Messages

31

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Eye swelling?

« on: June 29, 2013, 08:47:20 PM »

Russ,  I understand the situation.  I just found one with an eye infection sure it would be OK since it is free ranging with it;s foster mother but I can not take any chances and had to cull it immediately.  To me one bird is not worth the entire flock.  I am in  a better situation than you are and one bird will not affect the outcome of my breeding program.

32

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Eye swelling?

« on: June 27, 2013, 09:21:27 PM »

I would cull them immediately.

33

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: What's for Sale?

« on: May 30, 2013, 06:55:49 PM »

Listen I am still getting several inquiries.  I have nothing for sale at this time because I have to re-establish my flock from two years of preditors killing some fantastic stock. 

Anyone on the East coast please see the members list for breeding potential.  I am very sorry  i can not help anyone at this time.    Harry

34

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: egg bound

« on: May 21, 2013, 12:00:51 PM »

There is no cure that is permanent that I have found.

35

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: What's for Sale?

« on: May 17, 2013, 10:53:00 AM »

Mike is absolutely correct.  On the average when you buy eggs or chicks only 10% are worthy of keeping IMO. 

36

Ameraucana Marketplace / What's for Sale?

« on: May 15, 2013, 04:03:00 PM »

Listen everyone I have been getting calls and emails every week for birds and chicks.  If anyone has something for sale you should post it here because there is a large void of Ameraucanas for sale and need to help out the new people so the club can grow.   

37

Breeding / Re: Leaky Lavender?

« on: May 12, 2013, 04:29:43 PM »

I think Mike was on the money with his conception of a lavender mottled.  You can see one that went off on RareBreedAuctions of a large fowl Orpington. 

38

Breeding / Re: Leaky Lavender?

« on: May 08, 2013, 09:55:48 AM »

John,
   Are going to pursue that mutation.  If not I am sure there would be some that would love to have that bird.  That color in LF Orpingtons have commanded a large revenue. 
    I have blacks I bought from someone that has thrown some chicks that look like they may be mottled but I culled them all since I am after pure blacks and not ones that carry some odd gene mutations. 

39

Breeding / Re: Chick phenotype

« on: March 02, 2013, 01:35:43 PM »

John,
    As for Blacks here is my way I would cull.   I have no wheatens so please no one  confuse what I am saying, only referring to a pure black bird or black split lavenders. 


   Thanks for adding the photos.  1st picture I would cull them immediately.  The second picture the one on the right is closer to the ideal I would like to see.   The third picture is not the extreme and would keep them also but I have had them with more white into the heads and what I call Owl faced and I would cull them since I have had mottled and black birds with white feathers when they got their adult feathering.    Like you said the chicks ideally should be marked as close as possible to each other. 

40

Breeding / Re: Chick phenotype

« on: February 27, 2013, 09:15:22 PM »

Mike,
   I prefer birds that have a wide head.   So I keep the ones that when I look down on the head I keep them that have more width.  I know they are not suppose to be as wide as a good cochin but I don;t like them to have pinched eyes.   I may be a little off the SOP but I prefer a certain look.   

41

Breeding / Re: Chick phenotype

« on: February 27, 2013, 06:42:06 PM »

Clare,
  I also reject any chicks with a red patch,  sometimes there is just a fine reddish line before and/or after the eye.  There are some also which you need to look at them in the sunshine that has a reddish cast over the head area.  And and black chick that has too much white speckled on their heads. 
  The only other thing which I may be wrong but any chick that is pure black and has no color of yellow under the bellie area also gets culled.
   Plus I cull any chick that is not showing good muffs and beards expressed.  Plus any chick that is smaller than the average ones.  Any with thin heads also I cull.  All these chicks are not sold to anyone,  I stopped selling my culls at the auctions because they end up as breeders and are seen on Ebay eventually.
   I have had few if any birds with red leakage showing up on full grown males in all three black breeds that I do. 

42

Breeding / Re: Shades of blues

« on: February 09, 2013, 12:44:19 PM »

Perhaps Jean from Pips and Peeps will post a picture.  She seems to be making great headway from the pictures I have seen of her birdsl.

43

Breeding / Re: Lavender splits

« on: February 07, 2013, 05:42:49 PM »

Dak,
   Clare,   
       Thanks for posting that picture of your lavender bird on BYC with the peepers on.  I had to use them this year also since I am not allowing my birds to free range till I get the last fox in the area.  Did you put them on by yourself? 
Harry

44

Breeding / Re: Genes in hatch mates

« on: February 04, 2013, 02:18:32 PM »

Well breeding a small bird to large is generally only my last resort since it will come back to haunt you.  Size is something that seems difficult to regain especially if you loose it in the entire flock.  I still get bantam ameraucana chicks hatching rarely but it is not impossible out of the large fowl.

45

Breeding / Re: Genes in hatch mates

« on: February 04, 2013, 10:04:51 AM »

Sharon,
   There are suppose to be 39 pairs of chromosones and over 12,000 different genes in a chicken so for any to be genetically 100% identical is like winning a lottery.  Just don't use two birds with the same defects, but generally speaking don;t use any with obvious defects anyways.