Do your EE's lay during the winter or are mine hiding their eggs???

[mahsmaj]

I got 3 eggs a day... and then suddenly ended up only getting 1 a day from my RIR. Are my other 2 EE's laying somewhere else or have they stopped laying for the winter???

 

[speckledhen]

I have one EE pullet who is going on 32 weeks and not one egg yet. I was just counting and out of my entire flock, layers and breeders, I have 30 who have been laying for years or who have laid even one egg, like my New Hampshire, Penny, who just popped out her first one today. Someone has said that EEs and Ameraucanas are not the best winter layers, though my oldest Ameraucana did well last winter. This will be her second winter and we'll have to see how she and her daughter do.
Of the 30 hens and pullets who are current layers, I got 6 eggs today, the least amount ever. I have 13 pullets who should be laying, from 23 weeks up to 32 weeks, but haven't graced me with even one egg yet. There are several breeds represented, including two 27-wk-old Ameraucana girls. This time of year with changing seasons, diminishing light and colder temps slows down the works a bit.

 

[eggydoom]

My three stopped laying early last fall and didn't start up again until early spring. They stopped laying again just a few weeks back.

 

[ZepChick]

our EE's are still going strong, 8 mos old and we usually have between 10-14 eggs a day (also some Fayoumi eggs, Cochin eggs, Polish eggs, 1 Hamburg) most are green/blue and we have 18 hens total

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Well, I only have the three (2 RIR and 1 EE) so this is by far NOT any sort of a scientific comparison.

I've kept a calendar since they hatched in Spring 2006. In her first year of laying, the EE took several breaks. Compared with the RIRs, her breaks are longer and she lays fewer eggs than they do even when all are laying. She laid more than 60 fewer eggs than the RIRs during their first year of laying.

Now completed with her second full year of laying, she hasn't laid an egg since July 17th. During this period, she's been molting off and on the whole time. First she lost neck feathers, then her tail, then some feathers on her chest, and so on. Each time she grows them back in before losing the next section. Are you finding more feathers than usual?

Living in So. Cal, we're less affected by the short days than some parts of the country, so I would think it'd be more of a breed specific or bird specific thing that would cause this to happen here than just the shorter days, especially if other breeds aren't being affected. That said, the other two have been molting as well (tho not as long a duration), but both have started squatting and one graced me with an egg today!

 

[HenHaven]

I have 2 EEs right now. One lays through the winter, and the other does not. I think it depends on the particular breed they are crossed with.

My EEs have always been bad about hiding their eggs--so that is definitely a possibility. Once my EE had a nest of 22 eggs before I found out where she was laying! I thought she was taking a big, looooong break!

I'm not helping you out much here, am I?