EE may outlay Ameraucanas. Unless you are getting Ams from a breeder, or paying a hatchery premium price for Ams, and you are buying a specific color of Am from a hatchery, what they call Ams at the hatchery are simply EE. False hatchery advertising at work here. That being said, I love EE. And last spring, I hatched 2 Ams from shipped eggs. One of those little gals is a nice layer. The other one... I'm not sure which eggs are hers, so not sure how often she lays. I've found that EE production is on a par with hatchery heritage breeds. The one thing I'd caution you with in your plan is that EE and Ams tend to be more timid, and will most likely end up at the bottom of the pecking order. I've never met a RIR that has not been an aggressive bird, and BSL also tend to be more assertive. If you have plenty of room in your coop and run, and have it set up so there are multiple height levels, as well as plenty of opportunity for the timid birds to get out of sight of their aggressors, and you provide plenty of opportunities for your birds to engage in natural chicken behaviors (forage opportunities, deep natural litter in coop and run) the EE/Ams should do fine. Also, consider fermented feed to increase your production as well as the quality of your eggs. My egg customers are addicted to my chicken eggs.
