Last spring I fixed our chicken pen after the racoons had their feast, bought a few chicks to raise for eggs. We have 2 white leg horns, 2 (now 1) Rhode Island Red and 2 Ameraucana's. While the leg horns and red continue to lay through the winter the Ameraucana's shut down production as soon as the weather changed and the days started getting shorter. They haven't laid an egg in about 3 months, they are not going through a molt. Most if not all know this but just to clearify, we get white eggs from the horns, brown eggs from the red and green eggs from the Ameraucana. Has anyone ever had the same problem with this breed?
Question on chickens -Ameraucana
- Thread starter Alan
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branguscowgirl
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It is common for chickens to quit laying in the colder months, and less common for them to continue laying. And it is normal for them to vary by breed. Each breed has a different rhythm per say.
greybeard
Well-known member
It has a lot to do with the amt of sunlight in the day--most need about 12-14 hrs of light or they won't lay.
Put a light in the laying area maybe?
Put a light in the laying area maybe?
M5farm
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you should try ducks. IMO the eggs are much better.
Hook
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Muscovies if you can get themM5farm":hpcubzz8 said:
Daylight hours affext chicken laying more than anything
M5farm":3030idvm said:
:shock: :shock: :shock: we Oregon fans don't eat Duck eggs! And we don't eat Duck! :lol:
We have had chickens for years, but more popular breeds. Have never had them just shut down, even in our cold, wet, dark time of the year we have now the Red and horns are giving us two to three eggs a day.
circlebllc
Well-known member
We have always kept one light bulb on during the winter months, seems to help.
bigbull338
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the EE hens as i call them will lay till nov.and they wont start laying again till feb when the days are getting longer.
Craig Miller
Well-known member
Our ameraucauna is still laying but not every day. More like every other day. We do not have a light in there but did put a heat lamp with a red bulb
Never heard of an americauna, just aruacana. Chickens require a given amount of light every day to keep laying. We put a 50 watt bulb on a timer/light senson and set it so they got 12 hours of light a day. They would lay all winter long as long as the water was kept unfrozen and they had feed. For free range chickens I have no idea how you would give them enough light.
The book raising poultry the modern way has the particulars on light etc., all the way through to the correct temperature for scalding for plucking.
The book raising poultry the modern way has the particulars on light etc., all the way through to the correct temperature for scalding for plucking.
slick4591
Well-known member
I'm having the same issue with all the breeds of my birds, not just the Ameraucanas.
MO_cows
Well-known member
I think some of the chicken breeds have been "improved" more than the Ameracauna or Easter Egger. They are still a little closer to their wild ancestor who of course wouldn't lay eggs year round, but nest during the right season, more like wild birds. You can trick them with 14 hours of light every day, but I just let nature take its course. They have longevity, I have some that gotta be 7, 8 years old now. Just as spry and active as ever. They don't lay as much as they used to but they still lay from spring to fall and the eggs seem to just keep getting bigger. Those old, old hens seem to lay 2, 3 times a week. Since they are free range and rustling most of their own grub, I'll take it. A stringy old hen isn't worth the work to butcher, at least for me.
Dun - Araucana is the pure breed of the colored egg laying fowl. They don't have tails, they are "rumpless" and smaller than regular chickens. Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers have been crossed with regular chickens for a chicken-like appearance and bigger/more eggs. They are composites.
Dun - Araucana is the pure breed of the colored egg laying fowl. They don't have tails, they are "rumpless" and smaller than regular chickens. Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers have been crossed with regular chickens for a chicken-like appearance and bigger/more eggs. They are composites.
Thanks for all your responses, with the bit of Google search I did before posting this only thing I learned was they are refered to as Easter egg chickens. For my wife and I we get plenty of eggs to meet our needs with just the three laying. Supporting chickens for fresh eggs is expensive enough, but well worth the expense and effort, but as far as adding a light with a timer, the coop is 75 to 100 yards away from the house with no power to it ....... So their on their own and we don't starve for eggs, I may pick up 3 or 4 more chicks this spring ..... But? So as it goes I guess these two ameraucana's are free loader during the winter months.
Thanks again for the help.
Alan
Thanks again for the help.
Alan
slick4591
Well-known member
But, each one of the breeds have some that are laying. I've read the same thing, Dun. Last year I put a light in with the layers which gave them at least 14 hours everyday. Didn't seem to make much of a difference in my case.
edited to add: Right now we are getting 10 hours and 6 minutes of daylight. I just gathered for the day and I pulled in 8 eggs from 26 layers.
edited to add: Right now we are getting 10 hours and 6 minutes of daylight. I just gathered for the day and I pulled in 8 eggs from 26 layers.
Makes sense to me. We've been out of the chicken business for almost 50 years so I'm not up on all the breed "improvements". Cheaper and easier to just buy eggs from a neighbor and let them go thrrough all the chicken s-----.MO_cows":ply3881g said:
slick4591
Well-known member
MO_cows":2w7x1wy9 said:
There are disagreements about the Ameraucana, Americana and Easter Egger birds. The Ameraucana and Auracana birds are recognized by the APA as their individual breeds. The Americanas are a name given by the hatcheries to a crossed Ameraucana bird that still has the pea comb. Easter Egger is another name for Americanas. Even worse is some hatcheries are selling chicks as Auracana and they have rumps and tails. I have found that some people think the receipt from a hatchery bird is gospel over the APA. To me that's just like calling my traditional baldies a Black Hereford.
cow pollinater
Well-known member
You can kind of beat the daylight thing if you buy chicks in the late fall. They grow a little slower over winter and then start the laying cycle later in the summer. Once they do start laying they're a bigger, stronger bird and they will lay all winter but still not like they do in the spring. I doubt if it would work with tinted easter eggers as they're more of a tropical bird but it works good on the brown egg layers.
tripleBfarms
Well-known member
Try feeding some corn, or a hot mash.
Named'em Tamed'em
Well-known member
Our egg production dropped from 10 eggs to 2 eggs per day with 12 hens. Forced the wife to put light bulb in the coop, just a 13 watt curly bulb now she's getting 10 eggs a day. It took 3 weeks to kick in.
Her auracana cross raised on the farm (5th generation ) start laying at 4 months and are very very broody. They are all free range, cow pie scratching fools.
Her auracana cross raised on the farm (5th generation ) start laying at 4 months and are very very broody. They are all free range, cow pie scratching fools.
