Maybe they're more of a wild type, genetically? I wonder what production is like on say a Cream Crested Legbar? They've got the blue egg gene but crossed with other domesticated breeds for other traits. Good to know, though. I can stop feeling her up every day!Grumpy Gilligan will be pleased. Or at least less irritated.
After their first pullet laying cycle I wouldn't trust any blue-egg gene breed mix - our friend's OEs were duddy as layers and she re-homed them too. On the CL thread I read too many disappointments in either color of eggs or production. Lucky if you luckout to get a good layer but a real let-down if you get a hen that inherited duddy genetics. If you can have a large flock it's worth changing out the EEs every year for a new batch of pullets but I don't happen to have the zoning or the space to change out a flock every year. The Farmers' Market seller said they won't bother any more. Their freezer would fill up too full with all the EEs they'd have to cull after their pullet year.
There's something unbalanced when a non-broody young blue-egg bird gets out-performed by broody old bantam breeds!!!!! I got 4 to 5 dozen eggs out of my 2 old Silkies and only 3 eggs for the entire year out of my less-than-2-yr-old Ameraucana!!!!! Our friend had an EE that layed zero eggs her 2nd year so I considered myself lucky to have gotten at least 3 this year from our hen. If I had known beforehand that blue-egg genetics was a crap-shoot I never would've invested the time or money.
The only saving grace about purebred Ameraucanas or hatchery EEs is that they are such darn sweet birds. Our girl would be re-homed or on the dinner table right now if she wasn't such a good kind flockmate. Who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen and she might give us 3 eggs again next year?
