Board of Directors
Gordon Gilliam - North Central District Director

Gordon Gilliam

It is an honor to serve as your new North Central District Director. I have always been in awe of our outgoing NCDD Jerry De Smidt. He has been my DD during most of my ABC membership. Jerry is an avid breeder in both Ameraucana Bantams and LF and supports the breed in exhibition of his Ameraucanas. Thank you Jerry for your service to the ABC over the years and Good Luck at the future shows! That said I ask your patience as I attempt to fill in for Jerry.

I have lived my entire life in the state of Nebraska except for my 4 years of service in the USAF during the Vietnam War era. Basic training in Texas, then on to McGuire AFB in NJ and then on to Scott AFB IL. Upon my honorable discharge I returned to Ashland NE, which is about halfway between Omaha and Lincoln.

I have always been involved with animals my whole life (except for the 4 yrs. USAF). Having the luxury to being raised on acreages growing up and my adult life there were always some type of animals and chores. Dad always had laying hens and mom and my 2 brothers, sister and I usually raised about 300 rabbits for pets and butcher. My older brother was the one who veered off into exotic poultry with his favorites being Wyandotte Bantams. He also started showing horses starting with registered Shetland Ponies and then on to registered Appaloosas. Yes you guessed it, he got me started too. I raised and showed Registered Appaloosas for about 20 years, and I usually kept around 30 head a year. After the horse showing and horse breeding days were over, brother got me interested in exotic poultry again. He gave me a Wheaten LF Ameraucana cockerel he had come across. Naturally he needed a mate or two. That's where my Ameraucana experience went backwards. For the next 2-3 years I bought what were suppose to be Ameraucana pullets from the feed store. Wrong, they turned out to be EE. Realizing my mistake I made another one and ordered Ameraucanas from a hatchery. Wrong again, more EE. I tried to select out those birds close to the recognized Ameraucana varieties and bred them for a couple of years to gain uniformity. About that time, I started reading on the ABC website about true Ameraucanas and EE. I did the smartest thing ever, I got rid of the EE and bought chicks from ABC breeders.

I do think the EE/Ameraucana Feed store/ Hatchery chick issue has been addressed better than it was around 2000. For those starting out, don't do as I did. Start out with good stock from an ABC breeder.

Email Gordon Gilliam.