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Topics - Susan Mouw

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316
News and Information / Update on Clif Redden
« on: May 20, 2015, 08:02:02 AM »
They have tentatively re-scheduled surgery for this Friday and will be running more tests on Clif today and tomorrow. Please keep him and Linda in your prayers this week. Thank you

317
Please say a prayer for our President, Clif Redden, as he goes into the hospital for open heart surgery this week. His surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning, 5/20/15. His doctors have told him he has at least 3 blocked arteries and a faulty heart valve.

318
National Meet 2015, Fayetteville, AR / Egg Contest
« on: May 07, 2015, 11:33:54 AM »
2015 ABC National Meet
Egg Contest


We will be offering four classes for the egg contest at our 2015 National Meet: Large Fowl Hen, Large Fowl Pullet, Bantam Hen, and Bantam Pullet. Awards will be given for the Best in each class. There is no entry fee, Ameraucana eggs only;

Entries will consist of six eggs presented in a suitable container of the entrant’s choice.

Exhibitors may enter the same class more than once only if each entry represents a different Ameraucana variety and/or under hen or pullet status. Entries from pens or flocks of commingled varieties shall be limited to one per class and shall be designated “Various” on the entry form.

No unsolicited remarks by any exhibitor may be made within hearing of the judge during the judging process. Violations will result in automatic disqualification of all entries of the violator(s).

All entries become the property of the Ameraucana Breeders Club at the time of entry.

Two out of each entry of six eggs will be opened by the judge or the clerk to facilitate the judging of interior qualities and coloring.

Each class will be judged to third place. Ribbons will be offered to the 2nd and 3rd place winners in each class.

Recommended equipment to be supplied by the Ameraucana Breeders Club:
Egg Scale, magnifying glass, pencil or marking pen, butter knife for opening eggs, a container for broken shells, paper saucers, and judging cards for each entry with room for judges comments.

The Judging Scale will be as follows:

Category
Maximum Points
Optimal Quality
Shell Texture10non-porous, uniformly smooth throughout
Shell Quality10not thin, resistant to breakage, free of hair-line cracks, without bumps or spots
Shell Shape10uniform, oval, smaller ends quite evident
Size10top priority is six eggs of uniform size, then tending to large size for class of entry
Cleanliness10exteriors free of stains or evidence of sand-papering
Shell Color30blue without evidence of brown pigment, inside same shade as outside – allowing for dampness
Freshness10yolks “stand up” and whites are not “runny”
Interior Qualities10free of foreign spots or other impurities, yolk size proportionate to size of eggs
Disqualifications:
  • Evidence of faking including artificial coloring
  • Eggs having been boiled or otherwise preserved
  • No evidence of blue shell pigmentation
  • Eggs other than true Ameraucana

You can download the full Egg Contest rules and judging sheets at: http://www.ameraucana.org/docs/egg%20judging%20information%202015.pdf

319
News and Information / Membership Re-activation
« on: May 04, 2015, 01:04:59 PM »
I have recently had an inquiry from someone asking about re-activating their membership after they have resigned but have now changed their mind and want to come back.  I thought others may be wondering the same thing, so I thought I'd share the answer publicly.

If your membership was active and current at the time of resignation, all you have to do to re-activate that membership is to drop me (or your District Director or any Board Member) an email to info@ameraucanabreedersclub.org and let them (or me) know you would like to reactivate your membership.  More than likely, your membership profile was not removed from our database, it was just placed on inactive status and it is very simple to change that status.

If your membership was not inactive for more than 60 days, your points will be re-activated as well.

If anyone has any other questions about this, please feel free to contact me at info@ameraucanagreedersclub.org

320
News and Information / Spam Emails
« on: May 03, 2015, 06:24:36 PM »
If you have received an email stating that the name of the club has changed and that you can "transfer" your membership, dues, and/or points to any other club, organization, or group, please be advised that this is not true.

We are still the Ameraucana Breeders Club. We have no reciprocity agreements with any other clubs, organizations, or groups to transfer memberships, dues, or any other benefits or resources of the Ameraucana Breeders Club.

My recommendation would be treat those emails the same way you treat spam.

321
News and Information / New Breeders Directory - by State
« on: April 30, 2015, 08:37:27 PM »
You have spoken and we have heard.

The Breeders Directory is now available either sorted by state or by last name.

The online breeders directory is still available as another option.

breedersdirectory_2015_state.pdf

322
News and Information / Updated Breeders Directory
« on: April 27, 2015, 02:33:06 PM »
The new Breeders Directory, with the added information for year joined, NPIP, and conditional contact info, are both uploaded and available now.  Took me a little longer to get the changes in the online version to work properly together, but it's all done and uploaded.

When you have a moment, especially if you have a listing, please check it out and, again, verify that your information is current, correct, and complete.

Thanks!

323
Website Changes / Breeders Directory changes
« on: April 24, 2015, 06:15:56 PM »
At the request of one of our members, I am adding a new option for your Breeder's Directory listing.  You can now show that you are NPIP certified (with or without certification number).

If you would like to update your listing with your NPIP information, please send me an email to info@ameraucanabreedersclub.org and I will add that to your listing.

324
News and Information / Summer 2015 Bulletin Deadlines
« on: April 23, 2015, 06:44:44 PM »
We have backed up the deadline (and release date) of the Summer 2015 Bulletin, so that we could get the details of an upcoming Meet in Vermont in the Bulletin.

So, here is the new schedule:

Release Date: 5/15/15

Last Day to get updates to me: 5/8/15

If you would like to submit ads, get them to me as soon as possible, please.

Thanks, everyone!

325
Last year's drawing for the free incubator was so popular and was such a success, we've decided to do it again!

All New Members for 2015 (up to the time of the drawing) will be entered in a drawing for a new GQF Hovabator Model 2362E, Digital Thermostat Incubator!



You can see all the details of the incubator here: http://www.gqfmfg.com/hova-bator/2362e-electronic-thermostat-hova-bator/

We have a quick and easy online membership application process - just pay your dues through Paypal - here: http://www.ameraucana.org/membership.html

Or you can print your membership application (http://www.ameraucana.org/docs/abcmembershipform_2015.pdf) and mail it to:

Ameraucana Breeders Club
Susan Mouw, Secretary/Treasurer
156 Titanic Road
Aiken, SC 29805

The drawing will be held at the 2015 Nationals. You do not need to be present to win.  You can join at the Nationals up until about an hour before the drawing, and you will be entered in the drawing.

326
Breeding / New Trio of Whites - I think its something in the water
« on: April 15, 2015, 06:24:21 PM »
I was so excited to pick up my first white Ameraucanas for here at Sand Castles Farm at the Sandlappers Poultry Show on 3/21/15. They weren't in the absolute best condition, but they were all white and I was happy to get them home.

The cockerel was one that had been recently replaced, as the one I had originally planned on getting had met with some unfortunate accident and had to be put down.  But the seller had saved eggs from the original cock for me, so I came home with not just the trio, but also a dozen eggs from those hens and another cock!

Not the best picture, but they started sand bathing as soon as they came out of quarantine

I left the eggs to settle until Monday, then put them in the incubator with my Monday set, plus one more that one of the hens had laid since I brought her home.  So, 13 eggs went into the incubator and, with tax season stealing my time and energy, 13 uncandled eggs went into lockdown last Friday.

Five of the 13 hatched, but I lost two - one immediately, and one within a few hours. Very disappointing, but still happy to get those three.





Cute, aren't they?  But, here's the kicker... I really believe it must be something in the water.  I've had a few wheatens/blue wheatens pop out of the incubator this year with feathered legs. I think I know where it is coming from, but I'm going to do some test breeding to verify.  But...look what one of the little whites has:



I see more test breedings in my future.

327
Exhibiting & Promoting / Show Prep and Conditioning - what do you do?
« on: April 06, 2015, 09:16:47 PM »
I'd love to hear all the tips, secrets, and experience gained lessons about conditioning, and prepping your birds for Champion Row.

I know we have many Master Exhibitors out there... :)

328
News and Information / Wanted: Blue Egg shells, can be broken
« on: April 06, 2015, 09:31:10 AM »
Daphne Fecheyr-Lippens, a Biomimicry PhD Candidate, of the Integrated Biosciences Dept, University of Akron has contacted us concerning a research study she is conducting on coloration mechanisms of eggshells.  She is looking for 5 or so blue egg shells, can be broken, but cannot be cleaned or processed in any way.

She needs them this month, preferably sooner rather than later.  If you are close and can supply her with some egg shells, please contact her at dcf22@zips.uakron.edu.  We can follow her research here: http://germinature.com/2013/10/23/quick-update-about-daphnes-research/

I have chicks hatching tomorrow and can send some shells, if there is no one closer that could provide them.

Thanks!

329
Breeding / feathered legs in wheatens
« on: March 30, 2015, 10:58:29 PM »
Since I've now had this crop up in this year's hatch, I've been doing a little research. Since I have two parents, neither of whom have feathered legs, then this must be the more rare recessive version of a feathered leg gene, Pt3.
And, since it is recessive, it is present in the cock and at least one of the hens in my breeding pen. But, where did this originally come from? The birds I tend to think of as having feathered legs, like the Brahma, have the dominant version, PT 1 or PT 2.

So what bird was used in the development of the wheaten/blue wheaten that introduced this gene?

330
Breeding / Blue x Blue, etc
« on: March 23, 2015, 02:16:34 PM »
I've seen the color charts (like the one shown below), but I'm not sure I'm understanding the underlying genetics.


(Kiersten Parkerson - I borrowed this picture from your FB thread)

For blue x blue to equal the spread shown above (50% blue, 25% black, and 25% splash), then blue has to be heterozygous dominant. Let's call it Bb x Bb

But then, if that is true, black is homozygous recessive, or bb and splash would be homozygous dominant, BB?

I think I just saw where my problem was...N/M.  lol

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