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Culling time/ advice and contacts for one up north...

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Guest:
Lara,

I have not been raising poultry for as many years as some of the experienced breeders here, so take my comments with a grain of salt. That being said, here\'s what I think:

Hatcheries are very nice for when you are first getting into poultry. They allow you to order a mix of breeds, which lets you get an idea of what you like and don\'t like. Most of those birds would not be considered \"show quality\" for anything other than perhaps a 4-H show (which is a whole \'nuther topic I may post on later.)

Once you\'ve cut your teeth on your first batch of hatchery birds, and figured out what you like and don\'t like, then you should consider ordering some purebred birds from experienced breeders. One thing I learned from breeding dairy goats is, when buying what we call \"foundation stock\", you will do better if you buy the very best you can afford. It\'s enough of a challenge to breed good animals from good stock, why struggle to \"breed up\" from bad stock. And a bad bird costs just as much to feed as a good bird.

So, I will echo what has been said here. Enjoy your hatchery birds, but if you want to get serious about showing poultry, you\'ll want to purchase some purebred birds from breeders. And if you\'re sure you want to focus on a particular breed, it\'s a good idea to join the breed club. That will get you the list of club members, and buying stock from them (be it eggs, chicks, or started birds) will give you the best chance at getting something worth showing. There are no guarantees in life, of course, but that\'s the road I\'d choose (and have chosen.)

Cheers,

John:
Laura,
I don\'t think anyone could have said it better.

Guest:
Thanks all!
I may be a bit slow on the uptake initially, but I am learning!
Laura, that\'s very true about hatchery birds for getting one\'s feet wet. I never would have fallen for Ameraucanas had I not gotten a beginner\'s assortment from a hatchery; I\'m glad I got some silkies and cochins too because good moms will be great until we make the big incubator purchase and learn all that is required to use it properly...

And truth be told, the initial hook was the blue (or colored) eggs. Should be sometime in late Sept or early Oct that I find my first one... I have to admit I\'m excited about it! Especially now that your club has opened my eyes to a couple of the possibilities of what could come from my future eggs...

SO, (another question and far from my last!)
these breeding programs or projects that some more experienced members are involved in, (Black Gold etc.) is the eventual goal to establish a new, stable breeding color type and one day have it accepted as a breed standard?

If so , how long does something like that take? Roughly, of course.

Does it happen often among established breeds?

Is there resistance (from breeders/ showers /club members) when one tries to establish a color type?

Because Ameraucanas are a relatively newer breed and still being explored and defined, does this allow for more room for creativity and perhaps more acceptance of a new standard breeding line?

Please excuse any misnomers or incorrect usage of terms like line, breed, type, standard, as I am still getting a grip on what they mean.

Thanks again for your guidance!
I\'m going to start looking around for real poultry shows and charging my camera battery. I\'m a very visually oriented person and I simply need more pictures!

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