Buff orps laying, but EE's aren't

[Shaylynne]

Hello!

This has puzzled me the last couple weeks, my Easter eggers all stopped laying a couple weeks ago, I have 4 of them. I have 3 buff Orpingtons who are laying everyday, still getting 3 eggs a day in the winter from them. They are all 8 months old.

Are EE's known to not produce at all in the winter? I'm new to all this.

Thanks!

Edit: I read the sticky thread about egg production, but I didn't catch an answer for a particular breed to stop laying while the other breed keeps on keeping on.

 

[OC Chick]

Following! One question for you, how old were your EE's when they started laying? I'm curious because I heard they take longer to start laying. Does the length of their lay time affect when they stop laying for the winter?

 

[junebuggena]

I've found that Easter Eggers need more protein to be regular producers than other breeds. Layer feed just doesn't cut it for them.

 

[Shaylynne]

Following! One question for you, how old were your EE's when they started laying? I'm curious because I heard they take longer to start laying. Does the length of their lay time affect when they stop laying for the winter?

Surprisingly to me, my EE's started laying a month before my buff orpingtons. My EE's started laying at 6 months and the buffs at almost 7 months. I love my pink, blue and green eggs from the EEs
(And of course the brown ones from the buffs)

 

[Shaylynne]

I've found that Easter Eggers need more protein to be regular producers than other breeds. Layer feed just doesn't cut it for them.

Interesting, thanks for the insight. Anything in particular that you'd recommend for more protein?

 

[OC Chick]

Good to know!!! The horror stories of them not laying till 8 months or longer had me worried and then when you posted that yours stopped laying altogether had me freaking out that they don't lay much. I love my EE's and am going crazy with anticipation for them to start laying to see what color eggs I get. Good information above about them needing more protein to lay through the winter.

 

[junebuggena]

Interesting, thanks for the insight. Anything in particular that you'd recommend for more protein?

Don't feed them layer. Just stick with higher protein unmedicated starter, grower, or flock raiser feed and provide crushed oyster shell separately. You don't need layer feed to get eggs. It doesn't have a magic ingredient.

 

[Shaylynne]

It's definitely fun finding out the colors of the eggs! My kids found the first one (a blue egg) in their play house outside. It was a HUGE deal for them, hehe! Needless to say I kept them in the run/coop for a couple days after that to train her.
When they start submissively squatting you'll know eggs are on the way soon!

 

[Shaylynne]

Don't feed them layer. Just stick with higher protein unmedicated starter, grower, or flock raiser feed and provide crushed oyster shell separately. You don't need layer feed to get eggs. It doesn't have a magic ingredient.

Awesome, thanks for this! I had started to save my egg shells to bake/grind up as a calcium supplement. Is that something you'd recommend, or just stick with the oyster shells?

 

[dekel18042]

Hello!

This has puzzled me the last couple weeks, my Easter eggers all stopped laying a couple weeks ago, I have 4 of them. I have 3 buff Orpingtons who are laying everyday, still getting 3 eggs a day in the winter from them. They are all 8 months old.

Are EE's known to not produce at all in the winter? I'm new to all this.

Thanks!

Edit: I read the sticky thread about egg production, but I didn't catch an answer for a particular breed to stop laying while the other breed keeps on keeping on.

How old are your EE's? Next to my California Greys, my EE"s are my best layers. Everyone else stopped before them early October and those still aren't laying while my older EE's stopped later molted and are already laying again. Mine have all started laying between five and six months old.
Now that I've said that, those hatched last spring, only half have just started laying while I'm waiting for the others, perhaps because the days are still short and it was a late spring hatch.
I'm also wondering if the father had an effect on this. Oh, well, the rest should start soon.