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

[ElCerritoPlace]

If you ordered pullets and they all have the same amount of comb/wattle, I'd expect that you do, in fact, have pullets!

Mine showed little pink wattles with that first comb blush. But, like the EEs, no red and they saved the big comb growth spurt until later

I ordered straight run, I figure its only fair to do that. Where we live I don't need 17 roosters,

but I figured its the humane way to go. Give them a decent life until they go in our freezer, vs in the hatchery and end up who knows where and in what sort of living conditions until they get there. So I'm hopeful that some might be pullets, but it is what it is.

 

[Tanka]

I have six little EE I bought straight run. They are just over a week old and all but one are growing tail feathers. Is that an indicator that they're most likely pullets, with the one with no tail feathers being a cockerel? I've heard slow feathering means cockerel, and it does seem to be a bit behind the other chicks. Is it too early to tell?

 

[NotableNancy]

These are my chicks from 2012.


This is chick 3 (Hermione). She was a real beauty, but I lost her to laying problems last fall.


This is chick 1 (Skeeter). She lays longish green eggs.


This is chick 2 (Diva). She had dark eyeliner as a baby. She is the mother of my Rooster, hatched last summer.


This is chick 4 (Precious). She lays grayish green eggs.


This is my Rooster, Jake. He is a "pure" EE -- both parents (Diva, above) and Butch (deceased) were EE's. The yellow chick is a BO mom with the same roo. He was completely white with some black/blue/green in his tail and gold highlights. He was rehomed as an older cockerel.

As an adult:


I love my EE's. You never know what you're gonna get.

Your girls are lovely and love Hermoine's gray beard! Jake is stunning!!!!!!

 

[sharol]

Your girls are lovely and love Hermoine's gray beard! Jake is stunning!!!!!!

Jake is the offspring of my much loved EE rooster that I had for 2 years. He developed complications from a persistent bumblefoot infection, and when he passed, I saved all the possibly fertile eggs and put them in a borrowed incubator. Of the 19, only two hatched (Jake and Elwood - the yellow chick that I rehomed). I kept Jake because he looked like his father. He also inherited Butch's gentle personality. He is protective of the girls and every bit the gentleman with people.

ed: Just so you know, my DH renamed Butch (from Associate) when we got him, and he also named Jake and Elwood. He gets to name the roos.

 

[CGinJCMO]

I have six little EE I bought straight run. They are just over a week old and all but one are growing tail feathers. Is that an indicator that they're most likely pullets, with the one with no tail feathers being a cockerel? I've heard slow feathering means cockerel, and it does seem to be a bit behind the other chicks. Is it too early to tell?

It's not 100% accurate - the feather growing thing. You have to know if the hen and rooster have the fast/slow feathering genes for it to be more accurate. However, with that being said, I use that plus other indicators to tell me "You might be a boy because I see a,b, and c." or "You might be a girl because I'm not seeing a,b or c"


And I have found that stress (from running around, heat, etc.) will also make the comb redden a bit. Sometimes you have to observe the chicken to see if that red comb is red today because it was being chased or because the hormones are surging.

CG

 

[FVRM]

I ordered straight run, I figure its only fair to do that. Where we live I don't need 17 roosters,

but I figured its the humane way to go. Give them a decent life until they go in our freezer, vs in the hatchery and end up who knows where and in what sort of living conditions until they get there. So I'm hopeful that some might be pullets, but it is what it is.

I've seen a video where they throw day old male chicks into black garbage bags all day. Then toss them into the dumpster when they're full. some will already be dead some halfway dead and some will still be alive.

 

[debid]

There are a few ways they are allowed to dispose of unwanted chicks in the US but that's not one of them. The most commonly used technique, I believe, is to send them through a high speed blade - kind of like a wood chipper. Instant death. And I really doubt they toss out the resulting chicken meat product since it is an ingredient in many pet foods.

 

[Tanka]

It's not 100% accurate - the feather growing thing.  You have to know if the hen and rooster have the fast/slow feathering genes for it to be more accurate.  However, with that being said, I use that plus other indicators to tell me "You might be a boy because I see a,b, and c." or "You might be a girl because I'm not seeing a,b or c"


And I have found that stress (from running around, heat, etc.) will also make the comb redden a bit.  Sometimes you have to observe the chicken to see if that red comb is red today because it was being chased or because the hormones are surging.

CG

Thanks!

 

[hawaiichicka]

We have 3 Easter Eggers an 3 Golden Comets all are 2 weeks old. Does anyone have any idea what sex they are? For the EE's we have 2 chipmunk patterns with green legs and 1 white with blueish legs. Thanks! Jane

 

[polarbearpilot]

@hawaiichicka - your EE chicks are really too young to tell. For the easy chicks, you can tell around 5 weeks old. By 8 weeks, you can tell the sex of most. However, some of them will take much longer to tell. Please post again in a few weeks.