How do Ameraucanas lay inthe winter?

[Davaroo]

Keep in mind, too, that chickens do not lay all year round - they are not machines. It always interests me that we denounce the commercial/battery egg-laying system, but expect our own chickens to crank out the eggs like automatons.

Winter is slow down time for most chickens, especially if the molt coincides with fall. The timing for egg laying is critical. Two year old layers are extremely cyclical, to boot, and tend to be in line with this seasonal schedule.

I'll wager those who do well with winter layers are doing so with late hatched, or first year pullets and/or are managing a staggered flock. Sometimes, we unwittingly take for granted what is really a force of nature.

 

[Fox]

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Well, it depends on the chicken... our Golden Comets lay year round, most lay everyday, but once in awhile we will be one egg short of the amount of chickens we have, so someone takes a day off every now and then. Comets are a breed that lay very well.

I have 4 Ameraucanas now, but I they are very young and not ready to lay. I don't even know if they are pullets or roos yet, so I can't help with how they lay... but some chickens do lay very, very regularly despite the season... at least here. It got quite cold, but we do use a heat lamp for them at night in the coop. They roam in the daytime... but if it were very cold, we'd leave a heat lamp in the coop for them then too.

 

[McSpin]

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I think it also depends on what kind of winter you have. Someone in northern Minnesota gets a lot less sunlight than someone in southern Florida. The birds also have to deal with average temps that might be 60-70 or more degrees colder. A lot of energy goes into keeping warm, vs producing eggs. How they're fed will affect it as well as the age of the birds.

Now, if you're adding light, heating their house, feeding right and trying to force eggs, then you'll probably get much better year-round laying with many breeds.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Even down here in sunny South Carolina, my Ameraucana don't lay much in *winter*. They pretty much are on vacation during Nov., Dec. and start picking back up in Jan.

Lisa

 

[Tailfeathers]

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I would take that wager. My birds are not late hatched nor first year pullets. And I don't think they are an exception. I have regular layers and then I have that are not so much so. Those I'll be culling.

From everything I've read, heard, and experienced myself, except for periods of molting, high stress, or other conditions such as extreme cold, chickens have a regular 25 hour cycle that they lay on. As long as they aren't putting their energy into something other than laying, and as long as they have the required light, they should lay fine and regularly all year long.

God Bless,

 

[redtailross]

Ok seeing as we had the mother of all winters for the last decade in central Alaska where it got down to -50 deg F and my heat went out for the entire winter,in the barn the chickens did great and are mega hardy....no worries...we only lost one to exposure out of 26.

Mine laid eggs up until spring they must have stopped about March when the weather warmed up to about 20 deg F then started up again in April/May when I could get them outside...stress from being indoors all winter.

I have 4 and two aruncanas (spelling?), we got eggs most days, we only have about 4ish hours of day light so I did have the light on intheir barn for about 9 hours a day....

they will be fine, just make sure they have food, and water available as much as you can.

They will be fine, take it as it comes...

 

[Chickenfarmer54]

I have a WB Ameraucana and noticed a dwindling supply of eggs, and about 2 weeks ago she stopped altogether. I was concerned she had become egg bound, but her behavior did not change, she ate, drank, and ran around with the rest of the girls. I feel much better now that I've read the entries in this forum. I only supply a small amount of heat to at least keep the coop above freezing because I chose breeds that can tolerate the cold. Maryland doesn't get like the New England states, but we've had a share of very low temps, and winter is not over. I also don't supply a light because I too like to give their bodies a rest. They are pets with a bonus.......eggs.