Americauna - Prima Donna

[luckitri]

I am not a fan of this breed. They are late to lay. They do not lay regular. They are fussy eaters. Actually they are fussy about everything.

Actually they are Easter Eggers but the local stores wish to call them Ameracaunas.

I am going back to other breeds.

Barred Rock, California Leghorn, Rhode Island Red & Production Red.

 

[TanksHill]

Maybe it just depends on the individual birds. My first Ameracaunas, or EE's were great layers. Huge eggs with regular consistancy. I have 12 new birds in the run who are due to lay the end of this month. I guess we will see.

 

[Andora]

I have had six EE's. None are old enough to lay, so don't know about that yet, but their personalities are all wonderful and hilarious. Mine will eat anything and love to be hand fed. They are one of my favorite breeds so far!

 

[TaLani]

Quote:
I don't have a single complaint about my 4 EE's either. Shall we take them off your hands for you??

I know I'd love more - he he he!

 

[Adri]

Like the previous posters, I like my Ameraucanas because they are interesting birds. I had 5 to begin, and each one had a very different personality. We re-homed a white rooster because he was overly aggressive with the rest of the flock, but the rest of them have been colourful characters doing funny things all the time. As for egglaying, my chickens are all 27 1/2 weeks old, and I just got my first blue egg today, but the only other breed in my flock to lay earlier is my Buff Catalanas at 22 weeks. If I was looking for more eggs, I would probably not bother with Ameraucanas, but our chickens are just fun farm pets that happen to produce food too.

 

[conroy]

My EE/Ameracauna pullet is 33 weeks...yet to lay an egg but she is the sweetest l'il bird. And so much fun to watch.

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

OK, I'll jump in and give you some support.

I've had EEs for two years now, from 3 different sources (McMurray, Ideal, and a local person who was thinning her year-old flock)

The good?
*The eggs are great conversation pieces, and I have several people who want at least 1-2 of them when they get eggs from my girls.
*Some of them are beautiful, pheasant-looking birds.
*They do silly chicken-things which make me laugh.

The bad?
*None of them have produced as often or as consistently large an egg as do my BR and Production Reds. Typically, they each lay about 3-4 eggs a week.
*I've had 3 EEs who always laid eggs with no shells; I've never had another kind of hen do that.
*They are skittish and would rather roost in trees than behave like nice girls and go into the coop at night with the rest of the flock.
*They didn't do as well during the outbreak of fowl pox; they ALL came down with it, and most of them came down with the wet variety. The BRs and PRs only got the dry variety.

In summation, I don't think I'll send them all to the stewpot, but I don't think I'll get any more, either.

Edited at 5:43pm, after I went to collect eggs:
They must have heard me use the word "stewpot". Today, I got 6 blue eggs from 5 EEs!!!!

 

[Cindy in PA]

My present EE's were the first to lay at 19 weeks. They lay about 4-5 eggs per week instead of 6 like my brown egglayers.

 

[ears73]

I love mine - excellent foragers, adaptable to our changing flock and they are funny! They run after me when I am headed towards the kitchen door -the scraps come out of that room!

 

[luckitri]

I am hoping that when my new ones mature they will educate my EE's regarding food varieties.

My RIR's and Austrolorps ate everything they could get including my rubber plant. They laid regular. When we got them they instantly followed us around like we were mama. None of my EE's or my new ones do that. They are all wild.

I am absolutely positive that the visiting wild birds terrified my EE's with tales of what we planned to do to them. Once they did start laying and realized that all I wanted was the eggs they got alot friendlier with me and less fearful.

I do love them and enjoy them.