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

[LadyCluck77]

I'm starting to get worried about my 5 week old EE, Ruby. She looks to be developing a triple peacomb. I am hoping you all think she looks like a pullet still. We got her from a presexed bin at a farm supply store. Any opinions greatly appreciated!

Looking at it closely, that comb does appear wide and lumpy. I would give it another week or two to be really sure, but if the store will give you your money back or a trade for a pullet, that might be a good idea.

 

[newmarch2014]

This is my other EE that I am still waiting for the he/she reveal.

 

[Bruins]

Hoot 3 weeks . the black /white coming in is starting to worry me . Always the first to check things out.

 

[Bruins]

Iris , 3 weeks . lots of red coming in on the chest, back and tail.She is the most skittish of all the chicks.

 

[ibarbidahl]

Newmarch- Where are you located? I have one that looks extremely similar to yours. I see a bold patch of red coming in on the wing, if it doesn't start coming in more evenly it's likely to be a roo. No real comb involvement yet thought. I'll cross my fingers for you.

Bruins- The chicks are too young to feather sex yet. The black and white isn't a sure roo until you see the pattern, etc.

Like everyone else here I'm debating my EE, too so I totally understand posting pics to get opinions. :-D

 

[nuyoricanchick]

I am new at this so I really can't tell what you are talking about. Here is a picture of one of my EE or Americauna who I suspect may be a rooster only because the other two chickens I have both look the same. Can someone tell me if this is a rooster? 9 weeks old today.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I am new at this so I really can't tell what you are talking about. Here is a picture of one of my EE or Americauna who I suspect may be a rooster only because the other two chickens I have both look the same. Can someone tell me if this is a rooster? 9 weeks old today.

That's a pullet.

 

[bruceha2000]

He's always puffing up his feathers and standing between me and the hen. He makes her sit down in the corner if I get too close. You can see a few wayward head feathers poking out in crazy directions while he's puffing up at me. I'll pet him and smooth them down and back out they come if I don't back away from the tub. He is so mad at us. He just stands there grumbling at us and giving us the stink eye if we're within a few feet of the tub. He's conflicted, he sees us coming and he gets excited, because food. Then he remembers he's mad at us, because of the dog, so the closer we get the more he can't decide if he should be excited about food or if he should peck us. He is healthy aside from the lost feathers and we were going to put him back in the yard, but he and the hen that is injured more seriously are getting along so well. He's not picking at her, and they stay side by side all day. So even though I know his injuries weren't serious and I probably could have put him back outside yesterday, I've left him in with her.

Too anthropromorphic. The chick doesn't connect you as the source of the dog pulling its feathers. Maybe he is wary of you because you picked him up and put him in the bathroom. Or maybe you pick him up and he really doesn't like that. Or maybe he has an early sense of his duty to protect the flock from all comers.

Our chickens have free range of the entire yard. While we can keep the dog inside most of the time, we still have to worry about our 4 year old letting her out or having to walk her on a leash. She doesn't particularly like being in the house. She was raised outside around chickens as a puppy. She is always nervous and trying to get outside when she is inside. It was hard to keep her inside for a few days and away from the chickens, not to mention all the great Pyrenees hair all over everything. We built a small coop for the chickens when they were little and we first put them out. They spent most of their time trying to escape, when we started leaving the door open they used to go back in at night and sleep for about a week but now they never go into it. They sleep under the pig shelter with the pig if it's raining. If it's not raining they have instead decided they will just sleep on the back steps. To leave the dog free in the yard, we would have to keep them penned up all day while we're at work. Keeping the dog inside when we aren't home isn't an option. She will chew up everything she can get her paws on and I don't even know where to find a dog crate big enough to hold her, she's a giant. Maybe with time on the chain seeing the chickens and not being able to get to them, she will start ignoring them again. I don't know. I'm thinking we may have to find her a good home that just doesn't have chickens. It's bad, I defended that dog up and down. She was doing an excellent job guarding the yard. Her brother is doing a great job doing what he's supposed to do. She didn't do this when she was a puppy and was surrounded by chickens and had ample opportunity. I guess I'm just disappointed. We'll figure it out. Even if we have to try and make a house dog out of her.

How old is the GP? Please, try training and re-home if necessary. Her breed was developed to have a job protecting, not lying around inside the house. Leaving a dog like that inside or chained up is cruelty.

This is my other EE that I am still waiting for the he/she reveal.

This one is interesting. There is the red on the wings but it is on 2 specific feathers on each side of the bird. And a little high for the typical "roo red patch", I think that is normally farther forward and down some. Will be watching to see what it turns out to be.

Bruins- The chicks are too young to feather sex yet. The black and white isn't a sure roo until you see the pattern, etc.

They are too OLD to be feather sexed. Both feather and vent sexing are done on day old chicks.

I am new at this so I really can't tell what you are talking about. Here is a picture of one of my EE or Americauna who I suspect may be a rooster only because the other two chickens I have both look the same. Can someone tell me if this is a rooster? 9 weeks old today.

EEs, by definition, don't match any color or pattern. They don't even have a common comb type because that depends on the breeds of the ancestors. My two chipmunk patterned EEs were both girls, one orangy red and black, the other brown and black. I don't see anything that screams roo. No red patches on the wing bows, some pink in the comb but that can be just computer related and it doesn't seem large for 9 weeks.

 

[newmarch2014]

@ibarbidahl I am in Utah.
@bruceha2000 That was my dilemma too. It seems weird compared to the red that is apparently tell tale. This one is also smaller than her flockmate EE that is the same age and she is really skittish. The 2nd red spot just showed up in the past couple days.

 

[ibarbidahl]

Bruceha- Too old for day old feather sexing, but with EE that isn't reliable in general because of variable lineage. I am talking about feather pattern sexing. How slowly it feathers the tail, and the actual pattern on the feathers themselves. This becomes apparent close to 8 weeks when either the adult feathers remain in the same pattern or the rooster begins to 'color up' with wing patches, sickles, hackles, etc. Obviously too young to rely on the comb as well.