661
Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: Wisconsin State Fair
« on: June 23, 2020, 01:41:17 PM »
The website has been updated to reflect the cancellation of this show.
News:
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662
News and Information / The passing of Neil Townsend
« on: June 17, 2020, 12:01:31 AM »
ABC member Larry Clionsky asked me to share the following regarding the passing of Neil Townsend. Our prayers go out to his family and friends.
Neil (Rabbit) Townsend, 68 of Meadville, died Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at the Meadville Medical Center. He was born in Meadville the son of Lyle and Edna Rung Gevin and was adopted by Everald and Irene Townsend. He married Donna Brock on May 12, 1973 and she survives.
Neil was a 1969 graduate of Conneaut Valley High School and worked at PPG for 47 years in the Preparation Department.
His nickname "Rabbit" was given to him in regards to he and his wife raising rabbits. For several years he was involved in 4H with the "Furry Friends" Rabbit Exhibit at the Crawford County Fair and also the Poultry Department.
In addition to his wife he is survived by two sons, Eric Townsend and wife Joan of Meadville and Matt Townsend of Meadville and a daughter Becky Townsend and her fiancée Travis Miller of Kennerdell. A sister, Lois Hunt and her husband David of Meadville, two brothers, Milo Gevin and wife Margaret of Cochranton and Dale Gevin and wife Deborah of Cambridge Springs and two grandchildren, Dominic and Kaidan Townsend.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Carl Gevin.
Due to the Corona Virus there are no calling hours or services scheduled at this time. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a date and time to be announced.
Memorial tributes can be made at www.dicksonfamilyfuneralhome.com
Neil (Rabbit) Townsend, 68 of Meadville, died Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at the Meadville Medical Center. He was born in Meadville the son of Lyle and Edna Rung Gevin and was adopted by Everald and Irene Townsend. He married Donna Brock on May 12, 1973 and she survives.
Neil was a 1969 graduate of Conneaut Valley High School and worked at PPG for 47 years in the Preparation Department.
His nickname "Rabbit" was given to him in regards to he and his wife raising rabbits. For several years he was involved in 4H with the "Furry Friends" Rabbit Exhibit at the Crawford County Fair and also the Poultry Department.
In addition to his wife he is survived by two sons, Eric Townsend and wife Joan of Meadville and Matt Townsend of Meadville and a daughter Becky Townsend and her fiancée Travis Miller of Kennerdell. A sister, Lois Hunt and her husband David of Meadville, two brothers, Milo Gevin and wife Margaret of Cochranton and Dale Gevin and wife Deborah of Cambridge Springs and two grandchildren, Dominic and Kaidan Townsend.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Carl Gevin.
Due to the Corona Virus there are no calling hours or services scheduled at this time. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a date and time to be announced.
Memorial tributes can be made at www.dicksonfamilyfuneralhome.com
663
Upcoming Meets / Re: Dayton Fancy Feather Show, 10/3/2020-10/4/2020, Greenville, OH
« on: June 15, 2020, 02:20:07 PM »I plan on attending...will you be there Lindsay?
I don’t think I will be able to make it to that show Jenna. I wish that I could so that I could meet you!
664
Breeding / Re: Breeding splash Ameraucanas
« on: June 14, 2020, 05:13:38 PM »
Gordon,
Hopefully Paul, Jean and other breeders of splash will chime in with their thoughts on breeding the splash color variety.
Jean and members of the standards committee have been a lot of help as the ABC drafts the standard for the splash variety. I have not received many emails from splash breeders regarding the standard and hope to see some of those emails trickle in.
I have enjoyed reading the descriptions of the splash varieties that have been approved, and studying the underlying genetics to better understand how and why a consistently laced line of splash Ameraucanas based on E is not achievable. It perplexed me that a color variety that calls for lacing could/would be used to create a non laced variety.
Do you have a copy of your Standard of Perfection book on hand?
I was reading the color descriptions of the splash varieties that have been approved this afternoon (generally speaking). I was looking at the standard for the splash modern game and the splash silkie. Much like in our case, the blue color varieties call for lacing in the hackle, back, tail, wings, breast, body and legs while the splash color varieties do not. The disqualifications listed for the splash modern game are "any appearance of rust in the plumage. More than 50% blue in the plumage." The disqualification listed for the splash silkie is "any appearance of rust in the plumage." I need to get out my ABA standard.
I am going to reach out to some of the splash modern game bantam breeders and request photos of their splash birds. It would not be as useful to reach out to splash silkie breeders because they are soft feathered. It will be interesting to see the edging and or lacing in the splash modern game bantams. The other standards for splash varieties that are approved and are created from blues with lacing do not address the lacing or edging issue in their standard. It did not affect their splash varieties getting approved. I am curious about the standard committee’s thoughts on the wording of the standard in regard to that aspect, if it needs to be addressed and the interpretation of APA judges.
The long and the short of it is the standard will not call for any lacing, as consistent lacing is not achievable on a line of E based birds carrying two copies of the Bl gene.
The educational post has generated some feedback from APA judges and some other folks versed in genetics so that has been nice. That was my hope. The ABC welcomes any feedback on the splash standard and I can be reached personally at abcsecretaryhelton@gmail.com.
I am going to talk with some members of the standards committee this week about the standard. Please feel free to send me an email about any questions or concerns you have regarding the standard and I can submit those thoughts with my email to them.
Hopefully Paul, Jean and other breeders of splash will chime in with their thoughts on breeding the splash color variety.
Jean and members of the standards committee have been a lot of help as the ABC drafts the standard for the splash variety. I have not received many emails from splash breeders regarding the standard and hope to see some of those emails trickle in.
I have enjoyed reading the descriptions of the splash varieties that have been approved, and studying the underlying genetics to better understand how and why a consistently laced line of splash Ameraucanas based on E is not achievable. It perplexed me that a color variety that calls for lacing could/would be used to create a non laced variety.
Do you have a copy of your Standard of Perfection book on hand?
I was reading the color descriptions of the splash varieties that have been approved this afternoon (generally speaking). I was looking at the standard for the splash modern game and the splash silkie. Much like in our case, the blue color varieties call for lacing in the hackle, back, tail, wings, breast, body and legs while the splash color varieties do not. The disqualifications listed for the splash modern game are "any appearance of rust in the plumage. More than 50% blue in the plumage." The disqualification listed for the splash silkie is "any appearance of rust in the plumage." I need to get out my ABA standard.
I am going to reach out to some of the splash modern game bantam breeders and request photos of their splash birds. It would not be as useful to reach out to splash silkie breeders because they are soft feathered. It will be interesting to see the edging and or lacing in the splash modern game bantams. The other standards for splash varieties that are approved and are created from blues with lacing do not address the lacing or edging issue in their standard. It did not affect their splash varieties getting approved. I am curious about the standard committee’s thoughts on the wording of the standard in regard to that aspect, if it needs to be addressed and the interpretation of APA judges.
The long and the short of it is the standard will not call for any lacing, as consistent lacing is not achievable on a line of E based birds carrying two copies of the Bl gene.
The educational post has generated some feedback from APA judges and some other folks versed in genetics so that has been nice. That was my hope. The ABC welcomes any feedback on the splash standard and I can be reached personally at abcsecretaryhelton@gmail.com.
I am going to talk with some members of the standards committee this week about the standard. Please feel free to send me an email about any questions or concerns you have regarding the standard and I can submit those thoughts with my email to them.
665
Breeding / Breeding splash Ameraucanas
« on: June 12, 2020, 09:20:10 PM »
The Ameraucana Breeders Club is seeking approval for the splash color variety in large fowl. I will plan to create a few educational posts about breeding the splash color variety in the coming months in order to promote the effort. This approval effort will require a concerted effort by numerous Ameraucana breeders across the U.S. in order to be successful.
First, some of you may wonder how a splash Ameraucana is created. A splash Ameraucana is created from breeding a blue Ameraucana to a blue Ameraucana, a blue Ameraucana to a splash Ameraucana or a splash Ameraucana to a splash Ameraucana. I will attach a breeding chart to this educational post.
Blue x Blue will create approximately 25% Splash.
Blue x Splash will create 50% Splash.
Splash x Splash will create 100% Splash.
If you open up your American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection book, you will notice that for the blue color description, it states that the neck, back, tail, wings, breast, body & fluff, and lower thighs should be laced in black.
In recent years, Andalusians have been crossed into several blue Ameraucana breeding programs to achieve the lacing that the standard calls for in the blue Ameraucana color variety. While there are a few conflicting studies out there, multiple scientific studies have found that there are three genes involved in creating the black single lacing on a blue Ameraucana. Those three genes are the Pattern gene (Pg), Melanotic gene (MI) and Columbian gene (Co).
The Pattern gene is responsible for creating patterns on plumage. It organizes black pigment concentrically. The Melanotic gene is a black intensifier. It enhances and moves black pigment to the outer border of the feather. This makes the outer border black and double lacing is created (Pg+Ml). By adding Columbian (Co), which is an eumelanin restrictor, the inner laces are taken away and single lacing is created (Pg+Ml+Co).
The Pg, MI and Co genes that create the lacing in a blue Ameraucana can also result in partial or incomplete lacing in a splash Ameraucana. We will not being seeking for the splash Ameraucana color variety to have lacing present as consistent lacing is not achievable on a splash Ameraucana. The lacing on a splash Ameraucana that is produced from blue breeding programs that have true lacing is not consistent due to the two copies of the blue gene having a disruptive effect and distributing the melanin that is present on a splash Ameraucanas at random. This is also impacted by the e-allele they are built on. There may be additional modifiers that have an effect on the lacing being more or less consistent, but unfortunately there has not been significant scientific research completed on the subject.
Thank you Jean Ribbeck and Brian Reeder for your help while creating this educational post.
A special thank you to the American Poultry Association for giving me permission to use excerpts of the standard when creating these educational posts. To breed Ameraucanas to standard and to be aware of defects and disqualifications, you will need a copy of the APA SOP book. To buy an American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection book, visit the following link:
http://amerpoultryassn.com/store.htm
For more information on the Ameraucana breed, visit www.ameraucanabreedersclub.org.
W. C. Carefoot (1992) Inheritance of the lace‐tailed laced plumage pattern of the sebright bantam, British Poultry Science, 33:2, 297-302, DOI: 10.1080/00071669208417468
W. C. Carefoot (1988) Inheritance of the laced plumage pattern of the blue Andalusian bantam, British Poultry Science, 29:1, 175-178, DOI: 10.1080/00071668808417040
W. C. Carefoot (1986) Laced and double‐laced plumage pattern phenotypes of the domestic fowl, British Poultry Science, 27:1, 93-96, DOI: 10.1080/00071668608416858
First, some of you may wonder how a splash Ameraucana is created. A splash Ameraucana is created from breeding a blue Ameraucana to a blue Ameraucana, a blue Ameraucana to a splash Ameraucana or a splash Ameraucana to a splash Ameraucana. I will attach a breeding chart to this educational post.
Blue x Blue will create approximately 25% Splash.
Blue x Splash will create 50% Splash.
Splash x Splash will create 100% Splash.
If you open up your American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection book, you will notice that for the blue color description, it states that the neck, back, tail, wings, breast, body & fluff, and lower thighs should be laced in black.
In recent years, Andalusians have been crossed into several blue Ameraucana breeding programs to achieve the lacing that the standard calls for in the blue Ameraucana color variety. While there are a few conflicting studies out there, multiple scientific studies have found that there are three genes involved in creating the black single lacing on a blue Ameraucana. Those three genes are the Pattern gene (Pg), Melanotic gene (MI) and Columbian gene (Co).
The Pattern gene is responsible for creating patterns on plumage. It organizes black pigment concentrically. The Melanotic gene is a black intensifier. It enhances and moves black pigment to the outer border of the feather. This makes the outer border black and double lacing is created (Pg+Ml). By adding Columbian (Co), which is an eumelanin restrictor, the inner laces are taken away and single lacing is created (Pg+Ml+Co).
The Pg, MI and Co genes that create the lacing in a blue Ameraucana can also result in partial or incomplete lacing in a splash Ameraucana. We will not being seeking for the splash Ameraucana color variety to have lacing present as consistent lacing is not achievable on a splash Ameraucana. The lacing on a splash Ameraucana that is produced from blue breeding programs that have true lacing is not consistent due to the two copies of the blue gene having a disruptive effect and distributing the melanin that is present on a splash Ameraucanas at random. This is also impacted by the e-allele they are built on. There may be additional modifiers that have an effect on the lacing being more or less consistent, but unfortunately there has not been significant scientific research completed on the subject.
Thank you Jean Ribbeck and Brian Reeder for your help while creating this educational post.
A special thank you to the American Poultry Association for giving me permission to use excerpts of the standard when creating these educational posts. To breed Ameraucanas to standard and to be aware of defects and disqualifications, you will need a copy of the APA SOP book. To buy an American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection book, visit the following link:
http://amerpoultryassn.com/store.htm
For more information on the Ameraucana breed, visit www.ameraucanabreedersclub.org.
W. C. Carefoot (1992) Inheritance of the lace‐tailed laced plumage pattern of the sebright bantam, British Poultry Science, 33:2, 297-302, DOI: 10.1080/00071669208417468
W. C. Carefoot (1988) Inheritance of the laced plumage pattern of the blue Andalusian bantam, British Poultry Science, 29:1, 175-178, DOI: 10.1080/00071668808417040
W. C. Carefoot (1986) Laced and double‐laced plumage pattern phenotypes of the domestic fowl, British Poultry Science, 27:1, 93-96, DOI: 10.1080/00071668608416858
666
Breeding / Sexing young birds
« on: June 07, 2020, 01:33:53 AM »
APA judge Rip Stalvey recently posted this and I wanted to share it with our members (with his permission):
In sexing young birds of breeds that can have slow to develop combs in the males I have found this method to be far more reliable in determining sex. This was shared on the Crevecoeur Project Preservation Group.
"Thought it was time to re-post these images since so many folks are asking how to sex their young birds. This goes for any breed except Silkies. Look at the saddle feathers (middle top of back) and you will see 1 of 2 types of feathers. Wide & well rounded means the bird is female. If they are skinny & pointed almost like hackle feathers, then the bird is a male. By the time they are about 8 weeks old you can see it clearly."
Thanks for sharing Rip!
In sexing young birds of breeds that can have slow to develop combs in the males I have found this method to be far more reliable in determining sex. This was shared on the Crevecoeur Project Preservation Group.
"Thought it was time to re-post these images since so many folks are asking how to sex their young birds. This goes for any breed except Silkies. Look at the saddle feathers (middle top of back) and you will see 1 of 2 types of feathers. Wide & well rounded means the bird is female. If they are skinny & pointed almost like hackle feathers, then the bird is a male. By the time they are about 8 weeks old you can see it clearly."
Thanks for sharing Rip!
667
Upcoming Meets / Dayton Fancy Feather Show, 10/3/2020-10/4/2020, Greenville, OH
« on: June 03, 2020, 02:38:33 AM »
Show Name: Dayton Fancy Feather Show
Meet Type: District
Double Show
Show Start - End Dates: 10/03/2020-10/04/2020
Host Club: Dayton Fancy Feather Club
Show Facility: Darke County Fairgrounds
Show Address: 800 Sweitzer Street
Show City, St, Zip: Greenville, OH 45331
Show Secretary: Amanda Heitzman
Show Secretary's Email: daytonfancyfeatherclub@gmail.com
Show Secretary’s Phone Number: 937-681-6002
Meet Type: District
Double Show
Show Start - End Dates: 10/03/2020-10/04/2020
Host Club: Dayton Fancy Feather Club
Show Facility: Darke County Fairgrounds
Show Address: 800 Sweitzer Street
Show City, St, Zip: Greenville, OH 45331
Show Secretary: Amanda Heitzman
Show Secretary's Email: daytonfancyfeatherclub@gmail.com
Show Secretary’s Phone Number: 937-681-6002
668
News and Information / Large fowl splash Ameraucana affidavits
« on: May 29, 2020, 06:02:04 PM »
The Ameraucana Breeders Club would like to issue a special thank you to Jean Ribbeck, Paul Smith, Aaron Hickson, Karen Carpenter and Debra Hogan for signing an affidavit for the large fowl splash Ameraucana approval process!
It is a wonderful time to be a part of the Ameraucana Breeders Club! We are continually striving to further the Ameraucana breed.
If you are interested in learning more and participating in this exciting approval process, please contact us via email at abcsecretaryhelton@gmail.com.
It is a wonderful time to be a part of the Ameraucana Breeders Club! We are continually striving to further the Ameraucana breed.
If you are interested in learning more and participating in this exciting approval process, please contact us via email at abcsecretaryhelton@gmail.com.
669
News and Information / New Member Handbook
« on: May 28, 2020, 12:18:32 PM »
The Ameraucana Breeders Club sends a handbook in each new member packet and we also offer them for sale on our website. Our last handbook was created in 2017.
The Board of Directors has decided to begin the task of completing a new member handbook.
We send dozens of these handbooks out each year and we would like to invite our members to advertise their farm in the new handbook. The advertisement costs will be as follows:
• 1/4 page - 2.25"w x 3.25"h, b&w - $30, color - $40
• 1/2 page - 4.5"w x 3.25"h, b&w - $45, color - $60
• Full page - 4.5"w x 6.5"h, b&w - $90, color - $120
• Full page color only – inside back or front cover - $150
If you are interested in advertising in our new member handbook, please contact me via email at abcsecretaryhelton@gmail.com.
Thanks!
The Board of Directors has decided to begin the task of completing a new member handbook.
We send dozens of these handbooks out each year and we would like to invite our members to advertise their farm in the new handbook. The advertisement costs will be as follows:
• 1/4 page - 2.25"w x 3.25"h, b&w - $30, color - $40
• 1/2 page - 4.5"w x 3.25"h, b&w - $45, color - $60
• Full page - 4.5"w x 6.5"h, b&w - $90, color - $120
• Full page color only – inside back or front cover - $150
If you are interested in advertising in our new member handbook, please contact me via email at abcsecretaryhelton@gmail.com.
Thanks!
670
Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: APA Poultry Show
« on: May 25, 2020, 09:45:34 AM »I assume you have to be an APA member? I did not notice membership requirement on the entry form.
You do not have to be an APA member to participate.
671
News and Information / Re: New Member Drawing! Join in 2020 for a chance to win a prize valued at $350!
« on: May 24, 2020, 11:10:19 AM »WOW Lindsay, Can I join as an alias name to be eligible to win too? Maybe I can enter for my dog! Some new member is going to be awfully happy!!!!!!
I think I will register our Aussie. She is good at herding (more like chasing) chickens. That has to count for something!
I accidentally commented on your actual post so I deleted my comment and moved it down.
I need a second cup of coffee this morning...
672
Breeding / Re: Quality vs Quantity
« on: May 24, 2020, 01:13:55 AM »Lindsay, you were posting as I was typing (well pecking my way) to Stephan's questions. Amazing that your answers and mine were so close. No Stephan, we didn't collaborate on answers!
Haha! You will have to type your reply a little faster Gordon and it will look like I am copying you!
673
Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: APA Poultry Show
« on: May 23, 2020, 06:22:24 PM »Is anyone going to participate in the APA Virtual Show? I think we will for fun. They said the club with the most entries will receive their Directory Ad for free. So how about we represent these fine Ameraucana!
Here's a link to the entry.
https://americanpoultryassociation.app.box.com/s/6vzo87d35r9mx3kv110th84ualv6u3i9
I will check it out Kris!
674
Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: Pet Carriers / Show Boxes
« on: May 22, 2020, 10:12:26 PM »Do any of you guys have the dimensions for the LF show boxes? Thinking of having a friend that does woodwork make some for us. Thanks!
Someone had some listed for sale a while back. A 4 stall box that holds four pullets or hens was 8 inches wide, 16 inches tall and 16 inches deep per stall, and a 3 stall box was 10 inches wide, 16 inches tall and 16 inches deep per stall.
Hopefully someone will comment regarding their experience with using pullet/hen show boxes that have similar dimensions as listed above. I have not personally used show boxes for hens with the dimensions listed above so I can’t comment regarding how well they work for large fowl Ameraucanas.
The dimensions for a 2 stall large box for cockerels was listed as 24 inches wide, 24 inches tall and 24 inches deep (there was a divider in the middle and each individual stall was 12 inches wide). I have two of the 2 stall large boxes with those dimensions and they have worked very well for cockerels and cocks.
Vinson Workman is on Facebook. He makes show boxes and ships them if you do not want to build anything. You will want the surface to be smooth so that it does not damage the feathers.
675
Breeding / Re: Quality vs Quantity
« on: May 22, 2020, 09:48:41 PM »These are chicks that we purchased. How long would you say it takes for the Wheaten/Blue Wheaten to finish out? What are your thoughts on purchasing a trio as well? Or would that be too much? Thank you for the advice and your time.
Stephan
Wheaten and blue wheaten are very slow to develop. Males can take up to a year to finish out. I recommend growing them all out so you can become familiar with the line you are working with. That is how we learn. Cull for any disqualifications and for poor type along the way. Females will finish a little sooner and are usually ready to show at around 8 months of age.