Easter Egger club!

[tumalochick]

These are my EE's (and red leghorns) They are cute with chipmunk markings, but seem much more skittish than my BO's and Australorps. We spent a good 5 minutes chasing one around the yard before I could catch it! I like to take them out for some sun time and fresh grass/dirt everyday. I must have looked crazy clucking and running around behind this little one. I tried treats and everything. Any advice?

 

[junebuggena]

These are my EE's (and red leghorns) They are cute with chipmunk markings, but seem much more skittish than my BO's and Australorps. We spent a good 5 minutes chasing one around the yard before I could catch it! I like to take them out for some sun time and fresh grass/dirt everyday. I must have looked crazy clucking and running around behind this little one. I tried treats and everything. Any advice?

Best thing I can tell you about chicks at 2 to 3 weeks old is that they are all instinct right now. And those instincts are important for survival. Any large thing is a perceived threat. Anything reaching toward them is a threat. It doesn't matter if they see you every single day. It doesn't matter if you have yummy treats, they are still learning about what is yummy and what isn't. Don't ever stand over a chick, or try to reach down and grab one. Always move carefully, at a low level. Keep hands low and slow.
They are too young to be allowed to freely run around. They need a chick-safe pen, small enough for you to gather them up when playtime is over, but big enough for them to really stretch those legs.
It's a big reason why the coop and run should be done and ready before you even get chicks. Makes things easier on them once they are ready to move outside permanently, and it's a safe play area for chicks where you can more easily catch them.
In time, as they get older and bigger, they become less concerned about everything trying to eat them. By 4 weeks old, they will begin to see you as a source of good things. By 6 weeks, they may be running to you for treats. By 8 weeks you may have to shoo them away from your feet to walk.

 

[Sylvester017]

These are my EE's (and red leghorns) They are cute with chipmunk markings, but seem much more skittish than my BO's and Australorps. We spent a good 5 minutes chasing one around the yard before I could catch it! I like to take them out for some sun time and fresh grass/dirt everyday. I must have looked crazy clucking and running around behind this little one. I tried treats and everything. Any advice?

Every owner does something different. What we do is keep the young or new birds indoors to socialize with us and for quarantine purposes. By the time they are ready to introduce to the outdoor flock (seeing each other through a wire fence) they see us as a food/treat source rather than a scary outdoor predator! Some birds stay skittish but that's not to say they are afraid of you. They are just very alert and wary and pretty soon as they mature will come running when they see you.

 

[poppycock1974]

These are my EE's (and red leghorns) They are cute with chipmunk markings, but seem much more skittish than my BO's and Australorps. We spent a good 5 minutes chasing one around the yard before I could catch it! I like to take them out for some sun time and fresh grass/dirt everyday. I must have looked crazy clucking and running around behind this little one. I tried treats and everything. Any advice?

I let mine out early if the temps are good and I just sit in the dirt/ grass with them. If they get scared they come running and hide under my legs. I had to get my husband to walk around the yard to get one back to me- he's pretty tall and that's scary for them to see him walking around. That's mt chicks though and my method but I've never let more than 3 out at a time either.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

These are my EE's (and red leghorns) They are cute with chipmunk markings, but seem much more skittish than my BO's and Australorps. We spent a good 5 minutes chasing one around the yard before I could catch it! I like to take them out for some sun time and fresh grass/dirt everyday. I must have looked crazy clucking and running around behind this little one. I tried treats and everything. Any advice?

I've brought dirt with bugs inside for them to begin developing their immune systems at first, then would bring out two at a time to roll around in the dirt, using my legs as cover, like someone else said. Then I have a small outdoor coop and run for the little ones to all be in at once. So they get a little bit of controlled exposure and not too many at a time that could get away from me.

 

[kekstrom]

Rose's 3 week old portrait. She is ginormous compared to her brooder-mates. I just love her!

 

[jhomestead]

My three little easter eggers, not yet named. Looking forward to seeing if they turn out to be pullets or roos...

 

[SVTechChick]

We got our girls at about 4-5 months, and they were not hand tame. We just sat in the coop with treats for a few days, then started picking them up and feeding them treats, and letting them go, then let them out one at a time, then rounded her up and took her back to the coop after a few minutes.

Now, the girls follow us through the yard, get up on our table for snacks, hunker down when we are about to pick them up, and our australorp happily rides around the yard on my daughter's shoulder.

 

[love laugh farm]

My EE "Casey" as the kids have named her. She is definitely getting bigger! She is top chick over our barred rock chick and is very alert. When we walk up to the cage they both get all excited (we like to throw flies, gnats and mosquitoes in for them) but as soon as i open the top they go crazy trying to run! Once we set our hands on the floor though they calm down and come running, lol. they love being held and will sit on your shoulder for hours, they even like the dog!


you can really see her color coming in here!




This is her BR sister "Little Annie"

 

[Sylvester017]

My EE "Casey" as the kids have named her. She is definitely getting bigger! She is top chick over our barred rock chick and is very alert. When we walk up to the cage they both get all excited (we like to throw flies, gnats and mosquitoes in for them) but as soon as i open the top they go crazy trying to run! Once we set our hands on the floor though they calm down and come running, lol. they love being held and will sit on your shoulder for hours, they even like the dog!

I'm curious to see which of your two girls winds up the dominant hen when they mature. During their non-laying or molting cycles the EEs seem to get subdued. Let us know how it goes. Chicks crack me up when their little tails start to grow in!