What is up with Ameracaunas/EE??

[Sparrow]

I'm just curious as to why every single Ameracauna/EE I've met or owned has been sooo sweet!

Roosters, hens, chicks, they all just want to snuggle with me. And for some reason, all of my Ameracaunas(1 cockerel, 3 young pullets, from different hatcheries) love to stick their heads or beaks inside the neckline of my shirt when they're snuggled against me. They will sit like that for the longest time as I'm petting them. They even close their eyes and fall asleep there...the cockerel included! I remember my Ameracaunas that I had as a kid were very sweet too, and I had a wonderful rooster named Rock-A-Doodle who never behaved aggressively toward my family a day in his life.

Do you guys have really good experiences with Ameracaunas and Easter Eggers, or is this just a whole lot of coincidences?

 

[dacjohns]

Mine are all afraid. The black chickens peck all around my feet and jump on my legs. The brahmas and EEs stay away.

 

[ZooMummzy]

I have read similar things in many posts here. I consider you all very lucky because I am having exactly the opposite with my EE's. They are the least affectionate, most noisey and most skittish chicks I have had! I'm about ready to put all 4 of them up for adoption and call it quits with this breed. I am totally frustrated with them.

Want some more?

 

[Anne]

Mine ranged from extremely tame to extremely skittish.

Since "Easter Eggers" are so genetically mixed-up, there's no predicting personalities -- though I have a theory that some hatcheries may take personality into account when selecting breeding stock (therefore, offspring would be mostly docile), whereas others may not care about their breeding birds' personalities at all (and offspring from these would be more likely to be flighty or aggressive).

 

[Kev]

The ones I've had in the past kind of went one of two ways: naturally tame(friendly despite no attempts to tame them) OR extremely screechy and skittish.

Personally I think bias or not wanting to go against the grain happens a lot here and elsewhere. For example everybody says silkies are so sweet asnd the best broodies ever.. but I've met plenty of skittish or downright MEAN silkie roosters. They're NOT so few in numbers either. But everybody goes on saying theyre such sweet fuzzballs, and if someone mentions having the opposite, invariably a couple people respond with variants on "all those years I never have had a mean one" or "mine are sooo sweet and love to (cuddle, or the best momma ever)". After a while it does get tempting to just not mention something that doesn't go with the popular comments in general.

I guess I mean to say, that there can be a general characterstic to a breed.. but they still are all chickens. Even silkies..

 

[Oblio13]

I have only one and it's the wildest bird in the flock.

 

[Southern Gardener]

My chicks are very skittish even though I try to handle them everyday -

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I have two and mine are more skittish too. They will allow me to pick them up but they would rather not. I have been working with them more now so they are getting better

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

I raise the purebred Ameraucanas and all mine are tame, some are very skittish as chicks or go through one freak phase when young but they always all turn out to be either super tame and and crawl-in-your-shirt friendly or just indifferent(they will come to you if you have food and wont fuss if picked up but other then that they think humans are uninteresting).

Only freak I ever had was a EE hen I got from a hatchery, and she was a leggy white bird that laid light blue almost white eggs so I think she had lots of leghorn blood in her. So I think the legger freakiness kinda came through with her.

 

[Bec]

My little EE guy is VERY skiddish and freaks when I try to hold him. He is up for adoption. They all started out at the same level of skiddishness, but he is still the crazy one, everyone else jumps up and wants to be cuddled.
Anyone want him?? lol
I will hopefully be replacing him with a roo from Marlinchaser. Crazy little bird!