Easter eggers

[RRLaney]

Hey y'all,
So i thought I was raising ameraucana chicks but I learned today that they are probably Easter eggers. Pretty excited about that, but don't know a lot about them. I read the breed review on this forum and I've been scrolling though quite a few threads, but I was hoping to hear from some of y'all that own them so I know what to expect. We live in central Texas. Super hot summers and cold (but only to like 20°F) winters. They're 6 weeks old now so probably going outside here in couple weeks. Just want to be sure that the nights won't be too cold for them. So anyone know if they're cold-hardy? Heat-hardy? Neither? Lol. And are they pretty timid? They'll be joining a mixed flock of 12. Happy to learn any EE facts y'all want to share
Thanks!

 

[Folly's place]

I've always been happy with mine; good layers, hardy, cute, and can be friendly. Enjoy! Mary

 

[Dmontgomery]

Mine were born in March so I don't know about cold hardy, but they survived our summer heat and drought with no problem. They started giving us blue/green eggs everyday at just over 4 months. 1 of the 4 hens is very friendly, the others not so much. Beautiful accidental rooster though.

 

[RRLaney]

Thanks y'all! Excited for them to grow up now!

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, EE are better layers than Ameraucanas. I've had them in my flock since starting with birds this time. (Had birds many years ago, but, that was then!) I love my EE. My avatar roo is an EE that I hatched, and he's gone on to make some wonderful chicks. Many of his daughters lay blue, green, aqua, or olive eggs, while some of them lay varying shades of brown.

 

[azygous]

I have three six-month old, going on seven months, EEs, waiting for the first egg.

EEs are one of my favorite breeds. I think, from seeing your pics you posted, you've already discovered how affectionate and people friendly the breed is.

My EEs have been extremely adaptable to climate extremes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You want information on EE’s? Read this.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/361185/easter-egger-club

Where did you get yours? If a hatchery, which one? Different hatcheries have different EE flocks that have different tendencies. If you can find someone that got EE’s from that same flock they might be able to give you some flock tendencies. If they came from a hatchery, they are almost certainly EE’s and not Ameraucana. Some hatcheries had the start of their colored egg laying flock before Ameraucana were even a recognized breed. There is a lot of history in colored egg layers and a lot of misinformation.

EE’s are not a breed. You cannot show an EE as an EE because there is no breed standard. That makes it hard to even define what an EE really is. Some people think they have to have the blue egg gene to be an EE but others think they just have to have that gene somewhere in their ancestry. Some hatchery EE’s will lay pink, brown, or white eggs instead of blue of green.

You can make an EE to look like anything. I know someone that has developed colored egg laying Naked Necks. In a few generations of breeding you could have Silkies laying colored eggs. I made mine to be full-sized black speckled and red speckled colored egg layers that often go broody. I’m sorry but just saying EE tells me nothing about appearance, what colored egg an EE will lay, cold-hardiness, foraging ability, personality, or anything else. While there is no universally agreed definition of what an EE is, they are almost always a mixed breed chicken. What they are mixed with has some effect what traits and tendencies they may have, but which traits the breeder is breeding for has an even bigger effect.

Don’t even start to think that 20 degrees Fahrenheit is even starting to get close to cold for chickens that have feathered out. With their down coat they are just starting to get comfortable. They won’t like a strong wind hitting them when it’s down below freezing, but your hot summers are your concern, not your pleasant winters. As long as you provide good ventilation, plenty of water, and shade, most chickens can handle your high temperatures fine. But the heat is where your danger comes from, not the cold.

I strongly suggest you look thorough that thread. Don’t be afraid to post on it either and ask any questions you have. There are some very knowledgeable people active on that thread and most are very nice people.

These are old photos but for fun I’ll show you some I used to have.

 

[donrae]

Most folks who think they have Ameraucanas actually have EE. I'm with LG, IMO they're more fun for a backyard flock.

I've had hatchery EE on and off for probably 20 years. Matter of fact, my parents got one of the very first "Ameraucana" offered by MMM way back in '77 or '79, something like that. She came with a batch of white Leghorn chicks and laid perfect blue eggs. At that time, a blue egg laying chicken was pretty unheard of, she was quite the talk of the neighborhood!

Anyway, I've been very happy with mine over the years. I love the diversity of color, both in their feathers and egg shell color. If you get true Ameraucana, they're all a specific color, like any other breed. Well, those colors are pretty, but I like having multiple colors. I don't want my flock looking just like everyone else's

.

Mine have been very hardy birds, tolerant of both heat and cold. They're smaller bodied, so they don't eat a ton like say an Orpington, but they lay good sized eggs. Mine have always been good layers, but I have seen reports on this board where some strains are slow starters (30 weeks or so to start laying) and just not a good rate. As RR said, a lot depends on the hatchery and what strain. Mine have always done well with my other dual purpose breeds--Rocks, Reds, sex links, Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Sussex, Leghorns, etc.

Being smaller bodied, they don't produce cockerels that are very meaty, if you're breeding for table birds.

Overall, I think you'll be very pleased with them. IMO it's always nice to have birds that lay different colors or shades of eggs so you can tell who is laying what, when

 

[henny1129]

I love Easter Eggers! They lay wonderful colored eggs and are very personable! You wondered if they are timid because you're putting them in with other, older chickens. With all the EE's we've had they have never been timid. Ours actually took over the flock and are now highest in the pecking order. And @Ridgerunner gave you the link to the Easter Egger Club. It's a place full of knowledge and friendly people. Don't be afraid to post there, whether it be questions or just posting pics of your babies. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your EE's!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Rachel, my first colored egg layers were really Ameraucana and were fairly small. Decent sized blue eggs though and a lot of them. The lady I got them from was using them for egg production and sold at a farmer’s market.

But I’ve mixed in Speckled Sussex, Black Australorp, and Buff Rock to get the size up, plus using size as a criterion in selecting which roosters to keep. I raise mine for meat production more than anything else though I do like playing with colors and patterns. It just depends on what traits the person breeding them breeds for.

You might be interested, that white one on the left looked a lot like the black speckled on the right until her first adult molt at about 18 months. She came back almost white but with black specks. I think that is the Exchequer pattern. I’ve never had one change that dramatically after an adult molt before.