Why? Just why?

[DeepDishChix]

Hey,
We have 9 chickens but we're only getting 2-5 eggs a day. They all started laying about 2 months ago. We have 5 Easter Eggers, 2 Amerecaunas, and 1 gold comet. They are getting plenty of protein (from black oil sunflower seeds) and im feeding them properly. A friend of ours has RIRS and Barred rocks and they are getting 9-10 eggs a day. They have 3 RIRS and 5 BRs a wyandotte and a cochin. Not fair

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

From my experience Americana and at least my EE have always quit laying during the cold of winter as well as the heat of summer. You have only one true egg laying breed, the others are bred for egg color, you should get more egg layers if you want eggs on a regular basis.

 

[LRH97]

From my experience Americana and at least my EE have always quit laying during the cold of winter as well as the heat of summer. You have only one true egg laying breed, the others are bred for egg color, you should get more egg layers if you want eggs on a regular basis.

Same with my EEs. Haven't seen a colored egg in quite a while now that it's colder here. The weather has been quite crazy here, mild one week and cold the next which screws the girls up. It's now been pretty chilly for a while and out of 22 girls, the highest number of eggs I've gotten in one day has been 8.

 

[DeepDishChix]

Ok thank you guys, i guess next time we get chicks we'll get more comets

 

[DanEP]

EE's are not in general great layers. Out of the 25 or so I've had only 2 have been pretty good layers and only 1 has laid large eggs most lay medium. To be honest if it weren't for the green eggs and their personality I probably wouldn't keep getting them.

 

[Cindy in PA]

My experience has been the exact opposite, so I dislike generalizations. I have had EEs 3 times in the past 23 years. I found mine to be early layers, great layers & birds that molted quickly & went back to laying fast. The eggs were always large to extra large eggs after the first couple of months. It's hard to generalize about any breeds.

 

[lazy gardener]

My experience has been the exact opposite, so I dislike generalizations. I have had EEs 3 times in the past 23 years. I found mine to be early layers, great layers & birds that molted quickly & went back to laying fast. The eggs were always large to extra large eggs after the first couple of months. It's hard to generalize about any breeds.

Agreed, Cindy! I love my EE gals. My first flock had 3 EE, 1 home bred BSL, and 1 RIR. No supplemental heat or light. The only one who laid through the winter was one of the EE gals. Moving forward, I have continued to breed my own chicks. EE roo over other breeds. I'm getting a wonderful mix of white (from RCBL), blue, green, olive, and browns of all shades from very dark to almost white. Those gals with EE heritage are wonderful layers.

 

[DeepDishChix]

One of my EE's lays 7 days a week. She lays medium sized eggs, and she was always the one that would get picked on, so we moved her out.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Cindy and LG, you cannot generalize on any breed. While some breeds do have tendencies, I find strain much more important than breed. If the person selecting which chickens get to breed selects for egg laying, after few generations you have a flock that lays pretty well, even if that breed is not supposed to lay well. If they don’t select for egg laying, after a few generations even a breed that is supposed to lay well probably won’t lay great.

Besides EE’s are not a breed. There is no recognized standard for them. They are simply a chicken where the hens might lay a blue or green egg. Some people don’t even require an EE to lay a blue or green egg, just that some hen in their ancestry did.

Your odds of getting a hen that lays well are better if you get them from a flock that lays well and from breeds that “tend” to lay well, but you don’t even get guarantees with these.

 

[Dead Rabbit]

My experience has been the exact opposite, so I dislike generalizations.  I have had EEs 3 times in the past 23 years. I found mine to be early layers, great layers & birds that molted quickly & went back to laying fast.  The eggs were always large to extra large eggs after the first couple of months.  It's hard to generalize about any breeds.

Can you please state your source of these superior EE.