The EE braggers thread!!!

[Kassaundra]

Some are more skiddish then others, and usually around point of lay they get even more "independent" acting. They usually calm more after starting to lay. I don't mind the chickens not wanting to be held or petted since I don't do either w/ my chickens, but they all love to se me coming

(or maybe it's the treats)

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I have 2 Easter Eggers and don't like them much. 1 is a rooster and the other is a pullet. They are about 20 wks old or so and I've had them for a month or more. They are very skittish and won't let you get near them still. They also don't have anything to do with my other girls. At least when the girl starts laying I'll have a good reason to keep her.

While you may indeed have just gotten very skittish EE's, from my experience adding any new bird to an existing flock will cause the new bird to act skittish as they become a target for the pecking order (that's very unsettling to any bird). Integrating several new birds together, whether they were raised together or not, will usually cause them to form a subgroup by themselves. (Safety in numbers as you "crash" the new neighborhood.)

It takes awhile for the new birds to settle into an existing flock; and the existing flock to accept them, and for the new pecking order to be figured out.

I have had several "sub-flocks" for several months until they all finally adjusted to the new pecking order and everyone integrated together.

It can be a tall order for the new birds to adjust to you and the new flock. It can help to segregate out the new birds for a bit while they become accustomed to you (giving them treats by hand), then slowly integrate them into the flock. Avoid giving treats to the new birds in front of the existing flock (if they are together in one run) as that will likely cause aggression from the existing birds towards your new EE's in competition of your treats.

Often letting them live in subdivided pens where they can see each other but not touch is a good way for them to get used to each other, and to you. You know when its time to integrate as your existing birds get comfortable with them on the other side of the fence. Then add the new birds at night onto the roosts (by your calmest birds) can help with the integration.

But it will still take awhile for new birds to fully integrate. The good news is that it sounds like your EE's are nervous but not being overly hazed (no bodily injuries). However do watch out as being chased all the time by birds of your existing flock can make for a very nervous bird..

Time, and enough food treats judiciously given, usually helps everyone warm up, and you will probably see much more relaxed EE's....unless their temperament is indeed just skittish.

Lady of McCamley

 

[RedPulletMama]

While you may indeed have just gotten very skittish EE's, from my experience adding any new bird to an existing flock will cause the new bird to act skittish as they become a target for the pecking order (that's very unsettling to any bird). Integrating several new birds together, whether they were raised together or not, will usually cause them to form a subgroup by themselves. (Safety in numbers as you "crash" the new neighborhood.)

It takes awhile for the new birds to settle into an existing flock; and the existing flock to accept them, and for the new pecking order to be figured out.

I have had several "sub-flocks" for several months until they all finally adjusted to the new pecking order and everyone integrated together.

It can be a tall order for the new birds to adjust to you and the new flock. It can help to segregate out the new birds for a bit while they become accustomed to you (giving them treats by hand), then slowly integrate them into the flock. Avoid giving treats to the new birds in front of the existing flock (if they are together in one run) as that will likely cause aggression from the existing birds towards your new EE's in competition of your treats.

Often letting them live in subdivided pens where they can see each other but not touch is a good way for them to get used to each other, and to you. You know when its time to integrate as your existing birds get comfortable with them on the other side of the fence. Then add the new birds at night onto the roosts (by your calmest birds) can help with the integration.

But it will still take awhile for new birds to fully integrate. The good news is that it sounds like your EE's are nervous but not being overly hazed (no bodily injuries). However do watch out as being chased all the time by birds of your existing flock can make for a very nervous bird..

Time, and enough food treats judiciously given, usually helps everyone warm up, and you will probably see much more relaxed EE's....unless their temperament is indeed just skittish.

Lady of McCamley

My other girls are not mean to them at all, they pretty much all ignore each other lol. I guess I was hoping for a quicker union between all of them. I did notice that when I have treats they have started coming much closer to me to get them. They all free- range by the way. These 2 sleep in the nest boxes while the others roost on the bars because they don't want to be social haha

 

[christine9]

Is there anyway to sex an EE during his/her first week? I thought I read somewhere on here about sexing by the number of feathers under the wing. I might have totally made this up!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Is there anyway to sex an EE during his/her first week? I thought I read somewhere on here about sexing by the number of feathers under the wing. I might have totally made this up!

Some people feather sex their chicks. IMO it isnt very accurate

 

[jerryse]

Is there anyway to sex an EE during his/her first week? I thought I read somewhere on here about sexing by the number of feathers under the wing. I might have totally made this up!

The hatcheries use many methods.Vent sexing is difficult to learn.Feather sexing on the wing needs to be bred for.Sex linked crosses need to be bred for.I use the tailfeather method with fairly good results.Females have longer tails.Some can sex bb red by the stripes and eye liner.One sex has 2 colors of stripes and the has 3 colors and I forget which one has more eyeliner black.EE come in so many colors and mixes it is difficult.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

The hatcheries use many methods.Vent sexing is difficult to learn.Feather sexing on the wing needs to be bred for.Sex linked crosses need to be bred for.I use the tailfeather method with fairly good results.Females have longer tails.Some can sex bb red by the stripes and eye liner.One sex has 2 colors of stripes and the has 3 colors and I forget which one has more eyeliner black.EE come in so many colors and mixes it is difficult.

I was just reading on that...jerryse is correct that to feather sex you have to have chicks that have been bred from a slow feathering mother and a fast feathering father (as the hen determines the sex, opposite to humans)...that way the wing feathers will show different development....the males will get the slow feathering from the mother, and the females will get the fast feathering from the father.

I just picked my 2 EE chicks using the chipmonk pattern method...supposedly, if the marking runs from the head, down the neck, all the way to the tail, without breaking, and has 3 colors (ie. brown, black, white) it is female. If the marking is on the head but is not on the neck, then again on the back, and there are only 2 colors (such as just black and white) it is male.
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/6-3/determining_sex_in_chicks/

I tried that...we'll see if it "worked." Supposedly that patterning is true for most partridge color chicks.

However, EE's are hybrids and often hybrids of hybrids (mutts upon mutts) so no method will hold true. You just have to do your best guess and cross your fingers.
Lady of McCamley

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I can tell you that dosent work or at least not from my experience

 

[califarmgirl]

My first egg! She turns 23 weeks tomorrow. I'm so relieved it is a mint green egg. She has a modified pea comb so I was hoping it wouldn't be brown. My family thinks I'm nuts for being so excited. Stalin is my first chicken to lay! Woohoo!

[/IMG]

 

[Bawkinghen]

The second of my two Easter Eggers has finally started to lay. Her sister started about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I thought for sure this one was going to lay blue (or blue-green, whatever you want to call it...looks blue to me) like her sister because I got them from the same batch as one of my friends who got several that are all laying blue, but nope. She wanted to lay a cream colored egg! I know it's not very "colorful", but it makes another color in the batch when I go out to collect. Here's a pic. It's still a tiny egg though since she's new at it.