Help! Easter Egger hen or roo?

[chicken pickin]

Do you have updated pics of this chick?

 

[SwedishDude99]

I can go take one. I am taking pictures on my IPad so the pictures aren't the bet quality, but I'll do my best. And I've checked local feed stores, and they only have day-old chicks.

 

[Adelina]

I drove 2 hrs each way to Elizabeth, CO to get the older chicks- And they were charging the same for the 4 wk olds as they were when they were 2-3 day olds ... Advertised both on the feed store site, and an ad on Craigslist..

 

[SwedishDude99]

Sorry the picture quality is so bad!!!! I'll try to get my moms camera and get better pics tomorrow

 

[KieksterChicken]

Please for sure get some better close up pics of the crest. Also, if it is a roo, you may be able to trade him in for a pullet the same age at a swap meet. Some if not all Tractor Supply stores have a swap meet once a month. There may be farmers in your area willing to take a roo in exchange for a pullet of similar age too. : )

 

[chicken pickin]

He is definitely a rooster.

A really pretty one at that!

 

[chicken pickin]

Please for sure get some better close up pics of the crest. Also, if it is a roo, you may be able to trade him in for a pullet the same age at a swap meet. Some if not all Tractor Supply stores have a swap meet once a month. There may be farmers in your area willing to take a roo in exchange for a pullet of similar age too. : )

It is very unlikely that someone would trade a pullet for a rooster.

 

[SwedishDude99]

Thank you Kieksterchicken! I have a farm right down the street from me that might be willing to take the too, but I'm pretty sure they don't have any chicks as of right now. So would it be smart to find a new chick BEFORE I get rid of the roo?

 

[KieksterChicken]

Some farmers will take a roo in exchange for a pullet if they have a separate pen for roos/meat birds and if you shell out a few bucks along with it I'm sure they would be more than happy to oblige. . You could also see if your local feed store will take him for free and re home him. There is also your local Humane Society you could bring him to but I'm not sure if that is free or not. Seriously, I know that whoever recommended you get another chick to keep your remaining pullet company meant well, but you can't put a younger smaller bird with one that is as old as the pullet you are going to introduce to your flock. Like many in the thread suggested, you need to get another pullet the same age as the one you have now but you will probably have to keep them separate in an area they can see each other but not interact until you know they will get along. Chickens who don't know each other don't automatically become friends. The scenario is usually that they fight, sometimes until one is horribly injured or dead. It took me 2 and a half months to integrate 2 easter egger pullets into my flock. Lesson learned the hard way because I put them together with my older flock when my easter eggers were about 4 months old and the one was almost picked to death (they got along for 3 days, the fourth day the flock attacked one of my EE pullets). I switched to segregating them from the main flock in an adjacent pen for 2 months until the older hens accepted them. You will probably have to do the same thing. What I suggest is you keep your roo with your pullet as long as you can if you can't get another pullet the same age as your existing pullet. Start looking for the right aged pullet to replace your roo now. Keep your roo until you find a replacement for him. Some roos start crowing earlier some much later. I had a roo that didn't crow until he was 5-6 months old so don't anticipate his crowing will be an issue right away. Have them together in a separate enclosure in your chicken run starting now if you can, where your older hens can see your pullet and roo (or pullet and pullet if you find one) but can't interact with them to hurt them. In a few weeks or a month or two you may be able to release them into the main run. When all your chickens are getting along, at that point you could get rid of your roo if you haven't found a replacement for him.. Thats my suggestion anyways. Hope this helped. Of course, this is assuming your roo is a roo. A very close up picture of the comb would really help us identify sex. Pullets that have a pea comb like yours does will have 1 row of vertical "peas" in their comb and a pea combed roo will have 3 distinct rows.

 

[SwedishDude99]

I have someone who is willing to take the chick if it is in fact a roo! One of my sisters' friends has 40 EE hens, and no rooster so they are willing to adopt their first roo! These pics are way clearer. Hope this helps!