Question about laying

[greeneggsandham]

Hi,
I have a couple of LF black ameraucana hens that are now 28 wks old and have not produced an egg yet.  Seems quite a long time considering my 26 wk old Easter Egger layed her first egg about three weeks ago.  They have their choice of scratch, layer pellets and grower crumbles and free range.  I have kept them penned for half the day the last two days just in case they may be laying outside the nests, but still no eggs.  Shouldn\'t they be laying by now or is this breed a much later starter?

Thanks,
sharon

[Guest]

Sharon,

   Just be paitent with them.  This time of year some birds lay and some don\'t. It is possible that you won\'t get eggs until spring but I wouldn\'t count them out.  

  Laying is controled by the hours of daylight so as the days get shorter the hens will stop laying. This can be manipulated somewhat by breeding (very limited at best) but most of the time it is still the rule of thumb.

 Hope this helps.

Mark

[John]

I remember last year some of my Ameraucana large fowl started laying at 18 weeks, but this year most were later.  I am getting many eggs from my LF buff and wheaten pullets, but the LF brown red pullets haven\'t laid an egg yet.  The LF silvers and black pullets have just started laying in the past week or so.  Just as some breeds lay sooner and more often than others do, so do some varieties within some breeds.  Here in mid Michigan I generally notice the egg production to pick up around mid to late January as the days get longer.

[Guest]

We have a LF Buff pullet that started laying at about 18 weeks, one week ago. (Thanks again Larry!)  

We also have a 1 black, 1 blue, and 3 wheaten LF pullets that are 33 weeks old and still haven\'t started laying yet.

[greeneggsandham]

Thanks.  I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with them.  

[Guest]

When I first started with chickens I whent throught the same torment you are right now, but after 20+ years I just let them do their thing and they lay when they are ready

Mark

[bantamhill]

This year I am trying lights on my hens/pullets to help laying along. I have found in years past that pullets of some varieties of the lines of Ameraucana are much more light sensative than others (This includes both bantam and large fowl varieties). I have had pullets that were hatched and raised for the fall show season start laying only a little earlier (by days) than their sisters hatched in July or August. I have started intentially hatching my replacement breeders/layers in June or July because I have a good four months of warm weather here in central Missouri to grow the birds off. Those of you farther north of course cannot do this. I have also found that Ameraucana bantams in general are better layers than the large fowl based on the strains I have.  I know that some scoff at the eggs of bantams, but once one is used to using more than one egg at a time they can be better producers than large fowl.

When breeding one should pay attention to who starts laying when out of a group or who lays the longest . . . Ameraucana are dual purpose and should have good egg production . . . of course more to work on in your breeding program and mine!

Michael