The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Ameraucana Marketplace
What's for Sale?
John:
I sorted thru my started birds over the last couple days and came up with 88 culls. Some of you will be happy to know they were sold to someone that will butcher them in a month or two. Some were pretty nice birds too, but the ones I kept are better and I'll keep sorting and culling every month or so until I have only the best to keep thru the winter.
My personal opinion is to sell whatever chickens you have to sell, but just not misrepresenting them. Once someone else owns them I don't think it is any of my business what they do with them. Of course if they advertise or try to sell the birds as something the are not, then I have the same problem with them that I've had with the BIG commercial hatcheries for decades that sell mongrel chickens as Ameraucana and/or Araucana.
Mike Gilbert:
Most of you realize I was not referring to meat birds being sold, only birds being sold as exhibition stock.
But so someone is not confused or offended I thought I better clarify that. I sell all my young "culls" to the local Hmong population to butcher or raise for butchering. I also have no problem selling birds at swap meets, as it is generally well known that is a "buyer beware and you take your chances" market. In such venues the buyer has a chance to see and evaluate exactly what he/she is buying. But John is right in that we need to represent what we are selling as honestly and as correctly as we can.
Sharon Yorks:
For sale, I have a splash cockerel and a blue cockerel, both hatched 1-1-13. I am showing them at the Canfield, OH poultry show June 8th and would like to sell them there. Everything else I am taking there has been pre-sold. If someone is going to that show and is possibly interested in one of these birds, I can post pictures. Other than those two, I am only selling and shipping hatching eggs at this time.
My last hatch on May 6th was my 12th hatch since the first of this year. I am taking a much needed break right now to get some writing done, then I may start hatching again in a month or so. I, like Harry, am getting a lot of calls for Ameraucanas. I'm happy to see how popular they're becoming in this area.
I am very pleased with my chicks this year and am hearing nice things from several people who have bought from me. I'm eager to see some of these after they have fully matured. I have held back 40-45 chicks for myself, but will slowly be picking and choosing through those until I end up with about 20-25 of the best to keep for my breeding pens next year.
Beth C:
--- Quote from: Mike Gilbert on May 17, 2013, 09:29:20 AM ---Let's all be careful to sell only birds that we ourselves would keep as breeders.
--- End quote ---
This is why I don't offer much for sale, to be honest. If it's worth breeding, I use it, if it's not, I don't want to put it off on someone else. I sell my culls at auction, most probably go for meat, some hens for layers. I realize there are unscrupulous people who may misrepresent them, but dishonest people are going to be dishonest, and there's no way to prevent them from getting birds, all we can do is educate buyers in hopes of drying up the market for the junk they're peddling.
I rarely sell chicks or eggs, but I will likely have some started birds available by the end of summer, assuming the brutal summer heat doesn't take out too many. Shipping is a no-go from this part of the state, but the fall show season will be starting by then so with a little planning we might still be able to get them where they need to go.
Tailfeathers:
90% of the chicks and older birds I sell go to folks who wouldn't know the difference between an Ameraucana and an Easter Egger - though I usually go to great lengths to explain the difference. Most folks who buy Ameraucanas from me just want a "blue or green egg layer". And they tell me they have no interest in breeding or showing. Judging from the number of WBS I see at the shows, I'd have to say they're telling me the truth.
For those who are looking to get Ameraucanas to breed and show, I either ask them to hold off until they are older so I can get them some good breeders or try to ensure they will stay in touch with me so I can help them when it comes to selecting and setting up their breeding program. Sadly, I have to admit there aren't many of those.
Personally, I'd rather see folks going to private breeders and buying chicks from them rather than going to hatcheries and buying Easter Eggers. And I guess I'd have to admit I may have a bit of a bias here because I sell my chicks for $8 each straight-run whereas the feedstores sell their EE's for $4. I sell my EE's for $5. Maybe I'm a bit shortsighted but when I've been going $3500 in the RED every year for the last couple, I'm looking for ways to make this hobby at least pay for itself if I can. I've even "marketed" my cockerels/roosters as a means for folks to make their own Easter Eggers. Though I have to admit I wind up having to butcher most my roosters of any kind. There just isn't a market for meat birds here.
God Bless,
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