Messages

16

News and Information / Re: Voting begins tomorrow!

« on: September 05, 2016, 06:16:54 PM »

I didnt get anything

17

Breeding / Re: Purple sheen on black cockerel

« on: August 19, 2016, 07:22:38 PM »

more gradual rise at the base of their tail. It may just be the way he stands in the pictures also and you can`t tell by a picture how he will carry himself when he is walking.

Hello. I am new to the Ameraucana breed and I'm trying to learn as much as I can before my Ameraucanas start laying. I have a couple wheaten/blue wheatens, and a handful of blacks. At what age should I evaluate a bird's pose/tail angle/back slope? Would it be helpful in evaluating a bird if someone saw a video of him/her walking, along with some still shots?
Also, I know that a pullets first eggs will be irregular, but how old should the pullets be before I hatch their eggs?

Females you can tell by around 5-6 months, and males take longer I like to evaluate mine around 7-9 months. As for the eggs as long as they're a medium-large size you should be fine.

18

Breeding / Re: Purple sheen on black cockerel

« on: May 15, 2016, 03:20:50 PM »

I forgot to mention that you can line breed chicks to their parents but it is not good to breed sibblings together. I breed parents sometimes to their young ones but i only do it once then i get a different non related bird to use. The main reason i do it once in awhile is to get better egg color or to keep feather quality in my line. For example, i have done this with my Buffs to get the nice Buff color down to the skin. After my birds started coming out good, i brought in non related birds that had the nice color to breed in. Now i get good feather color and good egg color.

I dissagree with you DeWayne. You can breed siblings together but, but remember that positive and negative traits will be enhanced more with siblings. When breeding siblings its find two siblings that will enhance each other's positive attributes. hatching more than usual would be prefer so you can cull hard for that offspring that has all the positive traits.

19

News and Information / Re: Shipping on Saturdays.

« on: May 14, 2016, 05:55:01 AM »

Sorry for your loss dewayne its a pain sometimes

If you ship again, give the chicks a few hours so they can get their strength. I realized when they're still wet and you remove them out of the heat the moisture dries and cools them up really fast. Kind of like spraying mist on a hot dry day. I wait for everyone to dry up and move around before shipping.

20

Breeding / Re: The "Legacy" Varieties

« on: March 29, 2016, 12:46:24 PM »

If you read the standard, the key word that keeps popping up is "medium". What I was told, is that Ameraucanas were never meant to be a heavy LF breed. I think emphasizing that to judges will help eventually help.

But I believe Don is correct, one long time judge was told me that there is no such thing of too big of a large fowl. I think this mentality needs to be changed.

21

Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: Hardware Store chicks

« on: March 07, 2016, 10:40:21 AM »

I teach Agricultural Science and have for years. I teach Advanced Animal Science in High School. My students are competitive in showing breeding heifers, market steers, breeding gilts, market hogs, breeding goats, market goats, breeding lambs, market lambs, broilers, roasters, and breeding poultry. Some of my students are limited as to what they can raise and show due to finances, space, and/or residential restrictions. I think that chickens are great projects for any student, but especially the ones with limitations.

Ernie, I'm looking to get into agricultural teaching myself when I finish up at the University of Arizona. I would love to pick your brain or get any advice from you.

22

Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: Hardware Store chicks

« on: March 05, 2016, 10:21:27 PM »

After being bombarded by AM breeders from various social media outlets. TSC sent me and others a message stating that they are aware of the differences between Easter Egger and true Ameraucanas. The request for new signs saying "Easter Egger" have been approved for printing and a should be on the way to their stores.

If that will happen this chick season, who knows.

23

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: In dire need of a blue or black large fowl rooster!!

« on: February 23, 2016, 02:59:00 PM »

No, I am not yet NPIP. Why does that matter?

I was just curious if you were, and if thats why you stated they had to be NPIP.

24

Exhibiting & Promoting / St Johns Show, AZ and ABC state meet

« on: February 22, 2016, 09:55:04 PM »

Congrats to Marcia Lincoln for winning the ABC Arizona State meet, with her Black AM Cock. Marcia's cock was also Reserve Champion AOSB to a really nice Black Sumatra hen.

The St. Johns was a huge success, the whole community was behind the show and the venue was spectacualr. I encourage anyone who has a chance to go, to go. Its a great rock hunting area too

25

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: In dire need of a blue or black large fowl rooster!!

« on: February 22, 2016, 03:57:42 AM »

I have a pen full of black, blue and splash hens, but no rooster to keep them in line. 

I am looking for a large fowl young cockerel as close as possible to breeding age. I have Paul Smith lines, so I need something unrelated or at least distantly related. I'd really prefer a blue, but I will take a black , if necessary. Even better - if you have two roosters that can go in the same pen together, that would be great, too! I have 16 hens, so two roos would be a plus. 

Must be NPIP. If you're within a 2-4 hour drive from central AL, I'd love to just pick him (them) up to avoid shipping stress. Otherwise, let me know what shipping would run to 35146 zip. TIA!

Are you NPIP?

26

Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: Training for show (the bird and me)

« on: February 16, 2016, 02:06:51 AM »

For you guys that show regularly, are the show birds kept separate from the breeder flock? I do have the space for separate pens.

Dan, I seldom show birds from my breeding pens as feather condition can be a problem. It seems cocks and cockerels are prone to tail feather damage, and hens and pullets back, head, and neck feather damage. I do let my male birds run with the females all the time. Perhaps if I only let the cocks stay in the pen for a short time and remove them and reinsert them a few days later and remove them off and on, this might help on feather condition. Another factor may be many of my breeding pen runs are only 3' X 8-10'.

Have you thought about AI? That way your females dont get torn up by males

27

Past Meets / Re: Apache County Poultry Show, St. Johns, AZ, 2/20/16

« on: February 16, 2016, 02:05:13 AM »

I'll be there 

So far the best two AMs from the last two Arizona show will be there. I'm taking one of them personally for the owner since she cant make it. I think it should be a good showing for AMs.

It might not be too late, contact Lacy Greer ASAP for possible last in entries

28

Breeding / Re: Breeder selling to hatchery?

« on: February 12, 2016, 01:20:00 AM »

I dont care, or see it as a big deal. Its sets a good precedent for other hatcheries to follow. Id rather have hatcheries sell "bad" true Ameraucanas than EE's labeled as Ameraucanas.

Also we cant lump all hatcheries together. Cackle has been calling their EEs correctly even before they got their Ameraucana stock, so i can respect that. They did start with a reputable breeder. What ive heard is the owner of cackle brings in quality birds to improve their stock when its needed. Besides that, what they are doing is no different than what every "BBS" novice breeder is doing now. Which is breed everything they got initially together without a plan. I see it on Facebook all the time.

Luckily they're selling blacks, I dont think you can muck up the color, only type haha. They use to sell blues and I still know breeders who have the blues that originated from them and from what I was told they were really good "typed" blues.

Only time will tell.

And this is the debate on the other forum as well. I see points on both sides, and I am so new to this that I don't have a really valid argument for either side. I love to see the hatcheries distinguish EEs from AMs, but I also think the market will be flooded with sub-par birds. My guess is that eventually there will be hatchery quality and breeder quality, it's like that with most other breeds anyway, and most people buying from hatcheries won't care. I didn't know a thing about SOP until joining BYC and learning. That's what made me seek out Paul's birds to replace my EEs. I think people that want backyard layers for a pretty egg carton will buy from hatcheries, and those that learn and want more SOP birds will seek out breeders. That's exactly what happened with me. If the concern is how it will affect sales for breeders, I think it will drive the price up. After my fiasco with the BCM, I would have paid much more for Paul's birds than what he charges. Thankfully, he is a very nice man who enjoys helping people, and isn't greedy.
I saw the SLW brought up as well. A friend of mine just went through the exact same thing with those as I did with the BCM. He started with hatchery stock, learned about SOP, and replaced them with birds from Foley. He paid a fortune for an adult trio, but the difference is incredible. When the inevitable happens, and these birds are mass produced, I think it will be a good thing for the breeders and those that want to learn

I agree with you. Those who want SOP quality will seek out reputable breeders, those who want regular backyard layers will seek hatchery and novice backyard breeders.

But at least they're disguising Ameraucanas from EEs. Its something that can be used to against other hatcheries.

So far Cackle and Meyer sells SOP Ameraucanas.

29

Breeding / Re: Bantam Splash Wheatens

« on: February 12, 2016, 01:15:45 AM »

WHat is the ABA requirement for acceptance?

30

Breeding / Re: Breeder selling to hatchery?

« on: February 10, 2016, 11:25:07 PM »

Besides that, what they are doing is no different than what every "BBS" novice breeder is doing now. Which is breed everything they got initially together without a plan. I see it on Facebook all the time.

Luckily they're selling blacks, I dont think you can muck up the color, only type haha. They use to sell blues and I still know breeders who have the blues that originated from them and from what I was told they were really good "typed" blues.

Only time will tell.

I don't think you can compare what a few novice people are doing with their backyard pens of a few blacks, blues, splash with the visibility and genetic impact of a good sized commercial hatchery. And, while you may disagree with inter-breeding blacks, blues, and splash; there are many other breeders that have been around a lot longer than either you or me, Cesar, that have made that a standard practice.  Don't confuse disagreement over methodology with a complete lack of breeding ethics.

Those novice breeders will either get out of Ameraucanas in a few years when their poor quality birds don't win at shows or don't sell enough to pay the feed bills.  That commercial hatchery will only ramp up production as the demand for Ameraucanas grow - as it is now.

I do not think Cackles is setting a good example for other hatcheries to follow. I do think they are setting a precedent that will be regrettable in the future.

I guess with your concern, any hatchery that does has them is bad for the breed.

I think you can compare them. Its not like they have hundreds and hundreds of breeders. Thats why they sale them 3x as much as other breeds. Plus availability is only limited.

I dont care if people interbreed the varieties, I just state that you dont get consistent offspring which is a fair assessment.

I see is a good thing. They're no different say then Whitemore Farms or Billy Bob backyard breeder who breeds in mass quantity.