The EE braggers thread!!!

[bruceha2000]

Was gone for a week and a week later I'm trying to catch up with BYC. Daunting task!

So, we decided on Astraulops (sorry, sp?) (Australorp - wouldn't it be nice if a chicken forum had a spell checker that knew how to spell the breed names??) and considering a handful of EE's just because I think my boys would get a kick out of the colored eggs.

I'm up in Northern Lower MI...can anyone tell me how temp hardy these birds are? We swing from stretches of negative temps in the winter to 90+ or higher in the summer...I have plenty of ventilation...that's not my concern. Just wondering how these ladies lay during big temp swings and such.

Thanks so much!

Dawn

My BA's and EEs are HANDS DOWN my best layers. Nobody started until November as they were hatched in June so I can't tell you about summer laying. But they have handled the cold well. No heat, temps down to -15F. They had no problem this summer with the occasional 90F.

Anconca - Yue - laying 80 days, 3.68/week - avg size: 53.60 grams Range: 44 to 84g
Ancona - Zia - laying 81 days, 3.72/week - avg size: 51.32g Range: 52 to 58g
BA - Echo - laying 76 days, 4.42/week - avg size: 54.45g Range: 48 to 68g
BA - Zorra - laying 38 days, 6.08/week - avg size: 64.69g Range: 58 to 88g
Partridge Chantecler - Dee - laying 74 days, 3.97/week - avg size: 45.83g Range: 44 to 50g
Partridge Chanticler - Laura - laying 33 days, 4.24/week - avg size: 47.16g Range: 44 to 48g
Cubalaya - Fae - laying 76 days, 2.39/week - avg size: 40.00g Range: 36 to 44g
Cubalaya - Peep - laying 79 days, 2.39/week - avg size: 38.22g Range: 34 to 40g
EE - Andromeda - laying 77 days, 4.73/week - avg size: 53.10g Range: 46 to 56g
EE Persephone - laying 60 days, 5.25/week - avg size; 58.52 Range 52 to 66
Salmon Faverolles - Anais, laying 72 days, 3.79/week - avg size: 44.86g Range: 40 to 56g
Salmon Faverolles - Clemance - laying 86 days, 1.95/week - avg size: 43.33g Range: 40 to 48g
- stupid broody chicken. Thinks she can hatch pine shavings.

For those girls that have the huge eggs, they are pretty rare so they don't change the average much But they ARE impressive). Also, I just got the scale near the beginning of January so earlier eggs aren't included.
USDA egg sizes:

Jumbo > 71 g Xlarge > 64 g Large > 57 g Medium > 50 g Small > 43 g Peewee > 35 g

As of today, all of my EEs are laying! Saffron laid her very first egg today!

Slacker! Though maybe she'll be really productive. The two of mine that waited the longest to lay are doing very well, especially Zorra at 6+/week

they were kind of rude when i asked a guestion, but dont get me wrong there are some nice people on that thread. But i said that i had read qquite a bit of the information on the thread and asked what the whole aruguement or whatever peole call it between americaunas and EEs. This was when i was still pretty new to this website. and someone told if i read through some of the thread and didnt figure it out maybe i shoulld read more to find out. They i found out that this whole big issue was that some birds don;t match the color standard. Other than that they are pretty much the same birds. Whil I stll love americaunas i think that EEs are very interrresting and kind of a mystery, because you are quite sure what color they are going to be and i think that is one of the fun things about EEs. But to get a little side tracked when i first got my chickens i was told they were aracunas and they i was told they were americaunas and in the end it turns out they arer EEs! It was kind of funny to look back and say man i am such and idiot how could i have evr thought these chickens were aracauns!

I think many of them are just really tired of the Hatcheries (and the farm stores that sell hatchery) claiming they are selling Ameraucana when what they are selling is NOT recognized as an Ameraucana by the APA. If one took their hatchery "Ameraucana" to a show, they would be SORELY disappointed at their bird coming in last in the Ameraucana groups no matter how beautiful it may be.

The hatcherys claim they are selling Ameraucana because there is no EE breed (Ideal SPECIFICALLY told me this in an email). They are right on the last part but wrong on the fisrt. The APA does not recognize a breed called Easter Egger, therefore it is NOT a breed. If the bird is not one if the APA recognized Ameraucana colors, it is not an Ameraucana. Even the offspring of 2 Ameraucana may not count, "sports" happen. Plus, to even qualify as an member of the breed, it has to breed true 50% or more. (which, to me and speaking with know knowledge of chicken breeding) sounds pretty darned generous. So those people who were rude (sorry!! no excuse for being rude) may be working hard to breed Ameraucna and to have anything with a beard or muff that looks kind of like an Ameraucana called an Ameraucana is frustrating. Probably more so because there are a bajillion EEs for every 1 true Ameraucana.

That is what I think of as standard colorartion for most EE's.

I don't think there is ANY 'standard' color for EEs.

EE raisers tend to just love pretty chickens that lay cool colored eggs, and not worry about much other than that.

And there is NOTHING wrong with that. Precisely the reason I have mine.

I have ordered their (Ideal) "Ameraucana's" Easter Eggers before, I didn't care for them. They had too many with yellow legs.

My 2 from Ideal have slate legs. Maybe yours came from a hatch with a funcky cross?

No beards, one is definitely a full BA, this first one, MollyB is the BA imposter with a EE comb. She looks just like the other one except that darn comb. So I am shocked to find that she is laying the green egg, UNLESS she is isn't the one but she was laying in the nest this morning and the green egg is the only one I got today.

Yep, Other than the comb and wattles, Molly sure looks very BA.

(Now that I think of it, BAs may have yellow as well, but the EEs usually do which is why so many of them have green legs.)

IIRC, BAs will NOT have yellow pads, but Jersey Giants will and they lok a lot like big BAs.

My Black Ameraucanas seem to be very similar to my EE's, comparing personalities at this developmental stage. The breeder said their eggs are blue/green.

I thought a true Ameraucana ALWAYS laid blue??

As far as we're concerned on this thread they are a breed. There are way too many people calling these off the wall names that really urks me. They are as pure bred as you make them.

Doesn't do to get irked about the facts. As far a chicken breeds in the USA go, the APA is the sole determiner. They make the rules. And I doubt the E.E. will get in the books if they can't be bred with some certainty as to what will hatch.

So, on this thread, we discuss all those birds that have Ameraucana blood, are shaped like Ameraucana, have beards and muffs like Ameraucana, MAY even be Ameraucana colored and lay blue eggs, but are not a Ameraucana. They are, however, a chicken that doesn't go into the pot because it doesn't meet the APA's SOP of some recognized breed.

awesome info from everyone, thanks. if i could ask a few more questions, first, are the ee's eggs small ,medium or large? the woman at the feed store said their eggs are very large, but i would rather here from some of you , as i don't always think people who sell from a feed store are as informed as all of you who actually own them. i am getting them for eggs, not meat, so i would like to get large egg layers. also, would i be better off getting all ee's? i am only getting 8 chicks, did everyone start out with more or less? i haven't ordered them yet, and am not really sure how many to get. i want them for my family of four, and maybe have some for my two young daughters to sell to the neighborhood. also, how many people get their chicks from the feed store and end up with roo's? the woman told me she could give me a 90% chance of getting the sexes right. thanks again everyone, julie

See my response to DawnB above. I think the answer is "bird dependant". One of my EEs (they are the same size) consistantly lays a Large green the other a Medium blue. The same is true of my 2 Black Australorps. One averages Medium and the other (physically bigger) than all my other girls) just squeaks into XLarge. But that is because she occasionally throws a HUGE egg though the smallest she has ever laid was the bottom of the Large range.

My girls came from Ideal Poultry and were 10% properly sexed. Statistically speaking that means someone else that got a dozen ended up with 2 roos.

Of the 6 breeds I got, if I were looking JUST for egg size and quantity, I would get EEs AND Black Australkorps. Neither is pushy with the other birds (leave that to the Anconas). I keep reading that Red sex links (Cinnamon Queens, Gold Stars, Gold Comets) pump out eggs like crazy and I THINK they are Large but I don't have any so no personal experience.

Bruce

 

[CherokeeFlats]

Finally got some pics of my my girls. Well 4 of them anyway.



Here's all 4 girls. (I have 6 girls but have 2 in with a roo so I can get eggs for the Easter Hatch-a-long) You can see my little Mottled Cochin Bantam on the bottom, she just had to Photo Bomb me (again).


Here's my Blue hen (Runaway) and my White(ish) hen (Snowflake)



Here's one of my black hens (she's more a beetle green than black but idk) She's really sweet and doesnt mind being touched. (Again my Mottled Cochin Bantam photo Bombed me)

I have 2 other hens that are in with the roo right now. Will try to get their pics later. But here's some pics for now.

 

[little farmer]

Beautiful birds!!!! The photo bomb is adorable too. XD ;D

 

[bellaleah]

thanks again, everyone. i think EE's it is! and i feel better about the 90% accuracy on the sexing. so, when you go to pick them up from the feed store, are they all boxed up and ready to go or do you get to pick the ones you want, color wise? i hope i get to pick them and not just get stuck with the colors they choose for me. this site is wonderful , by the way, you are all so helpful and it's really cool to find people that are so into their chickens!! thanks again, julie

 

[little farmer]

I'm pretty sure you can pick your chicks. That's the way it is at my feed store!

 

[SD Bird Lady]

thanks again, everyone. i think EE's it is! and i feel better about the 90% accuracy on the sexing. so, when you go to pick them up from the feed store, are they all boxed up and ready to go or do you get to pick the ones you want, color wise? i hope i get to pick them and not just get stuck with the colors they choose for me. this site is wonderful , by the way, you are all so helpful and it's really cool to find people that are so into their chickens!! thanks again, julie

It will depend on if they are ordering that type of chick or not. Our feed store will reserve you chicks or special order them for no extra cost. For example if they are getting in 50 EE's then they will make sure they dont sell the last say 4 you reserved or if you get there right away you will be able to pick the ones you want but if all they are ordering is say Orpingtons and Leghorns then you will just get what the hatchery sends for your portion. Does that make sense?

Basically they will order what sells in your area to have on hand...in our case Buff Orpington...RIR...and Cornish X But since they already have the minimum covered they can add to it for your smaller order with no extra charges.

 

[SunnysideupstateNY]

I just wanted to share, my EE girls finally started laying again after their molt started in Oct. One green and one "Pink" egg this am in the nest box!

 

[little farmer]

I just wanted to share, my EE girls finally started laying again after their molt started in Oct. One green and one "Pink" egg this am in the nest box!

awesome!!! What does the pink egg look like?

 

[DURR]

I have a pink egg layer!! She's a silkie and EE cross. Its pretty and light pink.

 

[showbarnmom]

Anyways to insure I get a pink egg!?!? I want one now!