We Set Our Clocks Back, But Who Will Explain This To The Rooster?

   We set our clocks back but the chickens don't know this. Especially our rooster. He is crowing at his usual hour, which is an hour sooner now. :(

   I am not sure why America still has daylight savings time, are you? Times have changed and I think it no longer makes sense.

   I have noticed the chickens now expect to be let out at what would have been their usual time, but isn't now. Seriously, who's going to tell them the seasons are changing.

   I also feel bad that there just aren't many bugs available for them to forage this time of year. They are scratching through the fall leaves like nobody's business anyway.

   I don't see them eating near as much grass though. I wonder if the taste has changed with the colder weather. It's still green but no longer growing.

   I went into their barn today, and a bunch of them were dust bathing in the litter on the floor of the chicken barn. At first I just thought they were cold. But then I figured it out. A change they HAVE noticed is that the ground is too muddy and cold for any of their usual fun. So they just moved the dust bathing indoors.

  They seem really confused about all of this wet and muddy weather. We had some of the storm that was hurricane Sandy (no damage to speak of, thanks, we were on the upper fringes of it). That really muddied up the chicken pen. And made their little deposits in it stink. Yuck! I would love to add fresh dirt on top. Can't afford to though. :(

  Now the girls are laying more eggs than we can use. So I am looking into recipes and such.

   We actually saw snow bits in the air today, and it is snowing on and off tonight. It won't accumulate, but still, it is shocking to my system. I wonder how the chickens feel? And please, someone tell our rooster to set his internal  clock back an hour!

What Is The Difference Between Ameraucana Chickens And Easter Eggers?

   We are now up to a dozen eggs a day from our nineteen pullet/hens. I believe it really helped to cut back on their scratch. I have learned there is such a thing as too much corn. See my last post.

   Not only did they stop laying those soft eggs, more of our girls began laying. We have even more black australorps laying now, and I know at least one speckled sussex has joined the hen party. Also more of the cherry eggers have been seen in the laying boxes as well.

   Still no eggs yet from our Ameraucana's. They are almost 27 weeks old now. I have been waiting to see if they are true ameraucana's or just easter eggers. We got our two at the feed store and I didn't know to ask about this subject. From what I understand from researching this subject, there is more than one difference.

    An ameraucana takes longer to begin laying their eggs than an easter egger chicken. I have read that an easter egger begins laying around 24 or so weeks, whereas an ameraucana chickens wait until at least 6 months, often 7 months before they begin to lay.

   Then there is the matter of their feather colors. Easter eggers have a broad range of looks, colors, and shapes compared to the ameraucanas. From what I understand mine look like the real thing. Also the easter egger chickens may have ear tufts, while ameraucana chickens don't.

   And then you have the egg colors to go by. If your chicken is laying a green, or a blue shelled egg, then it could be a true ameraucana, but not necessarily. An easter egger has more possibilities though that an ameraucana. The can also lay blue or green eggs, but they have other colors they can lay as well. Like pink, or yellow/gold. Or even just a brownish egg.

   And let us not forget the olive eggers. I would like one someday for fun. they lay olive green eggs or some type there-abouts.

   Also a difference between ameraucanas and easter eggers is the frequency in which they supposedly lay. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but ameraucanas lay three eggs per week on average, while easter eggs lay more like six days a week.

   I'm not sure on the olive eggers. Check that one yourself, but I would say that depends on the parents that went into making that olive egger, and which one it takes after? They are hybrids. A cross between a breed that lays brown eggs with an chicken that lays blue or green eggs.


   I could call the store from which I obtained my two but I think that would ruin my fun. Plus, I understand a lot of sellers lie about which they sell, ameraucanas or easter eggers. Most sell easter eggers. You usually have to get a 'real' ameraucana from a breeder. That's what makes mine a mystery. Did they come from a hatchery, or a breeder? And does that source sell the real thing? I like mine being a mystery for now. It's been fun waiting and seeing. 


   We don't show our chickens, and if we ever got rid of one, we would, of course, be honest. Not all folks do the same though, obviously. Some hatcheries call their easter eggers 'ameraucanas'. So buyer BE AWARE of this. Ask questions or read carefully if it matters to you. There are benefits to both breeds, so I don't really care as long as MINE lay a blue (first choice) or green (second choice) egg. 


   I bought my ameraucanas before I learned all of this. I may still have done it, had I known, but I would have asked about their source and what they really are. But I have to say I love their personalities! And Mrs. Owl really has a different shape than our other hens, and Mrs. Hawk has her own shape as well. And their pea combs make them stand out as well. Mrs. Owl is getting more of a beard lately than Mrs. Hawk. They are special and are more playful than most of the other chickens. So far they have been able to escape the rooster on the rare days he makes a play for either of these two. I don't think he tries very hard with them yet because they aren't quite ready. But they are quick, and that may discourage him too. 

   Look up real Ameraucana chicken photos on the Ameraucana website. It will show you how limited the colors are and other characteristics that are allowed and aren't allowed. Then look up Easter Egger chickens. It will help you decide if it matters or not to you. I am one of those people who like one of everything. But I can't afford that many, lol. So for now, I am just glad to have what I have. But you decide for yourself... 

Chicken Eggs Without Shell (Soft Eggs) Problem Solved!

   I have previously posted that we were getting too many soft eggs. For those who don't know by now, soft chicken eggs mean an egg held together by a thick membrane, but has no shell. These eggs have come out too soon before the shell has had a chance to form on the egg.

   An occasional soft egg is no big deal. But we were getting them about every morning from more than one chicken.

   The beginners sometimes do this. But mine were continually doing this, let's say it started with 2 soft eggs and we got 7 or 8 regular eggs. Then it increased to 4 soft eggs, while we were getting 6 to 7 regular eggs. It wasn't getting better.

    So I did my research about what else could possibly cause this. I learned that some think adding oyster shell will stop this. But others disagreed.

   Finally, I ran across a blog post where a chicken owner had taken her chicken to a vet who is supposed to be somewhat experienced in poultry.

   Her chicken's issue was that it was egg bound. (We had had one chicken who went through that once.) And she had had some soft egg issues in her history as well. The vet explained that the chicken was ignoring her regular feed, and eating too much chicken scratch (corn). He explained there isn't enough nutrition in chicken scratch or corn to keep the chickens laying correctly. That she needed to withhold the chicken scratch, and make sure the majority of what her chicken ate was its correct formula, the laying feed. Hmmm...

   We were giving our twenty chickens three kitchen scoops of chicken scratch, with three scoops of pellets as well at their breakfast time, as well as in the evening when we are luring them back into their pen after they had been free-ranging. Hmmm... it was worth a try to reduce the chicken scratch feedings. (Our scooper is holds about one measuring cups worth of feed.)

    We kept them in their pen for a day. No scratch. Just laying mash and laying pellets. No soft eggs the following morning. Hmmmm.....

    So now we only feed scratch to them when we want to get them back into the pen at dusk. It's working !!! No more soft eggs!!! And now more of our chickens have started laying as well. Out of our 19 hens, we are getting an even dozen so far. What an increase in a week and a half.

    So now I am sharing this with you. For those of you who are having the same issue, try backing off the scratch. Or if it's just corn you are treating them with, back off of that. It is lower in protein than what they need for laying. Those sneaky chickens will avoid their regular food and just live off of the scratch if they think there is enough of it. Consider it like candy or junk food, you wouldn't let your kids have very much of it. You definitely wouldn't let them live mostly off of that stuff! So now we know...

   To see what a soft egg looks like, see my other post, 'Too Many Soft Eggs'.