Messages

631

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: Boxes for shipping birds

« on: December 22, 2012, 09:26:03 AM »

Yes, John Marshall lives about an hour North of me near my home town of Winston-Salem.  We try to get up that way every month or so and he only lives about a mile off our travel route.  Right in the middle of Lexington Barbeque country, carnivour's heaven.

632

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: Boxes for shipping birds

« on: December 21, 2012, 01:14:35 PM »

Thanks Beth and Jean for the info.   This gives us a great start. 

John's store is a specialty store selling farm fresh foods, Consumer Supported Agriculture subscriptions, for city folks.

So you ship a LF in the single box 20 x 8 x 16?

633

Ameraucana Marketplace / Boxes for shipping birds

« on: December 20, 2012, 09:18:40 AM »

Anyone have info/advice on current shipping costs, shipping boxes and best prices, how many LF will fit in a box etc? 

634

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Turned on the Incubator Today

« on: December 13, 2012, 02:57:44 PM »

Ive often quipped that we keep chickens so we can build things.  John, i think you fall in that vein too.  Custom incubators, sounds interesting.  Where are the first pics?

635

Breeding / Re: Getting out of the wheaten varieties

« on: December 13, 2012, 02:47:22 PM »

We are in the Charlotte area, almost SC, about 2 hours SE of Asheville.  I've not shipped before.  One of the males will fill a box anyway.  Would be great for someone to look before they buy.  But I do have a couple of nice Blue Wheaten males and in pullets, BW and Splash Wheaten.  Send me an email if interested.

636

Breeding / Re: Getting out of the wheaten varieties

« on: December 11, 2012, 12:42:36 PM »

Beth,  it's easy to raise a good bird when you get eggs from good stock.  Thanks for the eggs and keep up the good work on the Buffs.  I hope you can raise a lot this year.

The Wheatens and BWs are nice birds too. Thanks for sharing these!  I would like to have some others in the area keep some of these birds.  There are a few of these birds that I have to share at this time.

637

Breeding / Re: Tracking chicks?

« on: November 26, 2012, 10:50:09 AM »

Toe punching is limited to 16 designations.   http://www.dominiquechicken.com/Toe_Punch_Chart.html
Records are really important especially if you start switching matings around, memory is not a good option.  And there will be some transition time when you'll not be sure which male is involved.  MAKE SURE the tab is not still attached and folded under the webbing somewhere. It can flip back in place and you'll never be able to tell it was punched.  Some breeders tear the webbing from the toe punch out.  Check the toe punches for the first few weeks to make sure they are not healing over.  Good luck!

638

Ameraucana Marketplace / Re: To be or not to be NPIP (Shipping info)

« on: September 28, 2012, 01:34:05 PM »

Yes ocifer, I got them birds/eggs from some guy sell'n em down at TSC, He said he was certfied an i think he was driv'n an old blue truck. 

639

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: predators

« on: August 14, 2012, 09:02:28 PM »

Michael,   What baits/methods do you use to keep the traps effective over the weeks and months?  They have become really active here in the past few weeks.  Royce suggested marshmallows and corn which seemed to be good for the coons, probably do not attract cats as much as cat food or leftover prey would.  No reason to trap the neighbor's cat in lieu of the problem animals.  But they have either avoided the traps. they are smart rascals, for several days or just trying out someone else's chicken pens.       

640

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Feed Prices???

« on: August 07, 2012, 02:08:35 PM »

Hay in our area is selling for $3.75-$5 and 40-$50 square and round bales respectively depending on the type of pasture.   Three cuttings this year will work as long as we get some consistent rain during this next month or so.

Attached are a few websites that discuss feed mixtures with several options depending on cost/availability.  Others may have information that they feel is more correct.  Most seem to agree that Soybeans should be limited.  I did not realize that there were so many soy options which can change the protein content as well as the cost.  All seem to agree that they must be roasted, but there are a lot of websites that call into question the use of soy for animals or humans. 

A few websites discuss that the high husk grains like oats and barley should be limited as well.  The husked versions of oats are grown/available in our area.  You might buy the "triple cleaned oats" or "Canadian oats" In the northern areas which is a different grain and probably easier on the digestion.   Horse folks use this in our area, but are 3-4 times the price.   Oats sprout well for winter use as a semi-green feed too. 
The websites seem to disagree about the protein content of several of the grains as well.   

http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/94/feeding-chickens-for-best-health-and-performance

http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/livestock/poultry/bba01s20.html

641

Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Feed Prices???

« on: August 02, 2012, 11:07:02 AM »

So how long do you store feed and still plan on it holding its food value?
Sounds like it would be a good time to stock up.  But here our heat and humidity is hard on feed.  It will mold quickly if not careful. 

Michael, I've fed pumpkins in the fall, usually as a treat.  You can often buy them cheaply after Nov 1.  Often they will ignore them unless there are used to a variety of food scrapes during the year.  But you must have to supplement it with high protein food to balance their ration?

We can buy ground roasted soybeans that are close to 30% protein, but the literature cautions against using too much at a time.  I understand that they are dangerous to poultry unless they are roasted.  Anyone have experience using this as a supplement?

642

Breeding / Re: Partridge Ameraucana

« on: July 01, 2012, 03:16:29 PM »

We had a great spring all things considered.  It was a little cooler than normal some days and then Bam!   We move into record breaking temps.   Its been 104 real temps for the last few days which is above the all time record.  The birds can't find enough shade. On our east porch in the shade this afternoon its even 98.  They just stand panting with their wings spread like Johnny said.  Hopefully it will cool off before we have any more losses.  A friend's a/c is not working, one company said they could come out Tues afternoon.  Anyone in Alaska have room for an old Curmudgeon with several hundred birds?

643

Exhibiting & Promoting / Re: 4-H fitting and showmanship ???

« on: June 09, 2012, 01:54:04 PM »

Russ, often times you can find telescoping pointers at Walmart for a few bucks.  They are nothing fancy, but if you are buying for a group of kids they would be a cost effective option.   I like to have a few around anyway.  At least when I need one I am more apt to find at least one of them.   

644

Breeding / Re: Breeding and Genetics...oh my!!

« on: June 04, 2012, 04:24:20 PM »

Welcome Samatha.   Hope we get a change to meet this fall at one of the shows in NC.  Beth has already requested meets for several shows so hopefully we can have a good showing of birds this fall. 

You might do a search for the blue/black/splash breeding ratios to give you an statistical average of results for various combinations.  You will see several discussions about the best way to breed blues if that is your goal.  W/bW and sW are a bit more complicated but I think that the same general results will apply.  You can breed the best that you have until you find another bird that you feel will give you better results. 

Regarding lingo/terminology, different forums use many different terms or acronyms.  Folks at the shows, and us old folks, will typically use the terms in the Standard of Perfections.  Most of us had to learn along the way, we just forgot that it took us a while too.       

645

Exhibiting & Promoting / Splashes

« on: April 30, 2012, 08:27:03 PM »

The ABA definition of Horn:   .....ivory tinged gray of low saturation and low brilliance.