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

[Hilatious]

I would love some help on the sex of my chicks!

 

[bruceha2000]

I would love some help on the sex of my chicks!

Really hard to say. Need to see combs up close. But as I have never had RIRs, I don't know that I could hazard a guess even then. Is there a RIR thread? I assume there is. I would ask over there since the sex characteristics might well be different.

At 6 weeks, is it really necessary to keep them under a red heat lamp in Washington?

Bruce

 

[Hilatious]

Thanks for your response Bruce, I posted in the EE thread cause I'm mostly curious about the Americana/RIR mix. Since it's a mix I assume it is now an EE. Thanks for the remark about the heat lamp. I think I miss understood what I read earlier, I was waiting until they lost all there fluff.. WA is only in the low 30's.

 

[bruceha2000]

From the picture it looks a lot more RIR and a lot less EE/Ameraucana. RIR coloring, yellow legs. I don't know squat about chicken genetics so I couldn't venture a guess as to how much of an EE it is even if I knew which parent was which.
- One of the tell tale signs of an EE cockerel is red markings showing up on the forward part of the wings. I'm not sure that would show in this bird.
- Another is the comb. My EEs had basically no comb until a few weeks before they started to lay so IF this one is growing a comb at 7 weeks, it could be a cockerel. But maybe RIRs pullets grow somewhat larger combs at a younger age. I've never had one (in fact I've only had chickens for 6 months) so I don't know.
- A third is upright stance and thicker legs. I can't really say if those are thick legs or not but none of them have the "at attention" cockerel stance I have seen in some people's pictures of cockerels at a fairly young age.

My understanding is they are fully feathered at about 4 weeks. Are they ALWAYS under the heat lamp or was it just cold when you took the picture? I would think about weaning them off it slowly so they can grow the personalized winter coat that Mother Nature will provide.

Bruce

 

[Hilatious]

Thanks Bruce, Yes they are under the heat lamp constantly

the temp inside the brooder is 62. I've raised it as high as it will go. In a couple of days I'm going to move there brooder into the hen house and the lamp will be removed.
Here is another pic of the mixed chick. The father is a RIR, and the is mother a[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Ameraucana. The pea comb is already growing. [/FONT]

 

[Lilwanis]

This is Henry at three weeks old...pretty obvious really early with RIR's

 

[Lilwanis]

Ok, I give up...you can see it in my profile though...

 

[Hilatious]

Ok, I give up...you can see it in my profile though...

Is Henry in your album EE braggers thread?

 

[Lilwanis]

No he is in pros/cons of keeping a rooster.

*cant quite figure out how to do things on the iPad...

 

[Lilwanis]

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