Help with Sex of 10-week-old EE

[Cockaloos]

Sorry, was responding to KieksterChicken.

I am learning that not knowing is 50% of this gig.

 

[sevenbabychicks]

Anyone else think these look more like dark cornish than EEs?

Maybe this will help. This is a picture of my 2 Easter Eggers from Ideal Hatchery ( Ideal claims they are Ameracuana but they are Easter Eggers since they don't show most of the Ameracauna breed standards). As chicks they both had what I believe are called the "chipmunk" coloration of stripes/dots. The pullet is the dark chestnut colored one. Notice the difference between her wattles, comb and tail compared to the roo in front of her. The EE roo is the darker one. He is a bit larger than the pullet and notice his comb and wattles are much larger than the pullets. His tail has the longer feathers growing in and he has a bluish peacock type sheen to his feathers. They both have yellow legs. They are both approx. 3 and a half months old. In case you are wondering, the black chicken in the back ground is a Crevecoeur from Ideal, same age as the 2 EE's.

 

[KieksterChicken]

Since the chickens I got are from Ideal which they listed as Ameraucanas but which are actually EE's, I wouldn't be surprised if they have some dark cornish in thier EE bloodlines or if they are actually pure dark cornish. lol. Have any pics of a dark cornish I could compare them to? I'm thinking I should post pics of the 2 New Hampshires I got from them next to see whats going on with them too..lol.

 

[flockmomma]

That is the fun of EEs. Mine are supplied to the feed store by mcmurray, I am pretty sure. And the all have fluffy necks, and more fluff to their undercarriage. Yet here on BYC i have seen EE with much different builds. Lucy is one of them, and she is my avatar. Here is Lucy at my back door. See how fluffy she is around the head and neck? My others, whom I think ae lurking in pic # 2, are more fluffy throughout the neck due to not being cross beaked (Lucy gets fed mash to help her eat).

ETA: yep, my EE Roo ( who was sexed as a pullet when I got him 14/15 weeks ago) is right behind the turkey, and my light white and buff EE pullet is right on the other side of the fence near his tail).

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Maybe this will help. This is a picture of my 2 Easter Eggers from Ideal Hatchery ( Ideal claims they are Ameracuana but they are Easter Eggers since they don't show most of the Ameracauna breed standards). As chicks they both had what I believe are called the "chipmunk" coloration of stripes/dots. The pullet is the dark chestnut colored one. Notice the difference between her wattles, comb and tail compared to the roo in front of her. The EE roo is the darker one. He is a bit larger than the pullet and notice his comb and wattles are much larger than the pullets. His tail has the longer feathers growing in and he has a bluish peacock type sheen to his feathers. They both have yellow legs. They are both approx. 3 and a half months old. In case you are wondering, the black chicken in the back ground is a Crevecoeur from Ideal, same age as the 2 EE's.

Those are interesting--they don't look like an EE I've ever seen. I would swear that this is a Dark Cornish pair. Is the hen laying yet?

I don't have a dark Cornish standing up, but here's one of my Cornish broody mamas sitting on a nest:




Those bright yellow legs, and the hard feathers with the green beetling--I really think you got Cornish. If I were you, I'd call the hatchery and have them refund your money (you'll still get to keep the chickens).

You might want to keep the Cornish, though--we keep ours specifically to brood chicks, and they are the most diligent sitters and protective mothers we've ever had. I'll never go back to the incubator again.

 

[KieksterChicken]

I actually got those 2 from the feed store which deals with Ideal so it's probably a no go on a refund. I am thinking the clerk at the feed store has no idea what type of chick is which. The black ones she sold us as Jersey Giants turned out to be Crevecoeurs and now it looks like she sold us 2 Dark Cornish as EE's. lol. I do have to say that those 2 Cornish/EE's are the friendliest chickens I own. They will be the first to greet me at the gate and will jump up and sit in my lap, or on my foot when I have my legs crossed and will sit there for petting for as long as I let them stay. Kind of like the lap dogs of the chicken world. Today the pullet jumped up in my hand and attacked one of the freckles on my arm

. She isn't laying yet but I am getting the nesting boxes put up next week because it won't be long. The mystery though is that a friend of mine who has 300+ chickens bought about 20 or so EE pullets from Ideal and they have the same coloration/patterning as my 2 EE/Cornish so I am confused.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I actually got those 2 from the feed store which deals with Ideal so it's probably a no go on a refund. I am thinking the clerk at the feed store has no idea what type of chick is which. The black ones she sold us as Jersey Giants turned out to be Crevecoeurs and now it looks like she sold us 2 Dark Cornish as EE's. lol. I do have to say that those 2 Cornish/EE's are the friendliest chickens I own. They will be the first to greet me at the gate and will jump up and sit in my lap, or on my foot when I have my legs crossed and will sit there for petting for as long as I let them stay. Kind of like the lap dogs of the chicken world. Today the pullet jumped up in my hand and attacked one of the freckles on my arm

. She isn't laying yet but I am getting the nesting boxes put up next week because it won't be long. The mystery though is that a friend of mine who has 300+ chickens bought about 20 or so EE pullets from Ideal and they have the same coloration/patterning as my 2 EE/Cornish so I am confused.

You'll know once they start laying. Cornish are terrible layers. They will lay 2-3 medium sized lightly tinted eggs a week. In fact, when they were first introduced as a breed, one source in the 1800's said they "…are nearly if not quite the worst domestic fowls for ordinary use."

That changed, however, when they learned to use them as meat birds. Cornish were the original Cornish Game Hen, and the ancestor of today's modern white broiler.

I keep mine solely as broodies. They are by far the best broody hens I have, and I no longer incubate and brood chicks. Each of my girls goes broody at least once if not twice a year, and they can cover 12 eggs at a time. They are very aggressive in protecting their chicks, and I haven't had a single chick killed by a cat or a flock member since I switched to Cornish as my broodies instead of Rocks and/or Orpingtons.

I have 12 shipped Ameraucana hatching eggs hatching under a Cornish broody as we speak. Eight of 12 have hatched, with a couple more zipping. Here's the first baby hatched sticking its head out this morning:

 

[KieksterChicken]

Wow! Ty for the information. Well seems the Cornish are well suited to the hot weather here in Florida. Wish I had more room to have more than 6 chickens so I could use my cornish hen to hatch more eggs. I hope that whole clutch she is sitting on hatches for you. That first little chickie is way too cute and it looks like momma is ready to kill you for getting too close. That pic you posted made my day, I just finished reading that epic thread from "Miracle" the guinea/chicken. Fought tears when I read she had died so ty for cheering me up.