The EE braggers thread!!!

[goacom]

Quote:
Medicine Man, I always thought that EEs took confinement well - as least it says so on the breed selector table. I was planning on getting a large coop (capacity of 8+) for just 4 chickens. If not EEs what else would you recommend.

Lauri, thanks for the info on Chickenstock 2011. I will certainly look into it. Delmar, is it not very difficult to raise chicks - I understand they need to be kept specially warm etc. But I get what you say, and I think the kids would definitely bond with the chicks!

 

[sharol]

Just be sure that it is really big enough for 8 chickens --32 sq feet minimum IF THERE IS A RUN. That is a minimum of 8x4. In addition, they need at least 10 sq ft in a run. You say they will be in the coop all the time, so that would mean a HUGE coop -- for 4 chickens, 40 sq feet or more, to avoid the problems associated with being "cooped up" all the time.

You are in a hot climate, so be sure you have adequate shade and ventilation, too. Tight quarters make things lots warmer.

I bought a coop/hoop/tractor that the manufacturer said would house up to 8 chickens. Not so much. It might have been adequate for 3-4 adults in the summer, but in the winter, the coop part was way too small for 8 or even 3. I didn't waste the money because it is a great grow out coop for my new chickies when they get a bit larger, but everyone here says you need that much space, and they aren't kidding. I chose to ignore the advice and go by square feet (mine had just shy of 16 sq ft), and spent money I could have used better elsewhere. Chickens get lots bigger than you think they will. ;-)



Quote:
Medicine Man, I always thought that EEs took confinement well - as least it says so on the breed selector table. I was planning on getting a large coop (capacity of 8+) for just 4 chickens. If not EEs what else would you recommend.

Lauri, thanks for the info on Chickenstock 2011. I will certainly look into it. Delmar, is it not very difficult to raise chicks - I understand they need to be kept specially warm etc. But I get what you say, and I think the kids would definitely bond with the chicks!

 

[goacom]

Quote:
Thanks for your reply Sharol. Yes, the coop I plan to get has 32sqft of run space and is between 6-8ft high, with the roost bar and nesting boxes on top. The coop are built in Tx and seem to provide a lot of ventilation, see: https://mobilechickencoops.com

I do intend to let the birds go out in the back yard/on the grass - say once or twice a week, but under some form of netting, as our property is not fenced in and we have had coyotes, hawks, snakes and neighbors pets come to our backyard! So what do you'll think? Will this be sufficient?

 

[sharol]

They allow the chickens outside some, so it should work if you have the sq feet. Do measure the coop (inside with roost to be sure you have at least 4 sq ft per chicken in the enclosed area. On rainy days, your girls will thank you. My mistake was not measuring the actual size of the coop part. The whole tractor is 4x9, but only 4x3.5 of it is the coop. The rest is run.

Quote:
Thanks for your reply Sharol. Yes, the coop I plan to get has 32sqft of run space and is between 6-8ft high, with the roost bar and nesting boxes on top. The coop are built in Tx and seem to provide a lot of ventilation, see: https://mobilechickencoops.com

I do intend to let the birds go out in the back yard/on the grass - say once or twice a week, but under some form of netting, as our property is not fenced in and we have had coyotes, hawks, snakes and neighbors pets come to our backyard! So what do you'll think? Will this be sufficient?

 

[flower]

I like the sounds of your EE/Araucanas also and wish you success with one of each gender.

Quote:

 

[poodlepill]

Ya know, I just need to see a tail on chickens LOL However if a true Araucana found its way to my flock I would not kick it to the curb

 

[MemphisChickens]

I have 2 questions.
1. Is my 9 week old chicken an Easter Egger? She doesn't have what I call the "Abe Lincoln beard".
2. Is "Terra" a rooster?

She was the sweetest chicken at first and every day she becomes less and less manageable. She hates being held now and hunts the other chickens down chasing them around the yard while they are peacefully trying to eat, dig for bugs or sun bathe.

She/he is just becoming a royal pain in the butt!
Is this roo behavior?

 

[MobyQuail]

Quote:
roo-ski-doodle, very handsome. most likely an EE, won't know for sure til he lays an egg...

 

[Prairie Orca]

Here's one of the nine Easter Eggers I ordered from Ideal:

April 23 (three days old)

May 5 (fifteen days old)

Notice the pinkish-red mark on the chin? That's marker signifying it's a male. So I have four girls, one boy, and four surprises (which is pretty much what I was after as I ordered 4 pullets and 5 straight run).

Along with this boy I'm quite excited to see how they all feather out. What really gets me is that six or seven of them (I don't want to harass them so I can't confirm) have white feathers at the ends of their wings. I haven't seen pictures of other EEs with white feathers like mine have, so either I'm blind or I have some (relatively) unique chicks.

I'd post the 3-day pictures of the eight others but I don't know whether everyone would appreciate having extra scrolling to do.

 

[MobyQuail]

Quote:
will be here for pics