Reviews by cgoodloe

I had 3 EE'ers and had to get rid of 2 because they squawked all morning when laying, after laying, while others were laying, and a lot of it started at 7-8am. Annoying! Not a lap pet, do not like being picked up, hard to catch, some can be skittish. I had 1 out of 3 that was friendly and didn't mind being picked up sometimes but she didn't really like it either. Hard to know which temperament you will get. Each hen is different. I was told they laid large to extra large eggs but mine have only had medium green eggs. Was told they laid 5-6/week but I was lucky to get 3-5 a week out of a year old hen. They withstand cold really well. My only EE'er died a few days ago from what appears to be dehydration while trying to lay. I don't know exactly what happened to her. Could have been a spider bite for all I know. It was 110F that day and she was in the nest area. She was fine that morning and dead a few hours later. Nest area is aerated and under shade so unsure. They might be ok in heat if she died of something else. She was the friendly, quiet hen out of the 3 I had so I kept her.

Disappointed in egg production and size but she sure was beautiful! Not a heavy bird or heavy eater. Loved to forage. This hen also was picky about where to lay. We have 8-10 eggs under a building that we can't get to. Took us 2 weeks to figure out where she was laying. This same hen also would roll another hen's egg from where it was laid to where she wanted to lay hers inside the coop. I fixed that by leaving one of her own eggs in the nest and that's where she laid every time for the past 3 months. She was extremely smart and super quiet. Rarely ever heard her cackle and still not sure it was her. I will miss her but I won't buy EE'ers again.

High producer of large and extra large eggs. Doesn't need light in winter to lay but if you want production to remain high, a couple hours of a lamp during the darkest parts of winter will pick up production back to normal. Excellent breed for city living and high egg production. I have to sell some eggs because we don't eat them every day.

One of the quietest hens. I had EE'ers too and they were always noisy. Got rid of them. I rarely have a problem with cackling even after egg laying. Usually only if they get scared of something.
Pretty sure this is a RIRxDelaware mix and based on Delaware characteristics such as quietness and docileness. City limits requires quiet hens where I live. It's sad that you can have a noisy dog but can't have a hen if someone complains about it.

Excellent feed to egg conversion especially if able to forage as well. They love treats and fresh tomatoes. They are definitely not a meat bird. Lightweight though not flighty. If they had a different breed mother than the Delaware they might be more flighty but my 3 rarely try to fly anywhere even when a dog broke through the fence they didn't fly so one of them lost a lot of back feathers. Good thing the dog had bad eyesight or she could have killed my hens.

They are not standoffish but do not like to be picked up either. They are smart and learn quickly. I had one knock on the patio door in the mornings wanting her treat. But now the patio is off limits due to the mess they made out there.

They have withstood the high heat here in California's Central Valley. 108-112F during August. My only EE'er didn't make it because she takes so long to lay she dehydrated and died on the nest. EE'ers are supposed to be high heat compatible but they are not like the Red Stars.