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

[Cotton42]

I think that's molting you're seeing on the lower, right. My red-buff gal lost patterning as she went through her first sets of juvie feathers and then regained patterning as a hen. Her back looks pretty even yet with those keyhole markings which doesn't seem to happen on males.

That could be. I suppose only time will tell!

 

[bowen012]

So... In light of my splash easter egger pullet being a splash ameraucana cockerel; just wondering what the verdict is on this pullet. I got them all from the same guy and evidently wound up with mutts as well as at least the one ameraucana. The black pullet below shares many of the same characteristics (to me anyway, but still new to the chicken thing for the most part - especially this variety). She's just shy of 3 months old so obviously hasn't molted - will that potentially even out her feathering? Do the white feathers matter for an Ameraucana (or is she an ameraucana at all - other than the part of the parentage that contributed to her being a potential mutt?)? What about the blue tint mixed in with her black? This of course, is for personal knowledge and interest - no delusions of grandeur as to the quality of the bird one way or the other (pets really, so no real care on quality save for health). Is there a 'real' color to attribute to her other than "black" considering the spattering of an occasional white, blue, or blue/grey tint here and there? (or is it the nature of mongrels?)

 

[debid]

Her legs look green so she'd be considered EE even if she had every other trait. Black chickens sometimes have a bit of white here and there. It may molt out or it may not. I have a grown, black hen with one white feather. Hers appeared after a juvie molt so it's not going away. She also glows blue with iridescence in the sun but I'm not sure that's what you meant about blue on yours?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

So... In light of my splash easter egger pullet being a splash ameraucana cockerel; just wondering what the verdict is on this pullet. I got them all from the same guy and evidently wound up with mutts as well as at least the one ameraucana. The black pullet below shares many of the same characteristics (to me anyway, but still new to the chicken thing for the most part - especially this variety). She's just shy of 3 months old so obviously hasn't molted - will that potentially even out her feathering? Do the white feathers matter for an Ameraucana (or is she an ameraucana at all - other than the part of the parentage that contributed to her being a potential mutt?)? What about the blue tint mixed in with her black? This of course, is for personal knowledge and interest - no delusions of grandeur as to the quality of the bird one way or the other (pets really, so no real care on quality save for health). Is there a 'real' color to attribute to her other than "black" considering the spattering of an occasional white, blue, or blue/grey tint here and there? (or is it the nature of mongrels?)

This is an EE pullet. The green legs are a give away to being a cross. Pure Ameraucanas can only have slate/blue legs and feet. (If you look at the bottom foot, you will see that yours, like most EEs, have yellow pads.)

This site has some descriptions and good pics of the accepted varieties (colors) of Ameraucana.
http://www.ameraucana.org/index.html

Anything else that doesn't meet this standard is called an Easter Egger, which to me means nonstandard Ameraucana or mixed Ameraucana. None of this really matters unless you are planning on breeding to the standard or showing, but it does cause a lot of confusion. There are folks working on standardizing new colors, like lavender, but they haven't been accepted yet. I would consider these project birds Ameraucanas, though. The precise labels can be a very touchy subject for some of the breeders.

 

[bowen012]

In the photo showing her back with the white chicken behind her you can see the blueish tint on her back feathers.

Thanks both for the information and a bit of clarity. I'd bought these as 'Ameraucanas,' but only an the whime of my 5 year old wanting blue/green eggs; so their breed doesn't matter so much as the trait. The OCD part of me however, goes insane when I read my local trade paper with the ameraucana, araucana, americana labels instead of a more accurate easter egger label. I know it's probably a lot of ignorance with a little bit of fraud; but it's irritating nonetheless.

Another EE(ish) genetic question. One of my mutt roosters is barred, you can see him in one of the above photos. I don't really understand the sex link breeding much either, but wondering if he's the rooster I keep if his progeny will be sex linked? Or... am I really misunderstanding how that's accomplished?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

In the photo showing her back with the white chicken behind her you can see the blueish tint on her back feathers.

Black feathers will frequently have this type of iridescence in the sun- blue, green, pink. Makes them beautiful in the sun!

 

[aoxa]

Another EE(ish) genetic question. One of my mutt roosters is barred, you can see him in one of the above photos. I don't really understand the sex link breeding much either, but wondering if he's the rooster I keep if his progeny will be sex linked? Or... am I really misunderstanding how that's accomplished?

To make black sex links, the female has the be the one that is barred. Having a barred male will not do anything involving sex linking unless he has two copies of the gene, and is bred to a barred hen. You can sex chicks pure for barring at hatch if you know what to look for, but it's not always straight forward.

 

[lablover]

hello! was pointed here for assistance in identifying the genders of my Easter Eggers. ive got 8, straight run. they are about 14 weeks old now. ive got most of the genders sorted out (i clearly picked poorly lol!) but a couple have me stumped. i posted an individual thread for all the chickens but they pointed me here.

ive gotten some speculations but i want more on these 2 specific chickens. thanks!

some have said cockerel, but most have said hen. small tail but seem to have some wispy feathers at the end. small light colored comb and smaller in size than the other cockerel i have.

She looks like my pullet Jade!!

 

[MaineiacJay]

thanks guys, and to the two of you who posted similar, especially Lotus, that is pretty cool. i like that her head is so much darker than her body. im really glad she is a pullet since shes got a fun personality and i didnt want to let her go, and im already keeping two of the cockerel.

ill probably hold onto the second one, there are so many different answers, i dont want to give it away and later find out it was a pullet all along lol. if i can ever get hold of the farm in VT ill be getting a few more EE pullets, no straight run this time! especially if the black and white chicken turns out to be another cockerel, that would put me at 6 cockerel and 2 pullets for my pick of 8. those are awful numbers haha.

these are the two boys im keeping:

 

[flowerchicks]

thanks guys, and to the two of you who posted similar, especially Lotus, that is pretty cool. i like that her head is so much darker than her body. im really glad she is a pullet since shes got a fun personality and i didnt want to let her go, and im already keeping two of the cockerel. ill probably hold onto the second one, there are so many different answers, i dont want to give it away and later find out it was a pullet all along lol. if i can ever get hold of the farm in VT ill be getting a few more EE pullets, no straight run this time! especially if the black and white chicken turns out to be another cockerel, that would put me at 6 cockerel and 2 pullets for my pick of 8. those are awful numbers haha. these are the two boys im keeping:

Very nice choices. I love the color of the blue/red. Gorgeous!