Easter Egger club!

[junebuggena]

Mine are from Ideal Poultry. They are terrified of me. I've handled them since chicks. They still want nothing to do with me. I'm hoping they mellow out once they start laying. I think the hatcheries might just be too focused on breeding the colored layers that they don't care about selecting for good temperament.

 

[kristaschics15]

Mine aren't too friendly either and I've been around them since day one. I can catch them and if I have treats they come to me but to hold them or anything they totally freak out.

 

[ochochicas]

Has anyone had problems with their EEs not being friendly? I have 11 I bought as day old pullets, had them about 3 weeks now. They are terrified of me, they absolutely don't want attention. I have other chicks older than them in standard size and bantams and they're all friendly. I don't have problems with them at all. With the EEs its a nightmare, cleaning their brooder takes a while I have to catch each chick and put them in a crate, there's one Rhode Island red pullet with them and she's friendly, but none of the EEs are. I've tried lots of different things to get them used to me and nothing works, just wondering if this is typical of the breed

They are at the age where they are afraid of pretty much everything. I put hay in the brooder yesterday and the chicks thought it was going to kill them! LOL Don't give up - keep playing with them. Somewhere around 6 - 8 weeks they start to get friendlier. I will usually pick mine up to play with them, put them down, and pick them right back up again. The second time they are more relaxed and easier to catch. They seem to figure out pretty quickly that they aren't going to be hurt or eaten.

 

[junebuggena]

Mine still don't want anything to do with people, they are 15 weeks now. And have had nothing but positive human interaction daily.

 

[Texas4T]

I think it depends on the individual birds, because EEs are not really standardized as a "breed" derived from specific other breeds, per se, so different birds can go into their genetics each time. If the temperaments of the parent birds are flighty, they may be flighty. I got my last bunch from Ideal, and they were not at all friendly--all the way through the brooder stage--guess they thought I was going to eat them or something! Now, suddenly, they come to me and are right under my feet all the time. I have some older hens that are very stand-offish, don't even want me in the hen house, but I have one wheaten hen named Marilyn who was never friendly until she was a year old, now she comes to me and is right under me all the time. These EEs are nothing if not interesting.

They came up to have their photos taken here, with my tame guineas..(a whole other story!).

 

[Little Peep]

last year I watched 5 Americana eggs hatch

 

[vchicks]

My EE's are the most skittish of my flock. I got them at 3 1/2 weeks. The chicks I got at just a couple of days after hatching seem more at ease with us. Could be early exposure to us. But the EE's are getting calmer as time goes on. They are now 12 weeks old. Don't give up! Hand-feeding snacks make all chicks friendlier

 

[DevilsDenHen]

I think it depends on the individual birds, because EEs are not really standardized as a "breed" derived from specific other breeds, per se, so different birds can go into their genetics each time. If the temperaments of the parent birds are flighty, they may be flighty. I got my last bunch from Ideal, and they were not at all friendly--all the way through the brooder stage--guess they thought I was going to eat them or something! Now, suddenly, they come to me and are right under my feet all the time. I have some older hens that are very stand-offish, don't even want me in the hen house, but I have one wheaten hen named Marilyn who was never friendly until she was a year old, now she comes to me and is right under me all the time. These EEs are nothing if not interesting. They came up to have their photos taken here, with my tame guineas..(a whole other story!).

I was going to say the same thing, that maybe what's in them may have to do with temperament. Mine is half australorp half ameraucana. And she's my most friendliest hen I have. My ameraucana pullet wants nothing to do with me lol.

 

[tinkerfairy]

I think I have 2 ameracaunas in the group, by the coloration of feathers and legs, the rest EE probably from ameracauna lines, they don't seem to favor aracaunas. I bought a Rhode island red from the same place I got these chicks, she's friendly, none of the EEs are. The one that is easiest to handle is one I believe to be a blue ameracauna, she started off with black down but her feathers are blue grey and she doesn't have green legs, she has legs the same color as ameracaunas. She doesn't pitch as much of a fit as the others, and she will lay down in my hand.
I've tried hand feeding them. They refuse to take anything from me. They're being moved from there storage tub brooder into a wire cage with pan bottom this weekend since they are starting to escape, they're still to small for me to want to put them outside. I'm going to try breeding my blue rosecomb bantam to the blue chick when they're older to see if I can get friendlier chicks from her.
I've never had any problems with my other chicks buff orpingtons and barred rocks, they're lap babies, have been since day one. Most of my bantams have been friendly the whole time. Its disheartening with the EEs, my chickens are pets. Most are tractor supply rescues, the EEs and rir came from a different place. My other standard size chicks never went through a phase of not wanting to be handled, they bonded with me immediately.
I cant seem to do anything to gain the EEs trust, I guess they will just be a flock to look at and think wow they're so pretty, but not be able to touch

hopefully I can get friendlier chicks from them when they're older, I don't like stressing them handling them since they very obviously hate it, all my others pile on my lap, arms, shoulders wherever they can get, chirp happily to me and nuzzle me, at least I have friendly loving chickens

 

[Austinspoultry]

Has anyone had problems with their EEs not being friendly? I have 11 I bought as day old pullets, had them about 3 weeks now. They are terrified of me, they absolutely don't want attention. I have other chicks older than them in standard size and bantams and they're all friendly. I don't have problems with them at all. With the EEs its a nightmare, cleaning their brooder takes a while I have to catch each chick and put them in a crate, there's one Rhode Island red pullet with them and she's friendly, but none of the EEs are. I've tried lots of different things to get them used to me and nothing works, just wondering if this is typical of the breed

they will settle down upon maturity. Try sitting with them and let then come to you