Duds?

[jencrom]

I have 2 black jersey giants and 2 Ameraucana pullets, all 8 months old. None are laying yet. I know the bjg take longer to mature but what’s up with the Ameraucana? I’m in coastal SC so it’s still warm here (highs around 70 lows in the upper 50s). I’m stubborn and refuse to buy eggs.

 

[AltonaAcres]

Are you sure they are females? Do they get enough Calcium? Could they be laying in a place you wouldn't look to check for eggs?

 

[azygous]

Yes, you are correct that large breeds take significantly longer to mature and begin laying. But some standard size breeds are simply not very good winter layers and need quite a long day in order for egg laying hormones to be triggered.

The only hens laying now in my flock are my new sex-links and my Cream Legbars. Everyone else is on leave while they molt and until the days stop getting shorter and start to get longer again.

 

[jencrom]

Are you sure they are females? Do they get enough Calcium? Could they be laying in a place you wouldn't look to check for eggs?

 

[jencrom]

Are you sure they are females? Do they get enough Calcium? Could they be laying in a place you wouldn't look to check for eggs?

Doubt they are cockerels. Small combs, no spurs, no crowing and they are not aggressive-bottom of the pecking order. I bought them from a hatchery as pullets but I know there’s no 100% guarantee. We have a lot of predators so they are fully contained in an extra large enclosure, although I do let them roam periodically. I’ve had Ameraucanas before and it hasn’t taken this long. Maybe they are as stubborn as I am.
I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this long of a wait with this particular breed?

 

[jencrom]

Yes, you are correct that large breeds take significantly longer to mature and begin laying. But some standard size breeds are simply not very good winter layers and need quite a long day in order for egg laying hormones to be triggered.

The only hens laying now in my flock are my new sex-links and my Cream Legbars. Everyone else is on leave while they molt and until the days stop getting shorter and start to get longer again.

I guess with our warmer climate I was hoping they would start before they closed shop for winter.

 

[azygous]

The Ameraucanas or EES that I've gotten in spring in the past have almost all lagged in onset of laying, not quite making it before the days got too short. Almost all waited until the following spring to begin laying. It's not warm climate that stimulates laying. It depends on length of daylight.

 

[jencrom]

Thanks! Good to know. I may get my next set of chicks in the fall and hope for mid summer eggs.

 

[azygous]

I highly recommend sex-links. They will begin laying sooner than any other breed and they will defy the short days and keep laying far beyond any others. They are virtual egg factories. And very sweet and friendly, too.

And you are guaranteed to only get the pullets you wanted. No danger of accidental roos.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Any EEs I have had over the years, hatched March-early May, have always started on time from 18-20 weeks. Don't know about true Ameracaunas.