EE mystery

[Panhandle chick]

Hey all!! I have 8 EE that are now 16 weeks- no one is crowing but all the info on EE is confusing. All my EE have different combs- some single row and others look to be developing 3; some are light others are pinkish red. All their feathers look same.. I have to say they are sweet and some are spicy with attitude-but way nicer than my black sex link. Question1 when do Roos start to crow? Do EE mature late? Question 2- when do EE lay? So much conflicting information Restless in Idaho

 

[cherrynberry]

Hey all!! I have 8 EE that are now 16 weeks- no one is crowing but all the info on EE is confusing. All my EE have different combs- some single row and others look to be developing 3; some are light others are pinkish red. All their feathers look same.. I have to say they are sweet and some are spicy with attitude-but way nicer than my black sex link. Question1 when do Roos start to crow? Do EE mature late? Question 2- when do EE lay? So much conflicting information Restless in Idaho

Do you have pictures? EEs are a mutt so they can come in a large variety. Are you sure you have a cockerel?

 

[cherrynberry]

Hey all!! I have 8 EE that are now 16 weeks- no one is crowing but all the info on EE is confusing. All my EE have different combs- some single row and others look to be developing 3; some are light others are pinkish red. All their feathers look same.. I have to say they are sweet and some are spicy with attitude-but way nicer than my black sex link. Question1 when do Roos start to crow? Do EE mature late? Question 2- when do EE lay? So much conflicting information Restless in Idaho

Cockerels usually “try” crowing at a young age, 7 weeks was about when our rooster tried. At around 12 weeks, he mastered it, but the pitch was a little off.

 

[NatJ]

I have 8 EE that are now 16 weeks

At 16 weeks, I would expect males to be obvious (crowing, big tail, long pointy saddle feathers, red comb that is much bigger than the females have.)

All my EE have different combs- some single row and others look to be developing 3; some are light others are pinkish red.

At 16 weeks, especially in June with the long summer days, some are probably getting ready to start laying eggs. The combs on pullets & hens get larger and redder when they are ready to lay eggs, and shrink back again when they are molting or broody.

So the differences you are seeing are probably just individual differences in comb shape, and different stages of maturity.

Question1 when do Roos start to crow?

I've read of a chick that was crowing at less than one week old, and I've read of cockerels that waited more than 6 months. But I would say most will start crowing between 6 weeks and 12 weeks.

Do EE mature late?

Not usually.

Question 2- when do EE lay?

They lay when they are ready. That is some combination of their age, and the amount of daylight. At this time of year, it could be soon. If they were 16 weeks in October as the days get short, they might wait until spring.

So much conflicting information

That's because EE just means the bird will probably lay blue or green eggs. Many Easter Eggers are wanna-be Ameraucanas, but plenty are also crossed with various different breeds. Because the chickens are not consistent, of course the information conflicts too. (For example, someone might say "mine laid at 5 months" and someone else might say "mine didn't lay until 8 months," and both could be true.)

 

[Ridgerunner]

all the info on EE is confusing.

As it should be. EE are not a breed so there are no standards. We can't even agree on what a good definition of an EE is. An EE can lay any color of egg, have any kind of comb, have any color of legs or earlobes, be any size or any color. If somebody tells you that their EE did something that's like someone telling you that their dog did something but you don't know what breed their dog is. An EE is a chicken, nothing more.

Question1 when do Roos start to crow?

When they do. Some people have seen a chick just a few weeks old try to crow. I've had several cockerels that did not try to crow before 5 months when I ate them. If you have a few cockerels the dominant ones may keep the others from crowing but even the dominant ones don't always start to crow until they are petty old.

Do EE mature late?

Substitute the work "chicken" for "EE" here. Some chickens mature early, some mature late.

Question 2- when do EE lay?

When they do. I've had EE lay their first egg at 18 weeks. I've had some wait until 9 months to start laying.

At 16 weeks old we can maybe tell you which are males or females if you can post photos. For each chicken in question a closeup showing the comb and wattles are really helpful. A second photo showing the legs, posture, and conformation can be really helpful.

For fun I'll show some of my EE. You may not be able to tell it but they have different kinds of combs and different colors of legs and earlobes. They all laid blue or green eggs.

 

[Panhandle chick]

Do you have pictures? EEs are a mutt so they can come in a large variety. Are you sure you have a cockerel?

Do you have pictures? EEs are a mutt so they can come in a large variety. Are you sure you have a cockerel?

 

[Panhandle chick]

As it should be. EE are not a breed so there are no standards. We can't even agree on what a good definition of an EE is. An EE can lay any color of egg, have any kind of comb, have any color of legs or earlobes, be any size or any color. If somebody tells you that their EE did something that's like someone telling you that their dog did something but you don't know what breed their dog is. An EE is a chicken, nothing more.


When they do. Some people have seen a chick just a few weeks old try to crow. I've had several cockerels that did not try to crow before 5 months when I ate them. If you have a few cockerels the dominant ones may keep the others from crowing but even the dominant ones don't always start to crow until they are petty old.


Substitute the work "chicken" for "EE" here. Some chickens mature early, some mature late.


When they do. I've had EE lay their first egg at 18 weeks. I've had some wait until 9 months to start laying.

At 16 weeks old we can maybe tell you which are males or females if you can post photos. For each chicken in question a closeup showing the comb and wattles are really helpful. A second photo showing the legs, posture, and conformation can be really helpful.

For fun I'll show some of my EE. You may not be able to tell it but they have different kinds of combs and different colors of legs and earlobes. They all laid blue or green eggs.

View attachment 2732912

Thank you thank you thank you!!

 

[Panhandle chick]

The fully light one (tractor
supply) came with my EE?? Not sure what breed but legs are green/blue. The other small ‘blue’ one I am suspicious of and the upclose one .. the pic with the three I think are pullet

 

[cherrynberry]

They are all pullets, so no crowing.

 

[Panhandle chick]

They are all pullets, so no crowing.

So the combs that are bigger is ok? Any idea what the golden one is?