ees

[vabrown1]

i have 6 different breeds of chicks and i find that the ees are the least friendly of them all. does anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[LeBlackbird]

ee's are mixed with everything, so it really depends on what it was crossed with

(my Ameraucanas are a bit wild when they are babies, but they even out when they get older

)

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Hatcheries are pretty consistent with with the type of EEs they turn out, but EEs bred in backyards can vary quite a bit.

Our EEs are the most docile & tame chickens we have (out of 7 different breeds). But..... I've heard black australorps are supposed to be calm & friendly and our BA were the most skittish chickens we've ever had - even worse than our 2 leghorns.

The hatcheries have chickens that they consider to be ameraucanas/americanas/araucanas and use these chickens to breed their stock from. Their easter eggers are not pure ameraucanas, but are still bred for certain traits. The hatchery EE's usually have muffs/beard, pea combs/ green or slate legs, and lay colored eggs. There are occasional exceptions, but there are also exceptions in other hatchery birds as well. I've purchased easter eggers 4 different times (for a total of about 34 EEs) from 2 different hatcheries and every single one of them had the above listed EE traits.

Private breeders may breed their ameraucanas with other breeds of chickens and come up with EEs and these EEs are not predictable in coloring, combs, beards, etc. They are not produced by breeding standard easter eggers (which hatcheries call ameraucanas, etc) with other easter eggers.

 

[becky3086]

I have to agree. My EE's are not from a hatchery, they are from two different people on here and they are really calm and nice birds. I have to shoo them away when I open the pen because they come right to me (and I am not a person who spends time holding them when they are little).

 

[Kev]

I used to have EE from hatchery a long time ago.. they always divided up into two groups- one group would turn out REALLY tame, the other group would be "screeching banshees".. easily frightened and VERY quick to start bawking, screeching and have flapping fits.

Also chick behavior is not always same as how they will be as adults. Many "wild chicks" became tame once they started laying, with no effort to "tame" them. I don't know why.