WANTED: Easter Eggers, americanas, or araucana

[GoldenChick910]

I am looking for chickens(1-3) of the breeds silkies, easter eggers, americanas, or araucanas. Age doesn't matter, but they have to be female as we can not have roosters as much as we would like to

I am located in Western Mass and am willing to drive a reasonable distance.

Thanks!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Have you tried your local feed store? Ours gets Easter Eggers in a few times throughout the season that are sexed with 90% accuracy to be female. They will often be mislabeled as Ameraucana or some other incorrect spelling of it. To be a TRUE Araucana you should see ear TUFTS even at hatch and if older should have ear tufts with NO tail... or it's also a misrepresentation. True Ameraucana will ALWAYS be sold under their variety. Like black, blue, Lavender, Wheaton, and so on. They also will cost around $18 or so and not the standard $4 of most feed stores.

Either way... I love Easter Eggers! I will always have or 1 or 2 in my flock. I love the variety of eye candy the provide on pasture, as well as being able to tell them apart at a glance. I also love feeling like a kid each day when I get to collect eggs. And they're a mixed bag of personalities.

If you don't already have chickens... definitely don't get less than 2 since they are social creatures. 3 is more ideal if you have the space, in case something happens to 1 the others still have a friend.

Silkies are fun and cute plus a lot easier to handle than large fowl even if they dispute it. But if you don't have intention of hatching (50% boys) or raising your own chicks (I like to adopt female chicks from the feed store)... they may be a little too broody. Most of mine are excessively so. And while it's a fantastic experience to see a hen raise chicks... there is nothing friendly about a broody hen. And NOTHING fun about breaking them. Some lines are LESS broody, so be sure and take that into consideration. When not broody they actually lay pretty well. It's the broodiness that keeps their count down on statistics, I think.

Good luck on your en-devour.

 

[chixwithkidz5]

EggSighted4Life - thanks for your kind reply! GoldenChick910 is my daughter. She has lots of experience and loves to learn about them whenever she can. We got chickens about 3 years ago and of my five children she fell in love with them Head Over Heels
We have dyed Easter Eggers before and actually have a a couple right now, but unfortunately they are not the pretty egg layers. They are however wonderful birds... She has a couple silkies as well and that is a breed that I am not sure how anybody can not fall in love with!
We will check out Tractor Supply. They haven't had them the last couple times we went in but I'm sure it will change over over the summer.
Anyway I just thought your response was so informative and complete and helpful. I'll have her check back on tomorrow to read it. Thanks again!!

 

[rlhagan56]

I love EE's and Silkies. It's spelled Ameraucana, the other spelling in some places refers to EE's which is what feed stores sell no matter what they say they are. My EE's are beautiful and lay really well, always have. Now I raise certain colors of Ameraucana''s.