Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - Penny McDonald

Pages: [1]
1
Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: Hatching eggs
« on: November 25, 2020, 09:56:58 AM »
I would check the Facebook Page "Hatching Eggs Canada".  There are a lot of members on that page and might get lucky and find some.  I'm in Ontario too and good quality birds/eggs are hard to find in any colour!

2
Ameraucana Marketplace / Export Eggs to Ontario, Canada?
« on: November 19, 2020, 01:01:12 PM »
Has anyone done this recently? (there are a few very old posts about this) It doesn't seem the paperwork/vet requirements have changed in several years.  Requirements are a Vet visit to originating flock within 30 days of shipment, and a form filled out by the vet, NPIP certification, as well as a few very achievable packing requirements.  What would a US breeder charge for the additional required paperwork and effort?

Looking at options for spring 2021  :)

3
Exhibiting & Promoting / Quarantine after shows?
« on: October 28, 2020, 10:31:17 AM »
Do you quarantine your birds after they attend a show?  I assume that most people have separate breeding pens and show pens, but what if they are located in the same general area of the property without room to move?

4
Breeding / Re: Blue breeding program
« on: October 27, 2020, 01:02:22 PM »
Thanks for that early pic!  I love having early photos and mature photos of the same bird to review.  It helps get a glimpse of the future of my own young birds.  I can see what you mean about the prominant chest - he is a thick boy!

5
Breeding / Re: Blue breeding program
« on: October 26, 2020, 11:10:36 AM »
He's very nice!  What age?

I have a blue cockeral that I have my eye on, not near as mature as yours yet, but hopefully finishes out as nice as yours :).  I have 5 blue cockerals to choose from, but so far, there is just one that stands out at this stage.

6
Breeding / Re: Using a blue Ameraucana in a self blue Ameraucana pen
« on: July 14, 2020, 01:16:19 PM »
Can blue and/or splash hide self-blue? 

7
Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: APA Poultry Show
« on: May 25, 2020, 02:14:10 PM »
Since this is a virtual show, and everything rides on one photo, do the pros have any tips about poses or posing your birds for that one perfect photo?  Do any photographers have tips regarding background, lighting, etc?

8
Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: APA Poultry Show
« on: May 25, 2020, 07:12:05 AM »
I assume you have to be an APA member?  I did not notice membership requirement on the entry form.

9
Breeding / Re: Quality vs Quantity
« on: May 19, 2020, 07:57:21 AM »
I started in a similar place, and am not very far ahead of you.  I got 5 chicks off of Kijiji which all turned out to be pullets (good type , poor coloring) and then I became obsessed with the breed, so bought a young cockeral off a breeder (which turned out not that great either). I lost 2 of the original 5, but added some of their chicks.  I am up to 9 hens and 2 roosters, some good, some "meh", but nothing that would be disqualified at a show.  I'm terrified of something happening and losing some birds and having to start again, thats why Ive kept the "meh" ones this long.  This year I have my favorite rooster separated with 3 hens (was 4 hens but reduced for quality) and bought an incubator.  I plan to try to hatch and grow out at least 20 chicks from this particular group, and then cull.

Definitely get a copy of the SOP, talk to Ameraucana people on this group (so many are willing to help!!!), study the galleries and show results photos. Breed the best of what you have, build your stock up, (or purchase a nice trio), hatch lots, cull lots.  But this is just advice from a newbie too :)

10
Breeding / How many hens to a breeding pen?
« on: May 12, 2020, 01:16:00 PM »
Just a curiosity...How many breeding pens do you keep (within a single variety) and how many hens per pen?

Ive separated my 4 best hens to put with my best rooster....is this average, or too many? 

11
I am definitely interested and will be following the process and progress of getting them approved.  I'm fairly new to the breed but love the splash variety and had planned to show my splash cockeral this year before things were cancelled.  Looking forward watching this play out and will be working on my own splash for showing next year.

12
Breeding / Re: How can I improve a small flock?
« on: April 17, 2020, 09:12:38 AM »
Perhaps the question would have been better worded as "how to I maintain genetic diversity in a very small flock, while still keeping the bloodlines I started with"?

13
Breeding / How can I improve a small flock?
« on: April 15, 2020, 04:06:35 PM »
I have a very small flock of BBS (2 black hens, 7 blue hens, and 2 splash cockerals).  Some of my birds I quite like, others should be moved on as pet quality.  I plan to put my best cockeral with 2 or 3 of my best hens (blues) and collect those eggs for my next years grow outs.  Based on the space I have, I can only keep about 10-12 chicks out of this mating to grow out until next spring (maybe a few more if I get rid of a couple more hens). 

From this years mating, I hope to improve overall balance and depth of chest in the hens.  I expect that crossing splash to blue will leave me with washed out blues/splash without a lot of lacing. Most of my stock has somewhat pinched tails, so I would hope to improve that, as well as colour, in the following year.

What would be my next steps?  Do I keep a cockeral and breed him back to the same 3 hens, or keep a couple hens and breed them back to the sire? Or do I find a cockeral from a new source?

Pages: [1]