Messages

436

Exhibiting & Promoting / Forsyth Show in Winston-Salem NC, entries close soon

« on: March 15, 2016, 09:24:21 AM »

I hope many of you can make it out to the show March 26.  I know its another show on Easter Weekend.  That's what happens when your show is always the last weekend in March.  If Easter would just stay on a predictable tract.  Come on out to the show to talk AMs and hope some of you can show as well.  It is spring, Anyone up for an egg show at this one?

And Greensboro is a few weeks after that if can make that one too.    Good Luck and hope to see you there! 

437

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Mareks

« on: March 11, 2016, 09:48:13 PM »

Brad, How did your situation work out.  Did you get everything calmed down and back to normal?

438

Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: Points Updated

« on: March 11, 2016, 08:10:23 AM »

Thanks Susan for all of the hard work.  It looks like we have some new names making progress on the points list.  Congrats to all of those folks that are getting the AMs out to the shows and letting others see the Breed in all colors.  Get all of those new varieties out this year so we can interest others in these too.

439

News and Information / Re: 2016 APA Handbook Ads

« on: March 09, 2016, 08:40:40 AM »

Susan, when you have spare time, lol, Can you post the ad pages from last year so we can make changes?

440

News and Information / Re: 2016 ABA Handbook Ads

« on: March 09, 2016, 08:39:06 AM »

Susan, I will take an ad in both handbooks.  I can't remember if it was a quarter page or eighth last year? 

Would you take payment in eggs by chance?   Last month our egg customers were begging for eggs and now all of a sudden the chickens are producing more than they will buy.  I need to get some new table egg customers for a short time. 

441

Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: Hardware Store chicks

« on: March 05, 2016, 11:54:43 PM »

Ceasar,  I have not been to their stores this month to see what they are offering.  I don't know who they order chicks from but hope they have corrected their information.  Any effort such as the correct signage and maybe a bit of employee education will go a long ways to help lead the new poultry owner in a more informed direction.  And they do usually offer a variety of commercial layers.  And that is all most folks really are interested in keeping anyway until they realize the difference between the commercial stock and a true breed stock.  Then often they want to investigate further and pursue good quality birds and they eventually find stock from a breeder.  Some of the best breeders have been down a similar path.  I just like to have others take an easier route.     

442

Exhibiting & Promoting / Hardware Store chicks

« on: March 05, 2016, 02:31:14 PM »

The Hardware store chicks are beginning to show up now.  So be aware when you see folks buying chicks.  We know that the lot labeled as Ameraucanas/Araucanas are not true AMs.  Most of the sales clerks don't know the difference, and i expect don't care either.  "That's what the hatchery told us they were" is all that they know to say.  Be Kind.  Most folks don't really care until they start to show and that's usually when the good judges will point out their errors.   

Also, a friend decided to get RIR pullets from TSC a few years back.  After he had fed them for about 5 months, he asked me to come help him decide which were male and female.  He had a 8 chicks and they were growing into nice big males.  Mistake perhaps?   

443

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

« on: March 03, 2016, 07:21:30 AM »

Hi Briana,  Did your leads work out so that you could hatch soon this season?  I hope you get to come out to some shows this year too.  Let Paul know if you have local shows that you think would make good locations for several members to show and promote the breed.   

444

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Mareks

« on: February 27, 2016, 08:07:15 PM »

Brad,   In the opinion of many folks the various forms of this infection make it very difficult to confirm without a lab analysis.  The symptoms are numerous from eyes to limbs like Gordon mentioned, and from acute to very small numbers of birds infected or showing symptoms.  Also the virus seems to have mutated such that some of the original vaccines aren't always effective against all forms.  We even had one state vet tell a breeder that the vaccine was for the strains usually contacted by commercial flocks and that small hobby flocks contacted another form.  I can't confirm this rumor.  I guess there is so much unknown out there that it makes it difficult to know for sure if its worth the cost and effort to vaccinate.  Most small breeders hatch in relatively small numbers over a long period of time.  So you have to purchase and keep the vaccine over a long period of time.   Wiki says there is a vaccine that you can treat eggs as you move them from the incubator to hatcher.  This would reduce the work of handling individuals and injections of each chick.     

Many folks vaccinate for it religiously for Marek's and several other infections.  Paul has a very intensive vaccination program.  Others feel that it's best to breed birds that have some resistance to these infections.  You have to weigh the info with your experience and decide how you want to handle your flock. Years ago we used to vaccinate for Pox.  Last year was the first year I had heard of anyone having an issue with that in decades.  Sorry this does not give you a better answer but it is what I have gathered over many years of raising and listening to others about handling the vaccines.       

445

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

« on: February 23, 2016, 12:57:15 PM »

Briana,  Have you contacted the folks on the Breeders Directory in states around you?  Even if they don't have stock one might know of someone close that might help.  A number of folks do not list on the Directory because of spam.  And I know many members that don't read the Forum often either.  There is a show this coming weekend near Augusta if you might be able to meet someone there.     Good Luck with your search! 

446

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Building the Best Breeding Pens?

« on: February 23, 2016, 09:41:39 AM »

Michele,  I think the roof over the runs will help a lot for moisture and shade.  I have a few similar outside runs and the rain still gets blown in and makes a mess of the run space.  I can't find shavings in bulk and buying in bales is an expense I don't really want to afford especially for the quantity required for runs.  I have used some wood chips.  The kind that you can get delivered free from tree trimming companies.  They are rough and the birds do seem to enjoy scratching thru them.  Does anyone else have any experience with these or other run bedding?   

Has anyone heard anything from Courtney?

447

Exhibiting & Promoting / South Eastern Shows

« on: February 19, 2016, 07:48:33 AM »

I hope that everyone is having a great late winter and Breeding season.  I also hope you have a good group of Ameraucanas that you can bring out to the shows this spring.  Last fall showing was closed in NC and was restricted in a number of other states.  But right now that door is open and we can all enjoy a good show or two.
We have a number of ABC meets in the next few months, Neuwman GA, Edgefield SC, LakeCity SC, Winston-Salem NC, and Greensboro NC.  Take advantage in these locations and bring out some good birds to show.  Even if they are not in perfect shape, you will enjoy the time out and see how your birds are doing compared to others.  But even if you just don't have anything to show right now, come on out, meet some new folks and learn more about the breed and have a great time.  I Look forward to hopefully seeing some of you at a few of these shows.   

And please let me know if you have other local shows where you want to have ABC meets.  The goal is to have three members there to help support the breed.     Have a great spring!

448

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Building the Best Breeding Pens?

« on: February 16, 2016, 07:38:21 AM »

Nice coop Michele.  It looks like a great unit for the Ameraucanas you are currently keeping.  And a great use of the space for this size coop.  It looks bigger than the dimensions that you listed, but the birds appear to have plenty of room and I am sure are doing well.  Are you able to keep grass in the outside runs now or what works best for you here?  I have seen gravel and just bare ground. One of the breeders thinks that small gravel works well for an uncovered outside run too. 

449

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: Ameraucana Large Fowl Day Old Chicks

« on: February 13, 2016, 08:42:25 PM »

John,  A light greenish tint can come back in just a few generations if we are not careful.  The brown egg genes can pop up a bit from time to time if we are concentrating on type, comb or some other trait. It is thought that there are more than a dozen genes that cause the brown coating on eggs.  It's something that we have to be careful to select for all of the time.  You can select the the hens that lay the best colored eggs and try to use males from these same hens.  You can't see the egg color that they are carrying so you have to depend on his genetic background.  If you like the birds overall select for the best color eggs and maybe try to hatch a few with a male from another line that carries the egg color more to your liking. 

450

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

« on: February 09, 2016, 09:21:05 AM »

Dan, I think everyone has this dilemma especially in the spring or early winter when they are looking forward to showing.  And not everyone is able or interested in keeping tons of birds, some for show and some for breeding.  So when you decide to show, you will need to work around the issues.  They will damage feathers or even further if left in the breeding pens together for long.  The hens are known to pick beards and muffs. The males will ruin the hens backs, even causing great sores on their sides if not careful.  And that's not to mention just feather breakage.  But if you are like many of us, you have to devise some way to do both at the same time. 

Some people find that the males are just too rough on the hens if left in the breeding pens all season.  So once they have consistent fertile eggs, you can remove the males to a show coop for most of the week.  This gives you time to calm and train him and protects him from damaging feathers.  Let him visit with each of the hens for about 15-30 mins a couple times a week.  This will be enough to keep her fertile and her eggs will be good to hatch as long as you keep the routine.  It also keeps the hens in better shape too.  I have done this with bantam and LF at different times and it has worked well.   I had a LF White Ply Rock years ago that was so badly damaged by the male that her hips were bleeding.  I removed her and kept her by herself.  She was a great show bird and by herself she stayed clean with nice silvery feathers.  She healed over the next few weeks and I still hatched her eggs all season.