people with house chickens

[Tacampbell1973]

Pepper is going on 4 weeks now! Here are some week 3 pictures, only 5 days of difference between each photo! May 10th May 15th Imagine trying to keep up with THOSE marks on the door frame, geeze! She's starting to get chicken shaped and is taking meticulous care of her feathers. She still seems to think she's the size of a tennis ball, though. Jumps around like she should fit on all the same stuff and is shocked to find she barely has footing in her previous napping spots. She's got an awfully pretty face coming in

She has boots too? Want to kiss her and hug!

 

[Sylvester017]

I've noticed that this breed does mature on the later side. She just started laying too. She's all the qualities u mentioned So they do seem similiar.

I believe EEs don't meet breed standards as APA Ameraucanas. The EEs are bred like a landrace where color of egg or color of feathers or color of legs and absence of a muff don't matter. However in the APA Ameraucana there are strict guidelines about leg color, accepted APA feather colors, blue eggs only (no pink, olive, brown, or white), have muffs/beards, certain kind of comb, etc. With EEs the outcome of chicks is Heinz 57 mixes whereas there is a lot of careful breeding for the actual Ameraucanas. Getting a guaranteed blue egg layer is why I chose to order an actual APA Ameraucana rather than take my chances about what color an EE would lay.

Otherwise my friend and I find no difference between them as far as personality, gentleness, and prolific egg layers and it's always a fun mystery what color egg an EE will lay. One BYCer had an almost pure white EE with beard/muff and was surprised when it layed white eggs when she was hoping at least for a bluish-green or even pink. It's always like a box of chocolates - never know what color egg you'll get with an EE. But very definitely it is a very sweet unusual chicken.

 

[chrissy903]

I believe EEs don't meet breed standards as APA Ameraucanas.  The EEs are bred like a landrace where color of egg or color of feathers or color of legs and absence of a muff don't matter.  However in the APA Ameraucana there are strict guidelines about leg color, accepted APA feather colors, blue eggs only (no pink, olive, brown, or white), have muffs/beards, certain kind of comb, etc.  With EEs the outcome of chicks is Heinz 57 mixes whereas there is a lot of careful breeding for the actual Ameraucanas.  Getting a guaranteed blue egg layer is why I chose to order an actual APA Ameraucana rather than take my chances about what color an EE would lay. 

Otherwise my friend and I find no difference between them as far as personality, gentleness, and prolific egg layers and it's always a fun mystery what color egg an EE will lay. One BYCer had an almost pure white EE with beard/muff and was surprised when it layed white eggs when she was hoping at least for a bluish-green or even pink.  It's always like a box of chocolates - never know what color egg you'll get with an EE.  But very definitely it is a very sweet unusual chicken.

Thanks for the info!! I've gotten all green eggs so far. Will I ever get another color?

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks for the info!! I've gotten all green eggs so far. Will I ever get another color?

How very fortunate that you have green eggs (and Ham, Sam)!! Most EEs today seem to lay the bluish-green, sage, mint, and even pale olive shades with very occasional pink, tan, or white. However, once your EE lays an egg it will forever always lay that one color. Keep weighing her eggs and you'll see them gradually getting heavier and bigger. If she misses laying one day then the next egg usually will be slightly larger. My girl started laying 1.75 oz then went to 2 oz to 2.25 oz. The weight fluctuates nowadays anywhere from 2 oz to 2 1/3 oz. (LG to XL) BTW that's my APA Ameraucana girl as my avatar pic.

I would love a green egg layer but again I hate to invest in an EE and have it turn out laying white eggs for me LOL. My friend gets blue eggs from her Ameraucana, and from her 3 EEs she gets pink, mint, and a bluish-green.

I was on one website where the breeder is experiementing with several breeds to make an Avocado color egg. To get deep olive or avocado eggs means crossbreeding blue egg chickens (Ameraucanas, Araucanas, Cream Legbars) with dark egg chickens (Marans, Welsummers, Barnevelders, etc) and I don't happen to like those crossbreeds. To me it alters the sweet personality of the original bluish egg layers like EEs and Ameraucanas.

 

[Chickie Momma]

Hi all, I have been very ill as of late. I had 3 grand mal seizures and could not talk or walk. I had to stop going to my online college classes for 2 weeks as well. My babies were all out of sorts because my husband was taking care of them lol. My Silkie roo Russell got very affectionate over this time. He has become very cuddley. I hold him like a baby and when I rub or scratch his head he will tuck his little beak in the crevice of my arm and close his eyes. When he falls asleep you can hear him lightly snoring lol. My husband just thinks he is totally rotten!! He is, but momma loves him. Daisy isn't so affectionate right now. She is mourning the loss of her chick. I don't know what happened. It looked perfect and like it was trying to hatch but the shell was pulverized and he was more flat than he should have been. Could she have accidentally done it?

 

[Chickie Momma]

Russell the baby

 

[Chickie Momma]

@Tacampbell1973 : what breed is your sweet lil pepper? I just wanna kiss her little head and stroke her little feathers

 

[Sylvester017]

Hi all, I have been very ill as of late. I had 3 grand mal seizures and could not talk or walk. I had to stop going to my online college classes for 2 weeks as well. My babies were all out of sorts because my husband was taking care of them lol. My Silkie roo Russell got very affectionate over this time. He has become very cuddley. I hold him like a baby and when I rub or scratch his head he will tuck his little beak in the crevice of my arm and close his eyes. When he falls asleep you can hear him lightly snoring lol. My husband just thinks he is totally rotten!! He is, but momma loves him. Daisy isn't so affectionate right now. She is mourning the loss of her chick. I don't know what happened. It looked perfect and like it was trying to hatch but the shell was pulverized and he was more flat than he should have been. Could she have accidentally done it?

I did a report on petit and grand mal seizures in high school - at a time when the malady was not widely known yet. Here it is nearly 50 years later and the brain is so complicated that medicine still is baffled and still experimenting looking for cures and controls. I'm so glad you have Russell for therapy. The roos are much sweeter IMO than the hens - just seem to be a little more extra special on the cuddlebug side.

Sorry for Daisy's loss - who knows what nature does. It's hard to imagine it was anything but an accident.

 

[mtbrenon]

I am so sorry to hear about your health. Will pray for you! Sorry about Daisy losing her chick. I think sometimes people forget that animals mourn and feel sad, especially when they lose a baby. Please keep us posted on your health and Daisy.

 

[PBGGG]

Still in shock about this, but my beautiful hen, Buttercup, has passed away this afternoon. She got her head caught in the fence, and before I could get outside, she snapped her neck and died. I found her outside in her dustbathing spot, and she looked like she was asleep. After confirming she was actually dead and not unconscious, we buried her under her favorite tree. Rest in peace, Buttercup.