Rate of Lay?

[Guest]

Another silly newbie question...what is a ballpark figure for rate-of-lay for Ameraucanas in general and the varieties in particular?

If I\'m going for good colors and good rate of lay, which variety(ies) should I look for?

Thanks guys,

Liz in Utah

[Mike Gilbert]

Assuming you are asking about large fowl since you are concerned with production qualities?   Actually some of the bantams may be more economical when you consider size of eggs, rate of lay, and feed conversion.   In the large fowl I only raise brown reds  and a few silvers right now.   The silvers are not good winter layers (at least mine are not) but the brown reds lay quite well year around.   I keep a thermometer in the coop and noticed it was ten degrees above inside when I did chores this morning.   In the brown red pen, the first egg was in the nest already and another hen was getting into the same nest.  I only have five females this year, and one of those is older and just finishing her molt.  Brown reds, when right, are beautiful in my opinion, but the color varies quite a bit - even from the same breeders, especially the females.   Some will feather out nearly black, others with way too much lacing and shafting.   The lacing should come halfway down the front, without shafting, and not be present in the shoulders.  Sorry for rambling.

[Guest]

Mike,
Thanks for the description of a B-R female. I, too, have found variability in the plummage of B-R\'s.

[Guest]

Hi guys, thanks so much for your reply.

I am definitely looking for large fowl, not bantams...so it sounds like I should try to avoid the silvers (I understand they can be small and flighty, anyway).  Brown-red sounds fine to me, I am more concerned about quality of eggs than I am plumage color on the chicken.  That winter laying trait sounds great, too

How many eggs a week do you think I should be able to expect per hen?  Some of my EELs were laying 7 a week, and it wasn\'t unusual for me to get a dozen eggs a day from my dozen hens...I am hoping the real Ameraucanas do as well.

Any thoughts on that?

Thanks for your insight, I sure appreciate you taking the time to help me with these questions!

Liz in  Utah

[Guest]

My Blacks seem to be the temperamental layers while the blues and splash lay pretty much all the time unless it gets to cold.  We keep our coop at 54 degrees all of the time so only the most temperamental of my birds let winter bother them.

[Guest]

Great info, thank you  So brown-reds, and blues or splashes.

Does anyone have any idea on how many eggs per week we can expect from real Ameraucanas?

[Mike Gilbert]

Rate of lay depends on a multiplicity of factors besides their breeding.   Ameraucanas may not lay as well as many easter eggers, as Ameraucanas have been bred for form and color - not just production qualities.   Hybrid vigor usually contributes to overall health and production.   So if egg production is your only concern, you may be better off to stick with the E.E.\'s

[John]

LF silvers and wheatens/blue wheatens lay the bluest eggs of the LF varieties.  My brown red pullets haven\'t laid an egg yet, but I\'m getting a few from the silvers...so this is just the opposite of what Mike is experiencing.
The blacks/blues are great layers, but don\'t have the best egg shell color.  LF whites may be a consideration, if you can find them.
On average I\'ve had LF Ameraucanas that lay between every other day to 6 weeks per week.

[bantamhill]

In large fowl I would consider my silver and buff to be the best layers here at Bantam Hill with the silver as a group having better color.

I would agree with Mike however, and urge you to consider bantams if you are looking for layers. I know a lot of folks think bantams are a waste of time when it comes to laying, but I would put the production of my white Ameraucana bantams ahead of all of my large fowl. They start laying early and lay right on through the winter in unheated pens (I am in Central Missouri where it has been below 32 degrees for many weeks). Some of the eggs will pass as small to medium grade eggs and it is easy to adjust recipies to deal with the smaller eggs. Once folks get used to the idea of the smaller egg everything else is the same. I have some folks who come to me looking for bantam eggs to use as part of a diet.

Michael

[Guest]

That\'s great info guys, thanks.  It seems like everybody has their own opinion on what types are good layers  I was very impressed with how well my EELs layed, but I don\'t own them anymore--I traded them for something I needed more, at the time.

I don\'t think banties are going to be the best thing for me, but thanks so much for the info on them, anyway.  I figure the more I learn about these terrific birds the better I\'ll do with them.

I hope to be able to get some nice LF and end up with productive birds, with good egg color...even if I have to breed selectively and cull to do it.  I\'m surpised at the nice blue many of my EELs had, though.  Who knows WHAT they were mixed with.

Anyway thanks again everyone, I really really appreciate you taking the time to teach me things!!

[Guest]

The Wheaten & Blue Wheaten LF eggs we got last year were a nice light blue or light turquoise and a few were a deep light blue. It sounds like this is the norm for these varieties. I\'m sure their particular breeder, Barbara Campbell of *Blue Egg Acres*, has focused on this quality as well. We are very pleased with the egg colors we got.