Messages

556

Ameraucana Marketplace / Bantam Ameraucanas

« on: April 09, 2015, 10:29:52 AM »

I know that there are a lot of people working with LF Silvers now.  But several folks that used to keep Bantams have stopped for a least a time.  I know that Curtis Beck moved from the farm to the city and got rid of everything for a time.  Jerry said raccoons have given him significant trouble in his silver pens too.  There are several bantam silver flocks here in our area now and these are from the same 2-3 lines.  But who in the US is working with this color and which lines are you working with now?  I have a couple of lines and would like to see if everyone is having the same issues with specific lines.   
   There are a few flocks of bantams of any color here in the SE but very few showing on a regular basis.  It would be great to see more competition in these classes all around.
   Just drop me an email or post here if you have silver bantams now or are interested in bantams of any color.    Thanks!    drccash@yahoo.com

557

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: To wash or not to wash?

« on: April 03, 2015, 11:18:07 AM »

Sarah, I can't compare the washed vs unwashed hatches, I have never done a comparison
We had never "washed" eggs because of the advice in old incubator instructions, "do not wash hatching eggs".
But a few years back I received a box of eggs from a breeder with several broken eggs which had leaked onto a good number of the other eggs.  We put the eggs in a plastic egg tray and let them sit in a bath of luke warm Clorox water mixture for a few minutes.  I did not have high hopes for the hatch, but was very pleased with a great hatch.  So now we do this to most of our eggs before setting the incubator.

I've not been a fan of Tektrol after reading the warning label, But do use Oxine and Clorox.  Even with these two I do the treatment outside and let the trays sit on a solid surface so they can drain fully before carrying them into the house and incubator.

But I really don't consider this washing because it simply treats the bacteria from the outside of the shell.  If you rub/scrub the shell, I would think it would remove the "bloom" from the shell.  Where as dipping may leave some of this natural protection?  I am curious how some of the breeders actually do this washing, dipping like Paul or more?  Maybe this "Bloom" is another Rural myth?

558

Breeding / Re: feathered legs in wheatens

« on: March 31, 2015, 07:08:10 AM »

Susan,  You might drop Wayne Meredith a note and ask him what he remembers being used during the construction of the color(s) long ago.  I can not think of what that might have been, but I'm sure that they were creative in those early matings.   

559

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Feed Recipes

« on: March 24, 2015, 09:26:36 PM »

Sarah,   I have always used a commercial feed of some sort as a base and mainstay for the birds.  But I often sweeten the feed for the breeders and any special birds that I am keeping separated.  The basic feed hopefully keeps the nutrient level close to where it should be and the extras hopefully make it better.  That is unless you give them so much extra that you dilute the nutrients/protein in the "balanced ration".  There are many products that folks have talked about using on many posts in the past.  Sunflower seed, oats, cat food, various oils, fish/meat scrapes, and just about anything to give them extra protein will help with breeding.  Some breeders or exhibitors will keep them on a weekly supplement of vitamins, Red cell, calf manna or so many other things come to mind. (I did a search for feed and found 'too many posts to link' over the years.  It's not a scientific approach by any means, but at least it makes the breeder feel like they are helping somewhat.  And if you hand feed them, it helps train them to look for a treat when someone approaches their cage.  So I would take your basic feed recipe and add some of the things that you find in the posts, see what works best and let us know if you feel like you've found a magic formula.   

560

Breeding / Re: Blue x Blue, etc

« on: March 23, 2015, 10:57:19 PM »

To me the Punnett square method is the best explanation. 
If you assign the Black = (BB), Blue =(Bb), one blue gene creates blue, and Splash as (bb), two blue genes.  Each of the parents contribute one color gene.  The result is a mathematical proportion, theoretically at least in large numbers.
IE,
Start with a black (BB) and Splash (bb), each offspring will get one B and one b,
     therefore all chicks will be (Bb) = 100% Blue.

With Blue (Bb) and Blue (Bb) matings
   Half of the chicks will get (Bb), 25% get (BB) and 25% (bb)

The last two are the ones in my mind that don't seem to make sense proportionally, but a bit more logical if you think about each gene in a punnett square matrix....
Splash (bb) and Blue (Bb)
50% of the offspring will get (bb) and 50% (Bb)

Black (BB) and Blue (Bb)
50% get (BB) and 50% (Bb)

561

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: Breeding pairs available

« on: March 09, 2015, 08:05:59 AM »

Stan, Glad to have another person in the region willing to take on the Buff color.  It will be good to see more "light in the show aisles".  There is too much dark and shadows in the AM aisles.   
Raise the heck out of them and lets get some good ones spread around to others as well. 

I have one more LF buff male available, no females, for anyone that wants to be a convert. 
(I may let some of my breeders go in late spring or early summer if someone wants to hatch some late birds)                    oh yea and bantams I can bring to the shows. 

562

Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: spring 2015 shows for North and south Carolina

« on: March 08, 2015, 09:37:54 AM »

Today is the deadline for the Cape Fear show entries.
I will not be able to make this show for work commitments. 
But I hope there is a great turn out, and another AM gets to Champion Row.   

563

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: chick boxes

« on: March 08, 2015, 09:33:13 AM »

Thanks Michelle,  I will be glad to buy some from you and give it a try.   I've not shipped chicks before but have shipped eggs in the past with mixed luck.  But it seems that the increased USPS mail load today has caused new hazards for anything that is fragile.  So we will see.....

Dewayne, my wife is not in favor of "extra" chicken stuff around the house.  But I do like to buy in quantities if I can save.  Domestic politics is an art in which I do not excel.   

564

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: chick boxes

« on: March 07, 2015, 01:57:39 PM »

I think I've read where some folks use the chick boxes to ship eggs.  The thought was that these boxes might get handled a little more carefully than a plain box.  Anyone tried this tactic with good luck?

I might try some during hatching season to see.  Anyone in the NC\SC area want to split an order of boxes for 25 chick size?

565

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: Breeding pairs available

« on: March 05, 2015, 08:50:39 PM »

We still have a few breeding pairs of ____ bantam only _____available in North Carolina.
Varieties as listed above that I can deliver to either the Winston-Salem or Greensboro Shows. 

MAY  have limited hatching eggs later in the season as well.

Email if you would like more info.   Thanks!   

566

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: blue laced

« on: March 02, 2015, 09:33:45 AM »

Stan, there are many threads on the forum discussing silvers and blue silvers.  You can search and read many others starts of diluting the silver genes.  The silver color is still unstable in my mind and needs quite a bit of work by itself.  The color standard has both blue silver and silver blue, they are different colors.
 http://ameraucana.org/forum/index.php?topic=284.msg1942;topicseen#msg1942

Regarding Blues with lacing, I think most agree that the blues we currently have in Ameraucanas is edging and not lacing.  Several members were working to add lacing to the blue.  Some by crossing Andalusian and I think Jean was using another cross.  You might check out the thread at the top of the breeding category for some of this discussion.  I hope this helps.

Give us more detail in what you have and are trying to do, or If you can't find what you are looking for. 

567

News and Information / Re: Spring 2015 Bulletin

« on: February 28, 2015, 08:56:37 AM »

Thanks Susan,   Looks great.  Thanks for getting the North Carolina meets listed for the next few months.

568

Breeding / Re: Ameraucanas vs EEs

« on: February 09, 2015, 12:37:42 PM »

Good Luck Susan,   This is the kind of misinformation that drives the public's "knowledge" of the breed.  They finally did post pictures of the females so anyone paying attention and caring should bee able to tell the difference. 
What is the old saying? "......... is bliss"   This farm has a group of off white birds too, And they are getting a decent price for hatching eggs.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/grd/4864210754.html

569

Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: spring 2015 shows for North and south Carolina

« on: January 27, 2015, 09:03:00 PM »

Anyone else planning on showing at these shows?

570

Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: spring 2015 shows for North and south Carolina

« on: January 12, 2015, 11:11:37 PM »

Will do John.  Thanks!   I hope to get some input from some of the other members about other shows in our area that we can all get behind to support with AMs as well.