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

[Brookshire11]

A few picks from this week

I'm totally going to GUESS male...
And only because the tail feathers look like the one my roo started out getting. They have the same coloring
But, i'm not an expert. I'd give it another week or 2? I was 100% by 6 weeks, he started crowing at 9

I purchased my two EE's from My Pet Chicken last year, and they are both the partridge pattern. I love some of the grey, to white colored ones that we see here. I don't see any way to mail order and ask for specific looking chicks. My local feed store (Big R) sells what they call Aracauna. The staff calls them Easter Egger. They have a huge variety of colors in the chicks, and even at a day or two of age you can already see the beards. Mine looked like little chip munks when I got them last year. What color chicks would I look for to get the white or grey adults?

Thanks

Here are my 2 gray/white girls as chicks and after




Pearl was the light chipmunk in the bottom right corner, with the thick stripe.



Little Hawk was the reddish chipmunk chick.
She's hard to see in the very bottom corner, right. But she looked just like that chick on the far left (that one didn't make it)


It's really a toss up. But I love the transformation. EE's are so fun

 

[Katt66]

@ Tanka...
Fast vs slow feathering is in no way an accurate way of sexing EE's unfortunately. From my first batch of eggs we hatched, the fastest feathering chick also turned into the most aggressive rooster I've ever known. Our slowest feathering chick also turned out to be a rooster. Just didn't grow hackle and saddle feathers till like five months and didn't crow till nearly a year old.

These were chicks with nothing but Ameraucana in their background. Just weren't able to be labeled that way any more than their parents were technically because of the colors being haphazardly bred together for several generations.

I believe the sexing by feathers is only accurate if you've got known sex linked feathering in the parents.

 

[Aaron Young]

Are all these roosters?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Are all these roosters?

Probably. How old are they?

 

[teamjessie]

I am sorry to come in here and crash the thread, but I was wondering if I could get a few expert eyes on my "Camilla" here.

First off, she was sold to us as an Ameraucana pullet, but after looking at these Easter Eggers, I am amazed to see how much she looks to be an EE instead. Also, I am beginning to wonder if she is a "she" at all. She has been charging and jumping at the other chicks a lot. While I know this might just be normal pecking order behavior, I was curious if she might be a rooster after all.

"She" is about 4 weeks old, maybe? Any ideas from the pros?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I am sorry to come in here and crash the thread, but I was wondering if I could get a few expert eyes on my "Camilla" here.

First off, she was sold to us as an Ameraucana pullet, but after looking at these Easter Eggers, I am amazed to see how much she looks to be an EE instead. Also, I am beginning to wonder if she is a "she" at all. She has been charging and jumping at the other chicks a lot. While I know this might just be normal pecking order behavior, I was curious if she might be a rooster after all.

"She" is about 4 weeks old, maybe? Any ideas from the pros?

You're not crashing! It's what this thread is for.
Green legs are an easy sign that you have an EE rather than a purebred. So far this one looks to have a typical pullet color pattern. The pics are a little far away and washed out in the sunlight (but I looove the little playpen, especially the sides -- yay for duct tape!

). A close up of the head would help, but 4 weeks is kind of a turning point. If in the next two weeks you see the comb turning raspberry red and/or see patches of dark red coming in on the wings, you can suspect a cockerel. The charging and jumping is chick behavior, both pullets and cockerels will do it. Fell free to post some more pics. It helps if someone can hold the chick for you. Natural light but not full sun works well.

 

[teamjessie]

Thank you for the tips! I will definitely keep an eye out on any color changes. I'll see if I can get her/him to hold still for a closeup too.

Oh, and that playpen is made up of some interlocking foam rubber floor mats (stolen out of my husband's home gym) and duct tape, LOL! I didn't feel like shelling out for a baby play yard, and the foam mats keep the wind off them as a bonus.

 

[Aaron Young]

12wks

 

[mrshughes]

I am beginning to wonder about this one This is Lily....she is quite a bit behind my others her age as far as feather growth, she has become pretty feisty lately, and her feathers are all kinds of colors. My other girls are so much different then she is. Is she just growing slower or differently? Or could she be a rooster? Thanks for your help!

 

[debid]

Lily is a Luigi. The deep red on the wing is a giveaway.

Aaron, yes, all roosters.