Sexing Easter Eggers

[Iluveggers]

Thanks! I thought so too, but one of my relatives was insisting cockerel because her tail is longer than everyone else’s!

 

[Painted Calls]

Tails mean nothing. She has a pullet pattern.

 

[Iluveggers]

Tails mean nothing. She has a pullet pattern.

That’s what I was trying to explain to her! Thank you for affirming!

 

[Fitzmas]

If one was to speculate gender. …2 weeks

 

[Offshoreorca]

View attachment 2884773
If one was to speculate gender. …2 weeks

Too young yet - and a photo of the comb would be helpful. Post again in a couple weeks and we might be able to guess

 

[G Alice]

Vent sexing is the only thing you can do to sex when they're very young. 5 weeks is usually the minimum for sexing pea-combed breeds. Some claim to do it earlier by the width of the peas (3 rows--cockerel, 1 row--pullet), but I find this doesn't work for EEs. Many birds will make you wait until they're 8 weeks to be really clear on sex. Obviously nothing is 100% until they crow or lay, but we can generally get to be 99% sure by 8-12 weeks.

Easter Eggers tend to have specific color patterns that are different in males and females. Generally, there is what I have taken to calling: partridge and black and white (there are many variations on these, but they are the basics).

Pullet patterns often flow evenly down the body. Cockerel patterns are broken up with splotches of color, especially dark red patches (like the partridge cockerel in the photo). Pullets tend to have the same color on their heads and necks, whereas cockerels tend to develop a separate head color and neck color.

The below photo is what I try to use to explain this:



The bird in the very top of the photo is a partridge cockerel.
Then a partridge pullet.
Then a black and white cockerel.
Then a black and white pullet.

Here are some of the same birds in individual photos:

Partridge cockerel (notice the red splotches across the shoulders, the orange head with gold hackles):


Partridge pullet (even color pattern, no red splotches, orange head and orange hackles, salmon breast--this one is always a pullet trait):

Black and white cockerels (very splotchy coloring, head is white and hackles are black):


Black and white pullet (head is white and hackles are white, color pattern is the same all over the body):


These are all just guidelines, and there are definitely exceptions. We follow up these guidelines with analysis of comb (red early is a cockerel, as usual) and behavior (friendly and brave is a cockerel, as usual). If everything adds up to one sex or the other, it is fairly likely (80-90%). If only a few things add up, then we may have to wait a few more weeks.

This kind of sexing tends to work best with hatchery EEs; the home grown variety are better sexed by comb and other typical methods, rather than color.

Hope that answered some of you questions.

ETA: Extra photos.

This was so helpful , my EEs are close to age you pictured . I thought I had 2 roosters now I’m pretty sure I have 2 hens . I have a partridge and a black and white but black being dominate . Both have very symmetrical all over body patterns and head matches hackles . They are 6 weeks old and heads match hackles. Neither has any signs of crowns.

 

[Livinthedozierdream]

Hey y'all! I would like your thoughts on my 9 week old EEs. I think I have two cockerels out of my 4 EE chicks from my local hardware store that were all supposed to be pullets.

 

[Iluveggers]

Hey y'all! I would like your thoughts on my 9 week old EEs. I think I have two cockerels out of my 4 EE chicks from my local hardware store that were all supposed to be pullets.

I don’t see cockerel in first pic. Don’t like the tiny bit of red around the far bottom chicks neck but that doesn’t mean cockerel 100%. Curious of what others think!

 

[Livinthedozierdream]

I don’t see cockerel in first pic. Don’t like the tiny bit of red around the far bottom chicks neck but that doesn’t mean cockerel 100%. Curious of what others thin

I don’t see cockerel in first pic. Don’t like the tiny bit of red around the far bottom chicks neck but that doesn’t mean cockerel 100%. Curious of what others think

Thanks! I was trying to post other photos too but apparently only those two loaded. I will add more. These first two photos are of just one I think is a boy next to one I know is a hen. The first photo is more to show it's whole body but the lighting is bad.

 

[Iluveggers]

Thanks! I was trying to post other photos too but apparently only those two loaded. I will add more. These first two photos are of just one I think is a boy next to one I know is a hen. The first photo is more to show it's whole body but the lighting is bad.

The hackle feathers look pointy in pic 2, but EE are tricky. I have one laying hen with pretty pointy hackles. I asked 3 times on here if people were sure she was a pullet. Lays a beautiful teal egg now! Lol I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you but leaning cockerel on that one.