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

[whitmore]

I have two bearded EE and one non-bearded EE. They are all sisters of the same parents. My unbearded girl lays the bluest egg, close to a Tiffany blue. Some happen to get beards, some don't. They're all pretty though!

I have two bearded and two unbearded from a hatchery and one of my unbearded lays the bluest egg, the other unbearded lays a smallish darker green but not quite olive, and the two bearded lay the exact same size and color large pale minty blue that you can't tell apart. I love my EE eggs.

 

[Faraday40]

All 9 eggs that went into lockdown, hatched, & were moved into the brooder. I got 6 black & 3 lavender chicks.
So out of my 12 fertile eggs. 75% hatched. (If I didn't drop that egg, perhaps it would have been 83%. I still feel bad about that one!)
Here's a handful of cuteness.

I had to band some of the chicks so I can tell them apart. Some are mixes.
Like this Easter Egger Orpington. (I just couldn't resist setting one to see what hatched out.) Looks like she got her Mama's cheeks.

Just don't take a pic of an EE at the wrong angle!




My busy brooder. I'm trying paper towels for the 1st 2-3 days. I think I still prefer the large wood flakes, though.

 

[Faraday40]

Hi guys lurker here, hoping ya'll can help me.
Tomorrow i'm going to pick up some easter eggers
at my local feed store. From what I understand pea
combs seem to be related to the colorful egg laying gene.
Is that right? If so how do you tell apart combs in chicks
only a few days old?

"Cheeks" are another indication of an EE.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

All 9 eggs that went into lockdown, hatched, & were moved into the brooder. I got 6 black & 3 lavender chicks.
So out of my 12 fertile eggs. 75% hatched. (If I didn't drop that egg, perhaps it would have been 83%. I still feel bad about that one!)
Here's a handful of cuteness.

They are adorable!

We'll have to test ourselves sexing them in a few weeks.

 

[sharol]

"Cheeks" are another indication of an EE.

And green legs.

 

[chickmammy]

I've been lurking on this great thread for some time, but finally need to post! I got my first chicks! I have 4 EE, 2 Orpingtons, & 2 plymouth barred rocks all 2 weeks old. I am pretty sure I have roos after reading through all these pages, but I am confused with the "red coloring" you guys talk about, and the patches. The red looks brown to me a lot, and the all look patchy to me- so I am not sure. I can't have roos here, hoping that at 3 weeks old I could post my chicks pictures and get your opinions?

Thanks,Lynns

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I've been lurking on this great thread for some time, but finally need to post! I got my first chicks! I have 4 EE, 2 Orpingtons, & 2 plymouth barred rocks all 2 weeks old. I am pretty sure I have roos after reading through all these pages, but I am confused with the "red coloring" you guys talk about, and the patches. The red looks brown to me a lot, and the all look patchy to me- so I am not sure. I can't have roos here, hoping that at 3 weeks old I could post my chicks pictures and get your opinions?

Thanks,Lynns

Welcome to BYC!

And congratulations on your new chicks! Aren't they fun? It would be pretty hard to tell a cockerel for sure at 2 weeks. They change very quickly. What are you seeing that makes you think you have cockerels?

Looking at pictures of adult EEs really helped me see the differences in the color patterns, and that made it easier to see as the chicks developed. I googled and compared how hens and roosters look. For birds that are not solid color, the female patterns tend to be more even and consistent. If she is gold with dark ticking, you won't see big red spots of color within the pattern. When you do see these red spots, usually on the wings, it's almost always a male.

I find it easier to sex hatchery EEs. I have more trouble with ones that are a cross with another breed. For example, a typical EE hen crossed with a production red rooster (Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire) can result in a pullet with a pattern that looks more like a cockerel's (less uniform, larger areas of color). Usually, as she ages, you find that this less homogeneous appearance is part of an overall pattern that is still not what a cockerel would get. But ones like this are harder to tell when they are young, and you have to rely on other clues- comb development, saddle and hackle feather development, and sometimes behavior (like crowing!).


uniform pattern on a pullet's wings (very common pullet color)

red on a cockerel.
If he was a gold based bird (like the one above) the red spots would stand out in the gold and disrupt any pattern that might be on the wings.

He started showing red at 3 weeks. His pattern almost looked like he was going to have spots all over, even on his breast, but those faded and the red concentrated on the wings.
You could tell he was a male early on by his comb.

Go ahead and post pics now. We may not be able to help with sexing, but I for one enjoy a daily dose of cuteness!

 

[Faraday40]

Here are a few pics I hope will help.
A nice even pattern on the browns = pullet



Here is a brown roo. The red on his wings is more of a brick red.



Go back in time & at around 10 weeks, he got a few saddle feathers.
Also was crowing.


6 weeks comb = darker pink

4 weeks

At 3.5 weeks his pea comb had 3 rows & a touch of pink in spots.

 

[chickmammy]

Thank you, that does clarify it more for me...more eveness/consistancy. I'll still need help though. Well, Most of my chicks have black/white which I read was more Roo. They are really beautiful...not plain. They walk different...upright...just different somehow. Chest bumping, wings out brawls. One of mine dances with wings out like he/she is trying to win the attention of a woman. Skinnier, bonier. The biggest clue...is when some of the chicks sleep these possible Roos, go up and dry hump them behind. I dunno maybe I just have perve chicks...I am not sure if that is all normal.

This is my second post, so I don't think I can post pics yet. But I do have some of them from day 2...so cute. I also have two orpingtons and one has long wing feathers and one has short- so I think one is a girl and one is a boy. I have two Barred rocks and I got home and saw you could tell from color patterns at hatching and oh boy I think they are both boys! A blotchy large white spot on their heads and more orange legs than black. I got my chicks from the farm supply in town.

Funny thing is I bought them sexed...but I think most of them are Roos.

Lynns

 

[chickmammy]

Esmeralda- My favorite. The sweetest of the bunch, I suspect Roo, but hoping no.

Stretch-Out of all 8 chicks, I would bet money on this being a Roo and I don't know much about chickens. This chick is very Wile-E-Coyote! The fastest to catch, walks up right, get's frisky with the girls, and does not get scared by us, and long and skinny.