Easter Eggers. (Are the eggs as good?)

[aforeman]

I recently got chicks to raise and get some eggs from. We have 6 BA's and 6 ISA Browns. I would like to get some hens already laying. I really like the idea of the colored eggs from Easter Eggers. My question is, are the eggs as good? I love farm fresh brown eggs, but I don't know a whole lot about Easter Eggers. Any info would be appreciated. Also, I have small children and I have read the 2 breeds we have are pretty friendly. I don't want a flighty bird. Any info will be helpful! Thanks.

 

[Cluck Wild Farm]

EE's are awesome! I have roughly a dozen EE's in a flock of fifty and I love them. Among them is a six month old blue and tan EE pullet that was raised by a hen from day one (I think I held her maybe once as a chick) and she enjoy's hopping up on my shoulder when she gets the chance. Meanwhile the two barred rocks that were raised by the same hen run from me. I find EE's to be among the friendliest of breeds. As far as eggs, all eggs taste the same but their egg size can vary - I have one that lays a large blue egg and a few that lay medium sized mint colored eggs. Size and color will vary hen to hen. As with any chicken though, the more time you can spend with them as a chick, the friendlier they'll be as adults.

On another note, I have an eight week old ISA Brown and she is the friendliest little thing! I actually didn't really want her when I purchased her as a day old chick but in Illinois where I live you have to purchase a minimum of five chicks at a time. At the time the feed store didn't have many to choose from so I was kinda stuck with her to total five. Over the past eight weeks I have fallen in love with the 'breed'. I can't believe I almost didn't get her! So a week ago I stumbled upon a bunch more day old ISA Browns for sale at our feed store and I quickly grabbed up eight more

 

[aforeman]

Thank you! I really like the look of the barred rocks, but have read they aren't the friendliest, so I decided to stay away from them. My Isa's seem to have so much personality. Here's a pic of one I took the other day at about 3 weeks old.

 

[Blooie]

There is no difference between the brown eggs and the blue eggs except shell color. I have Easter Eggers in my flock and I just love them! They are friendly (that said, I'm not the kind of person who needs my chickens to fawn over me, so to me friendly simply means I can work easily around them and trust them with my grandkids) and they have the most appealing faces - even the smooth faced ones. I also love looking out in the yard and seeing them out there against the green grass - they are so many different colors that it's like a rainbow painted on the grass!

I mean, look at these faces - who couldn't smile right back?

 

[Cluck Wild Farm]

Barred rocks can be very friendly, those two I referenced are just a bit flightly because they were hen raised so I didn't get much interaction with them as chicks. It's just a miracle the EE turned out as friendly as she did. You can imagine my surprise and elation when she flew up on my shoulder for the first time! My favorite hen of all time was actually a barred rock. She had a scissored beak so she was smaller than the other hens because she couldn't eat as well but she was a total sweetie. I think any breed can be friendly if given enough time and attention.

 

[aforeman]

My chicks get plenty of interaction! With 3 and 7 year old boys, they are handled plenty! I might try some barred rocks. I really like the look of them.

How well do the Easter Eggers lay?

 

[Michael OShay]

I recently got chicks to raise and get some eggs from. We have 6 BA's and 6 ISA Browns. I would like to get some hens already laying. I really like the idea of the colored eggs from Easter Eggers. My question is, are the eggs as good? I love farm fresh brown eggs, but I don't know a whole lot about Easter Eggers. Any info would be appreciated. Also, I have small children and I have read the 2 breeds we have are pretty friendly. I don't want a flighty bird. Any info will be helpful! Thanks.

The EE eggs may not be quite as large as your Isa Brown eggs, but nutritionally there is no difference between brown eggs, white eggs, or the colored eggs of EEs. Our EEs are usually a little more standoffish than our Black Australorps (our EEs tolerate being handled but don't really like it), but they are docile and will do fine with your children. Our EEs are my granddaughter's (pictured in my avatar) favorite chickens. She loves their colored eggs. )