old now but I figured I'd chime in. I'm pretty sure the local feed store we've gotten all our 'Americanas' from buys chicks from Mt. Healthy. As far as pet animals are concerned, I'd say they're quirky, but hardy, long-lived birds. I've had four so far, and each one is very different from the others.

The first one was skittish and seemed genuinely scared of humans for most of her life. It took around five years for her to understand that I wasn't going to hurt her and that being held was okay. She had a certain intelligence though, such as figuring out that if she walked while being crouched under her superiors, she could push them out of the way to her preferred roosting spot (she was a big bird with short legs). They wouldn't peck her because she'd move so fast, by the time they noticed it'd be really awkward for them to peck underneath their own body. She lived to be almost nine years old. There's a lot of other odd things about her. Here's a post with a photo.

Second one is friendly and will let me pick her up unless she's molting, she's sensitive at that time. This year she molted very gently, so I could still hold her. Sometimes she has a sassy attitude and won't want to be held, but that's pretty normal as far as chickens go. She's gotten more mellow over the years, less sass. This one is eight.

Third one is also friendly, if I visit them outside she often scratches her beak on my leg to ask for a petting. If I pet someone else she gets jealous and scratches her beak again. Sometimes she jumps on my back and sits on my shoulders like a parrot (she's not the only one). She's probably my most linguistically capable bird, she understands that if I tell her 'be nice' that she isn't supposed to peck others on the roost. She is the most massive bird I've had. This one is six.

The fourth one is skittish. I think she mainly dislikes being touched. She's still young (almost two), so she'll probably relax as she gets older. She's very nice to the other chickens.

None of them are mean birds to me or other chickens. I'll probably get more in the future since they live a long time.