Need Advice, not the chicken I was promised.

[OhZark Biddies]

Easter eggers aren't an actual recognized breed.

With that in mind, let's say you had a ameraucana (pea comb and beard) and you crossed it with wyandotte (rose comb no beard)

The resulting "Easter Eggers" would be walnut combs with small beards

Now cross 2 of those "Easter Eggers", and you could end up with some offspring that have walnut combs and no beards, just like the one pictured in this thread.

Something like that would be my guess as to what has happened here.

 

[MROO]

Since you seem to have a grand mix up in your coop, let's try to unravel the mystery. If you can, post two shots of each bird - a good full body profile and a good head shot (or even two - side and front.) Make sure you show the leg color for each bird, too. If you can load those pics, I'm willing to bet that your BYC family can help you identify each one!

 

[Erica2397]

Since you seem to have a grand mix up in your coop, let's try to unravel the mystery. If you can, post two shots of each bird - a good full body profile and a good head shot (or even two - side and front.) Make sure you show the leg color for each bird, too. If you can load those pics, I'm willing to bet that your BYC family can help you identify each one!

I'm on it!

 

[Zinjifrah]

I had a disappointing experience with the local feed stores and Tractor Supply. No one could answer my questions, and they were all simple and basic. Not even the managers could answer them.

Their lack of knowledge was surprising considering these are live animals, not fluffy toys. If it weren't for the high order requirement, I would have mail ordered from a speciality breeder, but that wasn't an option.

The 'Poultry Expert' at my local feed store insisted that if you dangle a chick by its head, the way it holds its legs will tell you what gender it is.

The woman I bought my EE pullets from has been breeding and raising chickens for decades, insisted they were Ameraucanas, and that she'd never heard of EE's. She was very offended when I called them EE's - but it's what they are. I'm waiting to see what color egg they lay. Blue, green, yellow, pink, brown, tan, white...

One of the barnyard mutt chicks I hatched is EE x Cochin. From day one it has had muffs, and it has feathered legs, a pea comb. I'm very curious to see what she eventually lays - assuming it's a she.

 

[BreanneRN]

$15 per chick??? That is highway robbery! You could buy a grown bird already laying for that! Most you will get from the hatchery would be 2 to 4 bucks that they would have charged the feed store for them, though they are unlikely to want to be responsible for feedstore mistakes. Around here you can go out and buy a 6 month old bird already laying the green/blue egg for $10.00, though they may not make any guarantee as to what to call it... I find it best to deal with hatcheries directly rather than through feed stores as those bins at those feed stores are the proverbial box of chocolates that you never know what you are going to get. I understand that dealing direct is difficult when there is a limit as to how many you can have, but I think My Pet Chicken will let you order small...

 

[Bonniebooboo]

Oh, don't I know it. The problem was is the buff orpingtons the barred rocks and all of the Easter Eggers are in one bin. 90% sexed. I'm not a novice when it comes to chickens at all been raising them my entire life. I knew the buff orpington at 10 days old was not a buff orpington but I wasn't too concerned about that. When the Easter Eggers never developed a beard I thought that was okay because there are cases where some do not have beards. But today, at 5 days short of being 5 months old the supposed Easter Egger lays a brown egg. I know they lay at 7 months not five. I just have no idea what the hell these chickens are.

Easter Eggers don't necessarily wait until 7 months. I have pullets I hatched and raised this year. 4/5 are already laying. 1st one was only 17 1/2 weeks old with her first egg. she is now 19 weeks old and 3 of her sisters started laying at 18 weeks old. ( this past week) I am getting 2 green eggs, 1 brown egg and 1 tan egg so far. 17 1/2 weeks is the youngest I have ever had. I have had several at 19-20 weeks. Never had any EE's wait until 7 months so far. I also have EE's with beard/muffs and pea comb laying brown/tan eggs and no beard/muffs, single comb laying blue and/ or olive green egg. Sorry you are disappointed, I know I was when my first ones I bought as ameraucana with muffs/beard and dark legs ended up laying off white chalky, tan eggs and some laid pretty blue. The blue egg layers are the dam/granddam's to most of my young ones now. You just never know what your gonna get until they lay. I am happy with my girls. Maybe you can find someone with pullet that is already laying so you can get a couple you know is laying blue/green eggs. Best to you...

 

[OhZark Biddies]

$15 per chick??? That is highway robbery!

$15 for purebred ameraucanas at a farm store would seem about right, I think. I paid about $10 for splash ameraucanas chicks from the hatchery, kinda high compared to other chicks, but I wanted that particular breed & color for my own reasons... thankfully they all lived !

but $15 for what the chick turned out to be would upset me as well.

 

[BreanneRN]

$15 for purebred ameraucanas at a farm store would seem about right, I think. I paid about $10 for splash ameraucanas chicks from the hatchery, kinda high compared to other chicks, but I wanted that particular breed & color for my own reasons... thankfully they all lived !

$15 for what the chick turned out to be would upset me as well.

Well, hope you used a good hatchery, I have been told that the only hatchery that has real Ameraucanas is Cackle, and yeah, you would expect to pay more for a specific breed color, though, this forum is absolutely full of posters that failed to get what they payed for from feedstores and hatcheries... Also, My Pet Chicken I think out sources some of it's special orders to various breeders. Most people wind up loving the chickens anyway, but still, you have a right to get what you are paying for from these places.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

The 'Poultry Expert' at my local feed store insisted that if you dangle a chick by its head, the way it holds its legs will tell you what gender it is.

The woman I bought my EE pullets from has been breeding and raising chickens for decades, insisted they were Ameraucanas, and that she'd never heard of EE's. She was very offended when I called them EE's - but it's what they are. I'm waiting to see what color egg they lay. Blue, green, yellow, pink, brown, tan, white...

One of the barnyard mutt chicks I hatched is EE x Cochin. From day one it has had muffs, and it has feathered legs, a pea comb. I'm very curious to see what she eventually lays - assuming it's a she.

I love your avatar. What stone is that?

How long has the term Easter Egger been in use? It seems more contemporary, so maybe that's why she hasn't heard it before?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Oh yes the pice surprised me as well as I paid for a Easter egger and an easter eggerbird with soem sort of other mix in it and paid about twelve bucks.