Ameraucana Breeders Club
The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club => Ameraucana Marketplace => Topic started by: HarryS on May 15, 2013, 04:03:00 PM
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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.
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Well i have 60+ chicks and would sell some. The only problem i have now is that i am back to work and i work away all week. I can't ship them on the week days because of this but i am home on weekends when my kids don't have Baseball games. Any body can call me to come to my house or meet me some were if they want to. I just separated my roosters from my hens today because i have so many chicks and young birds. I can always put them back together if i need to. I have Lavender, Brown Red, Blacks, Buffs and only five Silvers right now for sale. All are large fowl also. I will have Wheatens and Blue Wheatens in about a month also. My number is in the directory but here it is so you don't have to look for it. 814-423-1927. i live in PA.
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I'd love to help, but my hatching season got off to a dismal start, I've barely hatched enough to replace the ones I've lost or retired, and that's assuming the ones that hatched survive to breeding age, 4 long, hot months away... :-\
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Janet Little in New Jersey has a few wheaten bantams available. I spoke with her on the phone tonight.
Janet is listed in the Breeders Directory. She says they go back to birds she got from John Blehm some eight to ten years ago.
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I have chicks hatching every Tuesday until about june 5.Eggs available also as I have set my last batch.LF in BBS and silver and a few lavender.Bantams BBS, silver,white,a few lavender.
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I agree. This area is not being used to its full extent. I refer to many people to John and Paul for chicks but we seem to be bashful to offer eggs and such. Lets not become as elitist as some breeds which only offer started stock.
I will have Black Am eggs available soon. I am done hatching Lav splits will have my Black cock back in with his Black hens now.
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I am officially sold out on day olds. I have hatched roughly 250 ameraucanas and 100 other breeds. I would have hatched more and advertised it better but ALL my black females molted for 6 weeks in the middle of breeding season! If someone is looking for something specific in the coming weeks feel free to email me. I have quiet a few growing birds that i am still sorting out for myself. I am hoping this fall to be able to hatch out more birds and start shipping them as day olds. Kind of in a bind now cause a lot of 4her's have bought my extra older pullets..now i am stuck with all these so so ameraucana males.....
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Let's all be careful to sell only birds that we ourselves would keep as breeders. If anyone is selling culls, you are doing no favors for the breed, the club, or our reputations. I don't sell chicks and eggs because the chances are too low in my opinion (with the stock I'm working with) for optimal results. I sell (and ship) started birds and adults. I guess that makes me elitest; so be it. Or maybe when you get to a certain age you care a lot less what the rest of the world thinks.
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I have finished hatching and can offer 15-20 eggs per week. They are blue, black, and splash from Paul.
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Mike is absolutely correct. On the average when you buy eggs or chicks only 10% are worthy of keeping IMO.
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I sorted thru my started birds over the last couple days and came up with 88 culls. Some of you will be happy to know they were sold to someone that will butcher them in a month or two. Some were pretty nice birds too, but the ones I kept are better and I'll keep sorting and culling every month or so until I have only the best to keep thru the winter.
My personal opinion is to sell whatever chickens you have to sell, but just not misrepresenting them. Once someone else owns them I don't think it is any of my business what they do with them. Of course if they advertise or try to sell the birds as something the are not, then I have the same problem with them that I've had with the BIG commercial hatcheries for decades that sell mongrel chickens as Ameraucana and/or Araucana.
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Most of you realize I was not referring to meat birds being sold, only birds being sold as exhibition stock.
But so someone is not confused or offended I thought I better clarify that. I sell all my young "culls" to the local Hmong population to butcher or raise for butchering. I also have no problem selling birds at swap meets, as it is generally well known that is a "buyer beware and you take your chances" market. In such venues the buyer has a chance to see and evaluate exactly what he/she is buying. But John is right in that we need to represent what we are selling as honestly and as correctly as we can.
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For sale, I have a splash cockerel and a blue cockerel, both hatched 1-1-13. I am showing them at the Canfield, OH poultry show June 8th and would like to sell them there. Everything else I am taking there has been pre-sold. If someone is going to that show and is possibly interested in one of these birds, I can post pictures. Other than those two, I am only selling and shipping hatching eggs at this time.
My last hatch on May 6th was my 12th hatch since the first of this year. I am taking a much needed break right now to get some writing done, then I may start hatching again in a month or so. I, like Harry, am getting a lot of calls for Ameraucanas. I'm happy to see how popular they're becoming in this area.
I am very pleased with my chicks this year and am hearing nice things from several people who have bought from me. I'm eager to see some of these after they have fully matured. I have held back 40-45 chicks for myself, but will slowly be picking and choosing through those until I end up with about 20-25 of the best to keep for my breeding pens next year.
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Let's all be careful to sell only birds that we ourselves would keep as breeders.
This is why I don't offer much for sale, to be honest. If it's worth breeding, I use it, if it's not, I don't want to put it off on someone else. I sell my culls at auction, most probably go for meat, some hens for layers. I realize there are unscrupulous people who may misrepresent them, but dishonest people are going to be dishonest, and there's no way to prevent them from getting birds, all we can do is educate buyers in hopes of drying up the market for the junk they're peddling.
I rarely sell chicks or eggs, but I will likely have some started birds available by the end of summer, assuming the brutal summer heat doesn't take out too many. Shipping is a no-go from this part of the state, but the fall show season will be starting by then so with a little planning we might still be able to get them where they need to go.
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90% of the chicks and older birds I sell go to folks who wouldn't know the difference between an Ameraucana and an Easter Egger - though I usually go to great lengths to explain the difference. Most folks who buy Ameraucanas from me just want a "blue or green egg layer". And they tell me they have no interest in breeding or showing. Judging from the number of WBS I see at the shows, I'd have to say they're telling me the truth.
For those who are looking to get Ameraucanas to breed and show, I either ask them to hold off until they are older so I can get them some good breeders or try to ensure they will stay in touch with me so I can help them when it comes to selecting and setting up their breeding program. Sadly, I have to admit there aren't many of those.
Personally, I'd rather see folks going to private breeders and buying chicks from them rather than going to hatcheries and buying Easter Eggers. And I guess I'd have to admit I may have a bit of a bias here because I sell my chicks for $8 each straight-run whereas the feedstores sell their EE's for $4. I sell my EE's for $5. Maybe I'm a bit shortsighted but when I've been going $3500 in the RED every year for the last couple, I'm looking for ways to make this hobby at least pay for itself if I can. I've even "marketed" my cockerels/roosters as a means for folks to make their own Easter Eggers. Though I have to admit I wind up having to butcher most my roosters of any kind. There just isn't a market for meat birds here.
God Bless,
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I've been going $3500 in the RED every year for the last couple, I'm looking for ways to make this hobby at least pay for itself if I can.
God Bless,
If you figure out how to do that please let me know ;) Seriously
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I actually broke even a couple of years. I didn't have as many birds. Only had two breeds instead of four. Wasn't hatching near as many chicks. Had a buyer for excess roosters. And sold a lot more hatching eggs. Plus feed was $2-4 cheaper a bag. Plus I didn't have any "project birds".
Then I decided if I wanted to make bigger and better improvements faster, I had to hatch out more and cull more. Lost my buyer for roosters and though I was only getting $7-10 for a rooster, now you can't find one 'cause everybody is giving them away. Since the separation and divorce, I just don't have the time to package up eggs and run to the PO. Gotta devote that to the job especially since the down economy has greatly reduced income. And the project birds cause you to wind up feeding a lot of trash that nobody wants.
My project - Rosecomb Barnevelders - is pretty much where I want them so I'm hoping there'll be an interest in them because as far as I know, nobody else has any. Then I'm going back to look over those years and see what else I might be able to do sell more because I've made about as many cuts as I know how.
God Bless,
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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
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Large Fowl day old Ameraucana chicks for sale.
We have turned away chick orders for several weeks to make sure we would be able to fill all that we had already accepted. We are caught-up on black, blue, splash and lavender and can accept some of each for our last hatch. We are still fully booked up on all wheaten varieties, and cannot accept anymore until this fall for our 2014 hatches. Our last hatch of 2013 is June 10. There are 228 black, blue, splash and 70 lavender eggs incubating now along with 141 wheaten and 54 Rhode Island Red.
There is a 10 chick minimum so they will stay warm enough during shipping. They are straight run only as we are unable to sex them at a day old.
They may be sent by priority mail through shipping zone #4 from us (76240 zip code). Shipping zone #5 and up must go by express mail, as we guarantee live chicks upon arrival or a refund for any DOA.
Prices for Large Fowl potential show quality (backed by proof-5 national champions since 2000 & APA Master Breeder in LF Black Ameraucanas).
10 for $89, 15 for $127, 20 for $165, 25 for $203 or 50 for $392 for priority mailed.
Express mailed chicks are $110 for 10, $148 for 15, $190 for 20, $228 for 25 or $425 for 50. The price differences are due to PO charges. They are being offered on a first come first serve basis.
Paul & Angela Smith
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I'm still really new at this, but I like to start my flock with hatching eggs. That seems the best way to keep my bio-security in place and maintain a healthy flock. I've learned from experience how devastating some diseases can be. There are no cures for a lot of viruses. You either lose your entire flock, or risk passing it along to someone else. No matter how careful we are, chickens can catch illnesses. It seems I cut myself off from a lot of options because I'm so afraid of getting something like MS/MG or other chicken ailments which are uncurable. Maybe people who've done this a lot longer than me have some advice?
When I have sold culls, I sell them as Easter Eggers for egg laying purposes. I tell them exactly what they're getting.
Thanks for listening - Linda
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We have some nice LF buffs available now, and are going through our blues and blacks. Some are show potential, others "backyard layers". More available in the fall after we have grown out and culled...
Christine
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Well, I can't keep enough birds for people to buy. I can't even keep enough roosters to keep up with the demand. I wintered 10 cockerels/cocks purchased 2, and I only have 2 left. A blue, and a wheaten.
Hens that don't make the cut, go to layer homes. If they do other things with them, I can not help that. I am not going to butcher a hen that I am culling, she is still a chicken. Not everyone shows, she can still lay an egg.
IDK about budget, I spend a boat load. I love it though. I have gotten my flock b/b/s where I want them. I will be closing them. The w/b/s are probably closed too. I have other breeds also, and they are there to help with the lacing project.
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Well, I can't keep enough birds for people to buy. I can't even keep enough roosters to keep up with the demand.
With that kind of demand, are you sure you are charging enough? Just sayin'.
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Most of them are going for $50. Those are the nicest of them. They have to practically jump through hoops to stay that long. They are usually over 6 months, and have to pass my evaluation, and my other Ameraucana friends strict judging. I only sell cockerels or cocks I would use myself.
The ones that are not proven yet (fertility) or was not strictly evaluated by me and my other Ameraucana friends go for $25-$35.
I do give discounts to 4-Hers.
Its not like I sell them for cheap. Its not like I am selling crap either. I cull hard and it starts very early around here. Especially for roosters. Hens usually get to grow out, and I need to evaluate them before and after laying. I also want to see them after a molt, and how light there eggs get.
I do sell my cull hens for layers. If someone buys a pair, they usually get a cockerel that has not made the "cut" for free(making it a trio). IDK, do you think that is to cheap? My prices aren't to low are they? My first "real" Ameraucana rooster cost me $30.00, 4 years ago. After a while, I realized he wasn't all that! I have people that want to use them to make OE. They also get culls, unless they wanna pay the $$$.
I also want to add that I am NOT saying this in a bragging or ignorant way. I feel very lucky to have had a good year so far! I can only hope that it continues to be as wonderful. I am trying to pay for feed!!! Not make anything more then that! This is my hobby not a business. I am a not for profit!!! LOL I am like everybody else busting my butt to make birds as close as I can to the SOP.
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I am trying to pay for feed!!! Not make anything more then that! This is my hobby not a business. I am a not for profit!!!
I believe that is the goal of most of us. When I break even on my hobby I'm way ahead of those that golf, bowl, hunt, fish, etc. By selling birds I'm just trying to support my habit. ;)
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Most of them are going for $50. Those are the nicest of them. They have to practically jump through hoops to stay that long. They are usually over 6 months, and have to pass my evaluation, and my other Ameraucana friends strict judging. I only sell cockerels or cocks I would use myself. The ones that are not proven yet (fertility) or was not strictly evaluated by me and my other Ameraucana friends go for $25-$35.
You must be in a great area for demand. It sounds like you are doing everything A-OK. Congrats!
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I must say they are in demand! People want colored eggs for there egg basket, and they are figuring out that an EE will probably get you a drab green egg. They want the bluest they can find! I say that is another thing we are all striving for!
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I have 5 day old chicks for sale, blue, black and some splash. Will have more hatching this weekend. Lynne