The EE braggers thread!!!

[Hinotori]

Quote:
Nothing to be sorry about. You have some nice somewhat rare birds

 

[StacyAK]

Stacy, I just hatched out an ee/buff orp egg and it's not quite fluffed out yet, but it's looking an awful lot like your little one...lighter beard/muff area, a stripe on it's head and some fainter dark stripes on the back and wings.  Your chicks are soo cute!  Maybe hubby will have a change of heart!

I just got my birds last August so I don't really need to start adding new ones to my flock just yet. Maybe next year or the year after

 

[Brookshire11]

Taffy Apple, she lays a olive green egg, she like to keep to herself, dont really hang out with the others. We got her from a friend about 2 weeks ago.
This is Spice! Her eggs are a green color also!

Taffy Apple..love that name!

Had another silver pop out! Ended up with 2 silver, 3 black, one brown and one yellow with a black Mohawk.

Congrats! They sure are cute!!

 

[Alia]

What do you think this chick will turn out like? I heard it was an Easter egger but want to know exactly what it will look like or at least hints

Disclaimer: This is just a wild stab. (Hey it's an Easter Egger; of course it's a wild stab.)

Looks like something in silver but carrying red. The red won't have too much effect on a bird not carrying gold, though. I think you picked out a beauty who may grow up to be dark with silver on most of it and may have salmony highlights on the breast, or may not.

Darkness or lightness is something you can't even stab at with these guys though. Black chicks grow up light, light chicks grow up dark... No way to tell. Even the dark wing feathers aren't a giveaway - they flippin' change them as they get older!

By the way, if I'm right I get crowned Overlord of Chickens.

 

[MistyMountain]

Those of you who have or have had EE Roo's in your flock, how did you like them? I know, mutt, blind guess on temperament and all, but I will be replacing my SLW Roo with an EE and Welsummer roosters this summer.

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

I find them to be non-aggressive towards people but not as calm as my Jersey Giants/Giant crosses or my Marans gents. Maybe calm isn't the right way to put it; I'd say the EEs are more active- both in general speed and how far they'll range to forage. I have three EE cockerels I routinely handle and only one of them gets terribly flappy about it. The other two don't mind being shuttled from one area to another. I do not handle the chickens of either gender much until they are a few months old. I'll spend time observing them in the run or the yard and feeding them, but I've found I have fewer problems with aggressive behavior towards humans when I take a more hands-off approach. There are some people who do well with "lap chickens" keeping an even keel throughout their lives and others who plead for advice about what to do when their "baby turns mean." My nearly 3 year old daughter's well-being is my barometer for whether I'd keep or cull any chicken, hen or cock, and all of our chickens (EEs and other breeds) have passed the test so far.

As far as their behavior toward the ladies of the flock, I'd say they do a bit less courtship than my larger breeds. The one I have in with a breeding group now is sort of the dive-bomber of breeding whereas his father did a lot more wing-dropping and encouraging "looky here!" clucking when finding tidbits of feed on the ground. Might be because he's younger or just individual variability.

Overall I'd say that they have a good disposition but with the caveat that thoughtful handling goes a long way.

 

[MistyMountain]

I find them to be non-aggressive towards people but not as calm as my Jersey Giants/Giant crosses or my Marans gents. Maybe calm isn't the right way to put it; I'd say the EEs are more active- both in general speed and how far they'll range to forage. I have three EE cockerels I routinely handle and only one of them gets terribly flappy about it. The other two don't mind being shuttled from one area to another. I do not handle the chickens of either gender much until they are a few months old. I'll spend time observing them in the run or the yard and feeding them, but I've found I have fewer problems with aggressive behavior towards humans when I take a more hands-off approach. There are some people who do well with "lap chickens" keeping an even keel throughout their lives and others who plead for advice about what to do when their "baby turns mean." My nearly 3 year old daughter's well-being is my barometer for whether I'd keep or cull any chicken, hen or cock, and all of our chickens (EEs and other breeds) have passed the test so far.

As far as their behavior toward the ladies of the flock, I'd say they do a bit less courtship than my larger breeds. The one I have in with a breeding group now is sort of the dive-bomber of breeding whereas his father did a lot more wing-dropping and encouraging "looky here!" clucking when finding tidbits of feed on the ground. Might be because he's younger or just individual variability.

Overall I'd say that they have a good disposition but with the caveat that thoughtful handling goes a long way.

Thanks for the input. I am expecting new chicks just after easter and my motivation in getting an EE Roo is two-fold--- my current Roo by default (random Roo in my order last year) can not be trusted and constantly requires lessons as to who is in charge, he is not gentle with the hens and I also do not want to lose the blue/green egg gene when I hatch to replenish my flock. I will be keeping a closed flock after this last group. I just like colorful birds and colorful eggs. I free range 75% of the year, so I'll need to audition to find a good guy who will protect the girls. That is one thing the SLW is good at, and has proven with a hawk. Unfortunately I have little ones running around and he takes his job too seriously. I really look forward to this next step in finalizing my flock. I absolutely agree with the hands off approach. I am not shy about what I expect from my Roo, which is probably why he does not challenge me often. I make an effort to walk through him and make him yield to me. Anyone else though, and he will go out of his way to flog them!

Nice to see another Virginian here

 

[CarolinaHen]

Thanks for the input. I am expecting new chicks just after easter and my motivation in getting an EE Roo is two-fold--- my current Roo by default (random Roo in my order last year) can not be trusted and constantly requires lessons as to who is in charge, he is not gentle with the hens and I also do not want to lose the blue/green egg gene when I hatch to replenish my flock. I will be keeping a closed flock after this last group. I just like colorful birds and colorful eggs. I free range 75% of the year, so I'll need to audition to find a good guy who will protect the girls. That is one thing the SLW is good at, and has proven with a hawk. Unfortunately I have little ones running around and he takes his job too seriously. I really look forward to this next step in finalizing my flock. I absolutely agree with the hands off approach. I am not shy about what I expect from my Roo, which is probably why he does not challenge me often. I make an effort to walk through him and make him yield to me. Anyone else though, and he will go out of his way to flog them!

Nice to see another Virginian here

Any rooster or cockerel that even attempts to flog anyone is not allowed to live at our home. The first time any human aggression is shown, he is gone.

There are far too many wonderful roosters out there to tolerate that type of behavior. Yes, I know you can do all sorts of things to make the situation more tolerable, but then you will have the same temperament passed down to his offspring. Keep looking for a good rooster, and you will find one. We currently have five that all live on our property and not once has any of them attempted to flog any of us. A good rooster is worth his weight in gold.

 

[Jayzandra]

Our EE roo is absolutely beautiful and good to his girls. He's only ever had issues with my 12 year old daughter, which is strange (our youngest is 5), but whenever he gets feisty, she picks him up and carries him around the yard and that puts him in his place. He really is an awesome roo.

 

[MistyMountain]

Any rooster or cockerel that even attempts to flog anyone is not allowed to live at our home. The first time any human aggression is shown, he is gone.

There are far too many wonderful roosters out there to tolerate that type of behavior. Yes, I know you can do all sorts of things to make the situation more tolerable, but then you will have the same temperament passed down to his offspring. Keep looking for a good rooster, and you will find one. We currently have five that all live on our property and not once has any of them attempted to flog any of us. A good rooster is worth his weight in gold.

Thank you

The only reason Willie has not made his career change yet is because I let the chickens free range and need someone to watch the sky for them. We are just getting by right now until his potential replacements come of age. None of his offspring will be hatched. I honestly was not a fan of him from the start, but made due with what I had.