Sexing Easter Eggers

[Theodog1]

Hi there! I was hoping someone could confirm sex of these 2 EEs for me. I suspect them to be roos, but I am new to chickens, so I am just hoping that I am wrong.

 

[ChrisHalla0]

The pics are blurry on my phone but it appears the red is a pullet and the bird you're worried about is a roo. I don't see the typical red in shoulders and the photo is too blurry to tell if hackles and saddle feathers are pointed but the tail is very erect and it looks as though the feathers might be curling a bit at the ends? I'm so sorry...I know that's not what you want to hear

It's ok. Was hoping for 3 healthy ameracauna pullets.

I'm pretty sure I have 3 EEs, 1 a cross beak, and 1 a roo. It'd be fine but for the town laws where I live. I can legally have up to 6 hens. No roosters allowed. And none of them can be anything but pets. Cannot raise to sell, or raise to slaughter. We can collect the eggs, we cannot sell the eggs, and we cannot have roosters.

 

[ChrisHalla0]

The pics are blurry on my phone but it appears the red is a pullet and the bird you're worried about is a roo. I don't see the typical red in shoulders and the photo is too blurry to tell if hackles and saddle feathers are pointed but the tail is very erect and it looks as though the feathers might be curling a bit at the ends? I'm so sorry...I know that's not what you want to hear

I love all 3 of the birds. But part of me worries the cross beak will be too difficult to fully care for. I am someone who works full time and takes care of 3 kids and isn't financially well off. Every day when I come home I feed it a mash to itself. And it eats their regular feed too, but certainly has a harder time with it then the other two. Whenever I give it a mash it gets happy and excited and runs right up to me before I even put it down, it already knows what it is. So if I had to re-home the one I suspect is a roo, and the cross-beak I'd be left with only one bird and I'd be a bit devesated because I'm basically attached to all 3 as it is right now. But I plan to essentially watch the growth of my cross beak and as long as it doesn't lag too far behind the other 2 in size I will keep it. Just keep trimming it's beak and feeding it daily mash. But the rooster is something I cannot keep unfortunately as long as it is a rooster.

 

[Bongoline]

Hello there BYC, I was wondering if anyone could help identifying if I in fact have have an EE roo on my hands. S/he was purchased as a sexed chick but are showing so many signs of being male I’m having trouble holding onto hope she might be a hen. I want to get another opinion before I look into rehoming her/him. She is

7 weeks old.

 

[J99]

I’m no expert but it looks like a pullet to me

 

[renk777]

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I love all 3 of the birds. But part of me worries the cross beak will be too difficult to fully care for. I am someone who works full time and takes care of 3 kids and isn't financially well off. Every day when I come home I feed it a mash to itself. And it eats their regular feed too, but certainly has a harder time with it then the other two. Whenever I give it a mash it gets happy and excited and runs right up to me before I even put it down, it already knows what it is. So if I had to re-home the one I suspect is a roo, and the cross-beak I'd be left with only one bird and I'd be a bit devesated because I'm basically attached to all 3 as it is right now. But I plan to essentially watch the growth of my cross beak and as long as it doesn't lag too far behind the other 2 in size I will keep it. Just keep trimming it's beak and feeding it daily mash. But the rooster is something I cannot keep unfortunately as long as it is a rooster.

Does your town have an issue with roos specifically or is it a neighbor or sound ordinance thing? I live in a town that doesn't have a rooster clause but it does have a sound ordinance clause and houses are stacked on top of each other (typical fishbowl setting) so neighbors are an issue. That said, we've had 9 roosters on our 1/4 acre lot at one point and because I have some awesome neighbors and utilized crow reduction collars, I never had an issue. My husband is the issue so we're rooless at this point and I'm going along with it because more and more people are getting chickens in my area and I don't want to be the house that ruins it for us all. So if your town doesn't specify no roosters, maybe go around to the neighbors and tell them your situation and that you need their help in determining how bad your boy is when he starts to crow. THat's what I did...told them with the first one that we had a rooster to protect our hens and that they needed to be my ears to make sure he wasn't a nuisance. Surprisingly, most liked the idea...said a roo would remind them of their childhood or their grandma's farm, etc. After we had him...and later up to 9...when I asked neighbors about the noise situation, some said they didn't hear it or didn't notice it or didn't care. Some enjoyed it. So def feel out the neighbors before you let your boy go. You might be pleasantly surprised.

As for your little crossbeak, I've been there. One of my SGs was a cross beak. I too, struggle financially and have 3 kids, 2 large dogs, 2 cats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, 2 aquariums, a koi pond, and the chickens. My husband has 3 jobs and I have 1 just to get by. We outsource nothing to save money and rarely go out or do anything that isn't free. A cross beak was not easy for the reasons you mention. We ferment our feed so I hand fed her twice a day. She was doing relatively well...accepted by the crew she was raised with and seemed to dodge the older grumpies that we integrated the younger crew with. She was just so dark in color and fast that she was never a target for the older girls. The issue was that she was smaller and weaker. And the packing peanuts for the SGs we ordered were (not surprisingly) roos that we named Freezer and Camper early on. Freezer and Camper were sweet birds but they were boys and prone to mounting everything they could get a turn on...including our little Crossbeak, Remi. She was the easiest to mount so they'd tag team her and corner her. The moment I saw it, I was in touch with a family that typically had a house chicken and had just lost theirs. They said they'd discuss taking our little Remi (they were moving an hour away that week) and said they'd get back to me in a day or so. I didn't want to remove Remi from the flock because if the rehoming fell through, she'd be more of a target. So I left her with the flock. We had a funeral a couple hours away the next day and were gone until the evening. When I went out to feed them, I right away noticed Remi wasn't running up to me for her mash and I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I fed the others and then looked for her and found her little body where presumably, the boys had cornered her between a fence and a stump and probably mounted her and suffocated her :'( I was so upset.

Only sharing because cross beaks are weaker and more vulnerable to anything and everything. I'd advertise her as a house-chicken in local FB chicken groups and see if maybe you can rehome her to someone looking for a pet. If you do and you also rehome the roo, that's a good time to purchase some older pullets (if you can find them...this year is really difficult because of the quarantine) and then introduce the new girls to your lone girl. She'll be more apt to accept them if she's been alone and is outnumbered by the new ones. I know you love your birds and if you can manage to keep all 3, that's awesome. But your boy is going to be a boy and a 1 roo to 2 hens ratio will mean the girls are harassed continuously. Your little Crossbeak might take the brunt. Either way, you will need to get more girls for you roo...I wouldn't have a roo with less than 6 hens...ideally 7 to 8 and for larger roos, 8 - 10. I had a brahma mix....really sweet boy...but so big and clumsy that he just tore out the feathers on the necks and backs of 12 hens... At another point, I had a Marans and a Braekel roo together that were fine with a flock of 11 hens. It all depends on the roo....but multiple hens spreads out the attention and all will be happier as a result

 

[ElizH]

I know it’s early.... but I have 8 EE’s that are 3 weeks old and I’m planning to only keep 4 and try to sell 4, but I need to keep 3 hens and 1 rooster.

Some have started to grow larger combs, and #8 is way behind on feathering.

 

[renk777]

I know it’s early.... but I have 8 EE’s that are 3 weeks old and I’m planning to only keep 4 and try to sell 4, but I need to keep 3 hens and 1 rooster.

Some have started to grow larger combs, and #8 is way behind on feathering.

I've never had frizzled birds (some look sort of frizzled) and all of my EEs have always had single combs. So I'm not the best judge. Just browsed through the photos quickly and I do see some that seem like pullets but EEs are so hard! Have to make breakfast for my husband since kids will destroy kitchen if i let them go at it alone but I'll try to come back later and look at each one individually. Hopefully this comment will bump your thread back up and others will weigh in!

 

[TX_Homesteader]

Got both of these EE as pullets but the one in the front is looking more and more like a roo to me. Approx 5-5.5 months now if I had to guess? Seeking opinions before it becomes chicken nuggets but I’m fairly certain I already know it’s fate

thanks in advance anyways!

 

[renk777]

I know it’s early.... but I have 8 EE’s that are 3 weeks old and I’m planning to only keep 4 and try to sell 4, but I need to keep 3 hens and 1 rooster.

Got both of these EE as pullets but the one in the front is looking more and more like a roo to me. Approx 5-5.5 months now if I had to guess? Seeking opinions before it becomes chicken nuggets but I’m fairly certain I already know it’s fate

thanks in advance anyways!
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At that age, I'd expect to see pointed saddle feathers coming in. But hackles do appear really pointy...not like pullets that often have a pointy pattern on a rounded feather. Can you get a closeup of hackles? Part the feathers between the back and tail and look if any pointed feathers are emerging but hidden. Also, grab a pic of comb? I see why you suspect roo but saddle and color of plumage indicates pullet to me.