Hi out there!
Can someone tell me about SPECIFICALLY McMurray's Easter Eggers? (The "Ameraucanas")
I'm looking at getting a batch of them because they supposedly only lay blues and I've had good luck with EE in the past temperament-wise. How do they lay? My mother has some, and and she reports that they lay well and she's loved the roosters, and the hens have laid through the winter barring molt time, but she lives more down south in a warmer climate with more sun and I live in a more northern climate. Does anyone more up north have them from McMurray specifically and have they experienced winter lay their first year?
I was considering getting another breed instead like Australorps, which I've also had before, but it looks like the Australorps weigh twice as much, but only lay a level ranking above the EE's and I'm not sure they'd be worth the extra feed...plus, I love those smooth, easy to wash clean blue egg shells that I used for cooking while I was down south visiting mum.
Barred rocks were another option-I like the autosexing rocks offer and the meat bird rating-but again, the rate of lay vs their weight and feed consumption don't look that appealing. I've also had temperament issues with BR hens, not sure I want that attitude around "rooster-tized"
As a side note, these birds will probably be confined to a pen, but given lighting during the winter, although I've had chickens that only lay between May and October no matter how much lighting they get (although the extra hours to eat and drink seemed to improve everyone's winter body condition) and I'm not sure if these "ameraucanas" will be one of those breeds or not.
Can anybody give me insider information about these breeds from this hatchery in specific?
Can someone tell me about SPECIFICALLY McMurray's Easter Eggers? (The "Ameraucanas")
I'm looking at getting a batch of them because they supposedly only lay blues and I've had good luck with EE in the past temperament-wise. How do they lay? My mother has some, and and she reports that they lay well and she's loved the roosters, and the hens have laid through the winter barring molt time, but she lives more down south in a warmer climate with more sun and I live in a more northern climate. Does anyone more up north have them from McMurray specifically and have they experienced winter lay their first year?
I was considering getting another breed instead like Australorps, which I've also had before, but it looks like the Australorps weigh twice as much, but only lay a level ranking above the EE's and I'm not sure they'd be worth the extra feed...plus, I love those smooth, easy to wash clean blue egg shells that I used for cooking while I was down south visiting mum.
Barred rocks were another option-I like the autosexing rocks offer and the meat bird rating-but again, the rate of lay vs their weight and feed consumption don't look that appealing. I've also had temperament issues with BR hens, not sure I want that attitude around "rooster-tized"
As a side note, these birds will probably be confined to a pen, but given lighting during the winter, although I've had chickens that only lay between May and October no matter how much lighting they get (although the extra hours to eat and drink seemed to improve everyone's winter body condition) and I'm not sure if these "ameraucanas" will be one of those breeds or not.
Can anybody give me insider information about these breeds from this hatchery in specific?
