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

[Flowerbh]

For straight run, yes. For sexed, 90%+


You SURE those birds are 5 1/2 weeks old? All of mine had more feathering than that at 3 weeks when they were moved to the coop in an unheated barn. It was the start of the second week of July, I did put their heat lamp facing into a big box in there the first couple of nights just in case - nervous new "father"

Hope that doesn't mean yours are boys.

Bruce

Most males feather out slower in the shoulder than females. Look at their legs. Males have thick legs. Also, look at stance. Make a sudden loud noise....do your chicks stand up straight or crouch down? (This is an old timers trick) LOL. Here is one of my males as that age.

Male...thick legs, tall stance and slow feathers on shoulder.

 

[kian]

Most males feather out slower in the shoulder than females. Look at their legs. Males have thick legs. Also, look at stance. Make a sudden loud noise....do your chicks stand up straight or crouch down? (This is an old timers trick) LOL. Here is one of my males as that age.

Male...thick legs, tall stance and slow feathers on shoulder.

Ok, see, the one I think is male, has thicker legs than the other one and the tail is different, it sits up a little higher and is a little shorter. The other, the one whose feathers look so straggly, has a long inverted v shaped tail, and thinner legs. She has no real feathers on her back yet, though I can see a few pokey ones coming there and on her neck. The one I think is male is pretty well feathered, has real feathers down the back. Stands taller too.

SO.... yeah it's gonna be crow or lay with these two

 

[bruceha2000]

Bruce, what color did that black and yellow chick turn into? I have one I just got that looks like her. Her whole underside is yellow as are her cheeks. Just wondering. Of course, they could grow up looking as different as night and day.

I think they will since they are different colors now.

Aren't EEs fun!!!!

YES!

She is an Ancona, not an Easter Egger.





It is interesting how different the chicks look from the adults. Chicks of different breeds can be pretty similar as newly hatched and be TOTALLY different as adults. The 4 pale ones (color almost indistinguishable at 2 days old):

Salmon Faverolles (not at ALL APA standard of perfection color)



and Cubalayas. Ordered as Blue Red (which Peep on the right IS) but they can also be splash/pyle red - Fae, on the left.


The other "chipmunk" ones (left on the purple feeder in the picture) are Partridge Chanteclers. At two days old, I had a hard time telling them from the EEs. And, of course, being newbies, we didn't know what some of the breeds were supposed to look like as chicks. At first we thought 2 of the pale ones were EEs since they can be almost any color as adults and figured a Blue Red Cubalaya would have some color. WRONG!



Bruce

 

[popsicle]

Ok, I need some EE experts! I got five EEs a week ago that should have been all pullets. I'm concerned about two of them though, even though it's still early and I've been fooled before. The chicks are about 2.5 weeks old--so of course I will wait a few weeks to for a final decision. They are a bit larger than the other three, their legs are significantly heavier looking, and they fight all the time (yes, I've had pullet chicks fight).

I could only get good images of the comb on one. .









The two I'm suspicious about are facing eachother--the one with his/her back to the camera, and the one closest to the back corner. You can see how much heavier their legs are than the others.'

 

[debid]

Definitely too early. Remember, you have no idea what breeds are in their backgrounds. If you have one with lots of Leghorn blood next to one with Wyandotte, they'll look very different because of that. So, you really can't go by size.

 

[popsicle]

Definitely too early. Remember, you have no idea what breeds are in their backgrounds. If you have one with lots of Leghorn blood next to one with Wyandotte, they'll look very different because of that. So, you really can't go by size.

Yeah, I've only ever had EE and other farmyard mixes as started pullets or didn't care about gender so never paid any mind as they grew.

 

[ChickenChatten]

Thank you for your pictures! I believe that it will help - we just got six sexed pullet Easter Eggers who are almost two weeks old, I will certainly look to this as a reference when I try to determine their gender when they get a little older. Thank you! You have gorgeous chickens too, I love the patterns on their feathers.

 

[Flowerbh]

Ok, I need some EE experts! I got five EEs a week ago that should have been all pullets. I'm concerned about two of them though, even though it's still early and I've been fooled before. The chicks are about 2.5 weeks old--so of course I will wait a few weeks to for a final decision. They are a bit larger than the other three, their legs are significantly heavier looking, and they fight all the time (yes, I've had pullet chicks fight).

I could only get good images of the comb on one. .









The two I'm suspicious about are facing eachother--the one with his/her back to the camera, and the one closest to the back corner. You can see how much heavier their legs are than the others.'

I have one in question, too,,,and it looks just like yours! It came from the pullet bin.....I am concerned because it is stockier and more dense than the other female. It fights like all get out when you hold it....kicks it's legs really big time. It is only 4 weeks old and just isn't very sweet. Here he/she is. What do you think? I've never had a chick so mean...male or female!

 

[popsicle]

I have one in question, too,,,and it looks just like yours! It came from the pullet bin.....I am concerned because it is stockier and more dense than the other female. It fights like all get out when you hold it....kicks it's legs really big time. It is only 4 weeks old and just isn't very sweet. Here he/she is. What do you think? I've never had a chick so mean...male or female!

Mean-ness toward people in chicks never concerns me much. Keep in mind, everybody always says the sweetest chicks usually end up being roos!

 

[Nigellas]

I think this 3 week old is a boy. The red coming in at the top of the shoulders from the top view concerns me. Do you all agree?