Roos or Hens? Are they all EEs?

[tabbyfoo]

Hello everyone! I have really enjoyed learning about keeping backyard birds on your forum. However, I am not posting for myself, but for one of my closest friends. She bought a used coop this spring, and was looking for chicks but not having any luck at the time. In June this past summer, we were driving through Mississippi on the way home from family vacation and stopped at a "GATOR RANCH" to go on an airboat tour. They had a cage full of 2-3 week old chicks they were giving away, so I took 4 home in a box in the back seat with the kids, and we've eagerly watched them grow up to see what we got. So far, one made a tasty chicken dinner when he started crowing, and the three remaining chickens remain unidentified. Last week, my friend started finding eggs in the coop, but we're not sure who is laying them, and still are not sure they are all hens.

The eggs are small and brown. The black chicken is very bold and makes a lot more noise since the laying began, but not the cackling I've seen on youtube. It will peck if given the opportunity. The other two are more meek. All have greenish grey feet except the black one, which has grey feet with black "scales" down the fronts of the leg. It also has green iridescent feathers around the neck. We were giving them the jack o lantern to peck on today and found that none of them have obvious spurs, but all 3 have 4 toes.

I personally think they're all hens, and probably all easter eggers / Ameraucauna crosses from the tufts on their ears and what I've read. My friend thinks the black is a rooster, though. We'd like more experienced feedback, please!

Here you can see the red and white pretty well, and some of the coloration of the black.

The dark black part on the "collar" of the black chicken is where the iridescent feathers are.

The black one likes to get above everyone and stand on top of the water bottle

Thanks in advance for your help!

Tabby

 

[kari_dawn]

they all look like hens to me!...and really pretty easter eggers! If it makes you feel any better, I also have an easter egger with shiny green feathers on her neck...but the shape of the feathers on her, and on the bird in the picture are both nice and round. What age are these chickens?

At the age where they are starting to lay, males of the same age would have shiny pointy feathers in front of their tails, and arching pointed feathers on their tails.

 

[tabbyfoo]

My thought was that maybe the black is the one who has begun to lay, and that's why she's suddenly making more noise, since I'd read somewhere that some hens cluck more when they're broody... But she's not sitting on the eggs, so I don't know.

They were all about 2 weeks old when I got them for my friend in mid-June, so that would make them 6 months or so.

Thanks for the reply!
Tabby

 

[kari_dawn]

The change in personality would indicate she is your layer...they won't necissarily go broody...some breeds may never go broody at all. They simply make the noise they make when they lay, and are never more interested in the egg than that.

 

[kari_dawn]

...then again, the white one in the photos has a nice big red comb...that is another big indicator for a hen that is laying. Can you post good shots of the combs, and profile shots of each bird?

 

[jeslewmazer]

Agree all beautiful EE hens.

 

[tabbyfoo]

I shot these with my phone earlier today. I will go back tomorrow with an actual camera and see if I can get some better shots of their heads.

-T

 

[hmmcc123]

What a beautiful mini flock of EEs!! My 10 year old son and I were admiring how interesting and pretty they all are!! The colors are very different than what we have usually seen in EEs.

 

[billiejo21]

All look like hens to me too...I would guess the white one laying also based on her comb! Beautiful girls!!

 

[hdowden]

all hens