Weights

[Guest]

It seems like all my Ameraucana females are on the small side in regards to weight. Right now I have mostly pullets and one hen who either is just a year old or will be a year old in a few weeks. The one who is turning a year old only weighs 3 1/2 lbs. My others are still pullets but they all seem on the small side too. Will weigh them later tonight and post those weights.

What do I need to do to get their weights up? Feed them more? If so what? I feed only organic feed. I am now thinking they are not getting enough to eat. But they are able to free range during the day. So not only do they get their regular layer pellets and free choice oyster shell, they are also getting bugs and other stuff while free ranging. Should I add any grain (i.e corn, oats, etc) to their diet too. Ideally how much feed should one bird get/day ( 1 cup of feed, 2 cups, etc.)?

Thanks
Kim

[John]

are on the small side in regards to weight

Kim,
Some varieties tend to be lighter than the Standard calls for.  I would guess the problem you have is due more to the genes than the diet.  I\'m into breeding projects with LF silvers and wheatens trying to improve their weight and type.

[Guest]

I\'m into breeding projects with LF silvers and wheatens trying to improve their weight and type.

What are you finding the weights of the LF Silvers to be? Both males and females? That is what I mainly have 1 silver and and 5 silver females.

Then I also have 2 white females and 1 white male. The white male and 1 of my white females tend to be much bigger.

I plan on weighing them all tonight as I\'m curious what they do infact weigh.

Kim

[John]

I do have a scale in the chicken barn, but generally only use it to compare birds when setting up breeding pens.  I don\'t know the weights of the different varieties.  With LF it is obvious that the silvers and wheatens don\'t have the size and type of the blacks, blues and whites.  The brown reds have good type, but lack in size.  Buffs still vary a lot in size with some looking as big as they should.  They have good type.
I\'ve crossed my LF silvers and wheatens with blacks.  This is the second generation for the wheaten project and I\'m getting a few chicks with excellent wheaten phenotype.  I am also noticing extra feathers on their legs though.  

[Blue Egg Acres]

I am also noticing extra feathers on their legs though.  

What do you attribute this to?

[Mike Gilbert]

Outcrossing will sometimes cause strange things to happen.
When stubs or little feathers show up on the shanks or toes, it is important not to mate two birds with the same problem.  In a few generations you could end up with feather legged Ameaucanas.

[Guest]

I went out and weight our largest games that we use to improve our American Game Bantams and the largest cock was 5 Lb.  Our wheaten LF Ameraucana\'s are only 3-3.5 LB.  An appropriate sized LF Ameraucana must be massive.  Since Games are tight feathered the same weight Ameraucana would look even larger.  I\'m trying to get an visual of the difference between LF and Bantam.   I have been raising bantams for 6 years now and just got LF last year.

OK to the point,  Can some one who raised both post a picture showing an appropriate weight bird of both sizes standing side by side.   I want to see for comparisons sake.

thanks for humoring an enthuisest
glen

[John]

Mike Gilbert said:

Outcrossing will sometimes cause strange things to happen.

This morning I checked out my LF wheaten breeders for feathers on thier legs and found one pullet/hen does have some running down the outside of her shanks.  They aren\'t noticeable without taking her in hand and checking with good light.  I checked all the wheaten breeders because yesterday as I was critically sorting thru chicks I noticed the leg feathers on some wheaten chicks that weren\'t from the wheaten/black cross.  This gal was from a silver/wheaten outcross project that I did.  Whether the extra feather poppedup due to the outcross or were in the wheaten line I\'ll never know for sure.  \"Strange things\" do happen.
I hatch a good number of chicks each year and may see more oddities show-up than many breeders.  I\'ve seen these shank/leg feather before on chicks and believe they were on either black or brown red chicks...as I recall.
Last year I had a bantam wheaten pullet lay tinted or light brown eggs.  I had never seen a brown egg from a bantam wheaten and I\'ve breed them on and off for 25+ years.  This year one of my bantam black pullets started laying and yes it\'s a light brown egg!
Dickey Lee sang:

Strange things happen in this world

(One of my many favorite songs)