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

[Wishing4Wings]

Here is a close up of Bellachix, my neighbor thinks its a cockerel, I said a bunch of smart chicken people told be it was a pullet. Does this pic change anything?

Not a typical pea comb. Looks more like a single comb. Still looks like a pullet.

 

[whitmore]

Ho

Here is a close up of Bellachix, my neighbor thinks its a cockerel, I said a bunch of smart chicken people told be it was a pullet. Does this pic change anything?

How old again?

 

[Doobie]

Hatched on 1/10/15.

 

[Indyshent]

Here is a close up of Bellachix, my neighbor thinks its a cockerel, I said a bunch of smart chicken people told be it was a pullet. Does this pic change anything?

Nope. She has a single comb, which means she might not lay blue eggs though. Single combs are a homozygous recessive combination of genes, which means they pop up in all kinds of breeds (purebred or not), but seeing as how she's an EE, she may be the result of a white Leghorn/EE cross. Leghorns are frequently mated to blue layers to improve laying ability, and they're a strictly single comb variety. Will have to wait and see

 

[Indyshent]

Not fully certain yet, she is still young, but the salmon breast feathers are typically a pullet pattern. The orange on the back of the neck is something to keep an eye on, but not a definite male sign. Overall the pattern looks even so far, which is good. I'm guessing female.

x2

Salmon breast is a girl pattern. All my EE girls so far have bright orange through their hackles.

 

[whitmore]

Hatched on 1/10/15.

I still say pullet then.

 

[cortner1195]

I read something on here that I found very interesting! I have what was supposed to be a lavender Araucana. He has a straight comb, so I thought "cross breed-EE". Not that it matters to me one bit. He is the best rooster anyone could ever ask for. I don't believe his color is recognized in the breed standard. Again, it matters not! However, when I got him I did not intend to incubate my own eggs. Now I am thinking about trying it next spring. I have some black Australorps, and some White Rocks that I think would be a very interesting mix with the lavender. With his straight comb, do we have any chance of green eggs from his offspring?

I have three EE's from the feed store this year. I picked out the lightest chick I could find, and her wing feathers are coming in a super light grey, so I am hoping for lavender. My daughter has two in my brooder, one very light grey, and one very dark chipmunk. We have been fortunate that our feed store has a great mix of colors to choose from. They are labeled as Araucana, but I presume they are actually EE's.

I am so funny, when I buy them I always choose chicks with the most wing feathers, and the largest little tail I can find. It worked last year at 100% pullets. The year before I ordered from the hatchery and got all pullets. The first year I got 50% roos from the pullet bins. When they are tiny I don't seem to worry about their sex at all, but at two weeks I start to wonder. My layer brooder has 2 Buff O's, 2 Leghorns, 2 Silkies, and 3 EE's. My daughter brought one Leghorn, 2 EE's, and one Silkie for me to raise with mine. I fell in love with her Silkie. I knew I was in trouble with the Silkie when I named her. She is Pecan (she came here the size of a walnut with a beak. Now my daughter has delivered the second Silkie so that she gets one as well. Sigh. This is a disease....I do not wish to find a cure for. I will need a second coop before these are ready to integrate.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I read something on here that I found very interesting! I have what was supposed to be a lavender Araucana. He has a straight comb, so I thought "cross breed-EE". Not that it matters to me one bit. He is the best rooster anyone could ever ask for. I don't believe his color is recognized in the breed standard. Again, it matters not! However, when I got him I did not intend to incubate my own eggs. Now I am thinking about trying it next spring. I have some black Australorps, and some White Rocks that I think would be a very interesting mix with the lavender. With his straight comb, do we have any chance of green eggs from his offspring?

I have three EE's from the feed store this year. I picked out the lightest chick I could find, and her wing feathers are coming in a super light grey, so I am hoping for lavender. My daughter has two in my brooder, one very light grey, and one very dark chipmunk. We have been fortunate that our feed store has a great mix of colors to choose from. They are labeled as Araucana, but I presume they are actually EE's.

I am so funny, when I buy them I always choose chicks with the most wing feathers, and the largest little tail I can find. It worked last year at 100% pullets. The year before I ordered from the hatchery and got all pullets. The first year I got 50% roos from the pullet bins. When they are tiny I don't seem to worry about their sex at all, but at two weeks I start to wonder. My layer brooder has 2 Buff O's, 2 Leghorns, 2 Silkies, and 3 EE's. My daughter brought one Leghorn, 2 EE's, and one Silkie for me to raise with mine. I fell in love with her Silkie. I knew I was in trouble with the Silkie when I named her. She is Pecan (she came here the size of a walnut with a beak. Now my daughter has delivered the second Silkie so that she gets one as well. Sigh. This is a disease....I do not wish to find a cure for. I will need a second coop before these are ready to integrate.

You have a lot of company in this!

Your rooster is indeed pretty and if he also has a good disposition, you are lucky to have him. Color genetics is a very involved topic (like not all white is the same, some is dominant and some not!). It makes me a little crazy. There is a chicken genetics calculator that you can search for. It will allow you to try various breeding combinations and learn the expected percents of varieties of offspring.

As for the single comb and green eggs, it is unlikely that he is carrying the blue shell gene, but not impossible, it can happen. (Legbars have single combs and lay blue eggs). If you knew more about his particular breeding, it might give you some clues. Too bad you can't get him to lay just one egg so you'd know!

If green eggs are more important to you, breed him to your EEs. If you want more lavender birds, look for a thread about how to breed for lavender.

Start working on that second coop! This is very addictive stuff.

Try this thread. Lavender Ameraucana Breeders .... UNITE

 

[cortner1195]

You have a lot of company in this!

Your rooster is indeed pretty and if he also has a good disposition, you are lucky to have him. Color genetics is a very involved topic (like not all white is the same, some is dominant and some not!). It makes me a little crazy. There is a chicken genetics calculator that you can search for. It will allow you to try various breeding combinations and learn the expected percents of varieties of offspring.

As for the single comb and green eggs, it is unlikely that he is carrying the blue shell gene, but not impossible, it can happen. (Legbars have single combs and lay blue eggs). If you knew more about his particular breeding, it might give you some clues. Too bad you can't get him to lay just one egg so you'd know!

If green eggs are more important to you, breed him to your EEs. If you want more lavender birds, look for a thread about how to breed for lavender.

Start working on that second coop! This is very addictive stuff.

Try this thread. Lavender Ameraucana Breeders .... UNITE

It appears to be a dominant gene that I have spread to my daughter (and son in law)!

I will check out that thread, thanks! If this new EE turns out to be lavender, wouldn't that be something. I will ask him to lay an egg for me, but will not hold my breath. I think I would more likely try for color of offspring rather than color of future hen's egg shclls. I have three green/blue layers now, and another started.

 

[Indyshent]

You have a lot of company in this!

Your rooster is indeed pretty and if he also has a good disposition, you are lucky to have him. Color genetics is a very involved topic (like not all white is the same, some is dominant and some not!). It makes me a little crazy. There is a chicken genetics calculator that you can search for. It will allow you to try various breeding combinations and learn the expected percents of varieties of offspring.

As for the single comb and green eggs, it is unlikely that he is carrying the blue shell gene, but not impossible, it can happen. (Legbars have single combs and lay blue eggs). If you knew more about his particular breeding, it might give you some clues. Too bad you can't get him to lay just one egg so you'd know!

If green eggs are more important to you, breed him to your EEs. If you want more lavender birds, look for a thread about how to breed for lavender.

Start working on that second coop! This is very addictive stuff.

Try this thread. Lavender Ameraucana Breeders .... UNITE

This is the genetics calculator

http://www.mechelsekoekoek.com/breedbook/?action=geneticscalculator