Easter Egger Sexing "tips and tricks" *Pictures Included*

[stompydan]

Thanks for the responses! A consensus so far.

Joe - I'll be keeping 2 EE AND 2 Barred Rocks males.

 

[marlowmanor]

Thanks for the responses! A consensus so far.

Joe - I'll be keeping 2 EE AND 2 Barred Rocks males.

I hope you have more than 8 hens if you are keeping that many males. Honestly keeping 2 males with 5 hens is asking for trouble too. One male would be better to keep with 5 hens than 2 as they are more likely to be overmated if there are 2 roosters with that low of a number of hens. I think the recommendation is 10 hens to 1 rooster, but you could get away with a minimum of 6-8 hens per rooster. I've seen how abused hens can start looking when the roo to hen ratio is off. Right now I have 17 hens to 2 roosters right now. I had 2 roosters to 6 hens before and a couple of my hens got some pretty bare backs on them, especially the rooster favorites.

I do agree with your selections. I actually have an EE/Polish cross rooster right now that looks like the black with gold rooster you like.

 

[GhostRider65]

I hope you have more than 8 hens if you are keeping that many males. Honestly keeping 2 males with 5 hens is asking for trouble too. One male would be better to keep with 5 hens than 2 as they are more likely to be overmated if there are 2 roosters with that low of a number of hens. I think the recommendation is 10 hens to 1 rooster, but you could get away with a minimum of 6-8 hens per rooster. I've seen how abused hens can start looking when the roo to hen ratio is off. Right now I have 17 hens to 2 roosters right now. I had 2 roosters to 6 hens before and a couple of my hens got some pretty bare backs on them, especially the rooster favorites.

I do agree with your selections. I actually have an EE/Polish cross rooster right now that looks like the black with gold rooster you like.

I was just gonna say this same thing, I have 19 hens and 2 roo's in 1 pen and that is almost more than the girls can stand........
I like Number 5 Boy myself and feekl he will throw you the most colorful chicks, he is a wild type I think , like my splash rooster and he throws many different colored babies.

 

[stompydan]

Thanks for the advice on rooster to hen ratio. Point well taken. I guess my philosophy at the moment is that if I keep too many I can always do something with the extras. If I keep too few (if i lose one, or one turns out to be a jerk) that's a tougher adjustment to make.

My coop does have 2 sides so I can group them however I want. And on nice days even in the winter I plan on letting them walk about freely, hopefully that'll take some pressure off the ladies too.

 

[Flowerbh]

So here is my 25 week old EE. She has been red faced like this for about a month. She has no comb development. Will she ever grow one or is this all she will have? She is still not laying or squatting. Does anyone have a laying hen who has no comb development? Or, will this be one of those bird who waits until they are 32 weeks old to mature!!!!??? She also has mint green earlobes. Any suggestions about egg color. I know that really doesn't have a lot to do with it, but just curious if other people's EE have mint green earlobes. Ugg, sometimes I just want to squeeze those little eggs right out of them!! LOL! I know.....patience is a virtue!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

It's so hard waiting!

I have heard that the pullets are born with all the potential eggs that they're ever going to have (like people!!!), so you can be comforted by the fact that once she does start laying, she might lay over a longer period of her life, rather than pumping out all her eggs in the first two years! When she's four years old and still laying 3-4 eggs a week for you, it won't matter too much if it took her a month or two longer to start.

The greenish earlobes sound neat! Since for many well known breeds, red earlobes often go with brown eggs, my theory is that the red lobed EEs are more likely to lay green eggs and EEs with white earlobes (like my girl) are more likely to lay blue (she does!). So, if my theory is worth anything, your pretty girl would lay blue eggs, assuming she has the blue gene to begin with!

My Welsummer pullet who is, pushing 6 months now, has not started yet either. The last hold out! She had an umbilical hernia as a chick and developed very slowly, so I hope she's just late and not eggless!

Waiting with you! < drumming fingers on table > Let us know about that egg color!



Edited because it wouldn't allow me to add spaces before!

 

[Flowerbh]

It's so hard waiting! I have heard that the pullets are born with all the potential eggs that they're ever going to have (like people!!!), so you can be comforted by the fact that once she does start laying, she might lay over a longer period of her life, rather than pumping out all her eggs in the first two years! When she's four years old and still laying 3-4 eggs a week for you, it won't matter too much if it took her a month or two longer to start. The greenish earlobes sound neat! Since for many well known breeds, red earlobes often go with brown eggs, my theory is that the red lobed EEs are more likely to lay green eggs and EEs with white earlobes (like my girl) are more likely to lay blue (she does!). So, if my theory is worth anything, your pretty girl would lay blue eggs, assuming she has the blue gene to begin with! My Welsummer pullet who is, pushing 6 months now, has not started yet either. The last hold out! She had an umbilical hernia as a chick and developed very slowly, so I hope she's just late and not eggless! Waiting with you! < drumming fingers on table > Let us know about that egg color!

I am going to get a Welsummer next month. I want those terra cotta eggs! Am trying to get a lot of different colored eggs. Let me know when yours lays.

 

[bruceha2000]

Ugg, sometimes I just want to squeeze those little eggs right out of them!! LOL! I know.....patience is a virtue!

A guy at work keeps saying I should do that to my chickens.
I keep telling him to be patient, a 10 week old chicken isn't going to lay an egg no matter how much you threaten it.

 

[Flowerbh]

A guy at work keeps saying I should do that to my chickens.
I keep telling him to be patient, a 10 week old chicken isn't going to lay an egg no matter how much you threaten it.

Hahaha....yeah, 10 weeks is a little young.

 

[GhostRider65]

I am going to get a Welsummer next month.  I want those terra cotta eggs!  Am trying to get a lot of different colored eggs.  Let me know when yours lays.

My BSL hens lay a very large Dark brown terra cotta colored egg, sometimes I even get the speckles............ so you may want to add a couple of them, they do start early and they lay like crazy....... I don't think my one hen with the very huge egg has ever taken a break in a year and a half, makes me sad she is using up all those beautiful eggs so quick because she is such a sweet hen 1 of my favorites.