Ameraucana Breeders Club
The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club => Ameraucana Marketplace => Topic started by: Guest on June 04, 2010, 01:32:56 PM
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I\'m needing to find a LF Lavender cockerel (s) for breeding to my lavenders when they get big enough. They\'re still young now but wanted to throw my interest out there early enough.
If anyone has one or two that is NPIP certified, please let me know.
Thank you
April
:)
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Where are you located?
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I\'m in NW Arkansas...Harrison
April
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April,
Who\'s line have you started with?
I would recommend to all breeders who are new to lavenders to cross them with a black or a black split. (Just make sure to toe punch as many out there have crossed these birds and have no idea now who is carrying the lavender gene.)
They are going to still need improvement for quite some time and crossing them to a good feathered, appropriately sized black will produce quick results.
This will go a long way to prevent any feather quality issues and will improve egg color should you have a line with that issue.
And, I am NPIP certified and should have some cockerels of all three varities available at the end of summer.
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Her chicks are from a cross of Johns line and yours Jean.
April, James told me that you and he were concerned about inbreeding since all your chicks are siblings. In case you\'re interested, I\'m going to be putting a few of my black split girls with the other (#2) Lavender rooster I got from John just to get a few birds that are \"cousins\" as opposed to siblings. James wanted to get some of these eggs. If you get a male chick from James from this cross (he can blood test), it would be just a couple of months behind your other chicks, and you wouldn\'t have to house another full grown rooster just yet.
I\'m also considering selling my #2 roo after the cross is made, since I have the #1 roo, and I\'ll have quite a few new males to pick from too.
Edited to add:
Just some options for you to think about. Not telling you this to try and steal a sale away from Jean. I just realized it might read like that. I highly recommend her birds and have been extremely happy with all the birds I\'ve gotten from her, especially my 3 new Silver pullets. You\'ve got to come down and see them sometime!
Looking forward to seeing you in Sheridan!
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April,
Who\'s line have you started with?
I would recommend to all breeders who are new to lavenders to cross them with a black or a black split. (Just make sure to toe punch as many out there have crossed these birds and have no idea now who is carrying the lavender gene.)
They are going to still need improvement for quite some time and crossing them to a good feathered, appropriately sized black will produce quick results.
This will go a long way to prevent any feather quality issues and will improve egg color should you have a line with that issue.
And, I am NPIP certified and should have some cockerels of all three varities available at the end of summer.
Sherry answered the first question.
On the second one, I have blacks from Paul and Angela. I\'m keeping some cockerels from them for the project. I really wasn\'t wanting a project but I do enjoy the lavenders. On the upside, it sounds like I\'ve started with a good group.
I will definitely band to keep track since this will be a project.
I still think I may want a Lavender cockerel also. But, I\'ll give it some more thought and research...
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Sherry:
I am wanting some more chicks/eggs when you get some. Just let me know.
Starting to get organized for Sheridan\'s...I\'m borrowing my son\'s truck to bring all the birds, eggs, chicks, down there.
I\'d love to visit your place sometime and see your birds. Thanks
:)
April
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April, I just hope it\'s not too hot for chickens in the back of the truck on the way back since it will be early afternoon. I had a friend who picked up her farm dog from her ex after they divorced, and the poor thing died on the way home from the heat. She felt so terrible. Maybe you\'ll sell them all and won\'t have that to worry about.
I hope you ended up with several Lav pullets. James says that out of the ones that he kept for himself he thinks he only has 1 Lav female, 1 split female, and a bunch of roos!
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I\'m hoping to sell all...if not, I\'ll put ice in their water and cover them with a tarp to keep the sun off of them and still have air blow through the sides...don\'t want them to suffocate either. It\'s suppose to be real warm Saturday.
Thanks
April
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I have a black split Lavender cockerel available. I got a pair from Robin in So Cal, but both turned out to be boys. I probably don\'t need either of them since I only have started chicks in Lavender. I\'m near Sacramento.
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We have hauled chickens in the heat before without any problems. Put lots of ice in their cages. A few years ago on our way to the Frankenmuth, Michigan national we had to stop and ice the birds down in central Oklahoma due to the heat. When we arrived at the Michigan state line there was snow on the ground. LOL.
I have been considering breeding some lavenders. If someone has a pair or trio to sell at the Frankfort national.
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I have a nice bantam lavendar trio - 1 year old, but the gals haven\'t started to lay. Cant seem to figure that one out. All of the other varieties are laying. Really thinking of just getting rid of them - perhaps someone else can get them to lay. Really pretty variety.
Patty
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Patty, I thought I had the same problem, but discovered the hens were very good at hiding (escaping their pen, laying in another place, and returning before I got home from work). I would give them a chance, anyway. They don\'t eat much. ^_^
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They are in 3\'x4\' conditioning pens, so there is no way to escape and hide eggs elsewhere. I know they are not eating them as there is no evidence in the pen of an egg.
Looking at their vents though- they look like they should be in lay- totally stumped on this one.
Patty
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the ones i have had in small pens just have not laid much this year compared to the open pens and free rangers. I have also found that some of the eggs have been eaten, only by catching them in the act, not by seeing the remains. Its been really wet & cold fall weather like here until recently too North/west Washington.... My bantam Favarolles only started laying a few weeks ago....much later than last year. eliz
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the ones i have had in small pens just have not laid much this year compared to the open pens and free rangers. .... My bantam Favarolles only started laying a few weeks ago....much later than last year. eliz
I know this is off topic, but I have bantam Ameraucanas and Chanteclers that were hatched in January and early February, raised semi-free range (locked up at night), that have started to lay in the past week.
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I also noticed my free-range EEs were not only more productive layers, but I had higher hatch rates from those eggs than my Ameraucanas, which are penned.
Off-topic as well, but found these comments interesting because my Ameraucanas have all but stopped laying (I\'m getting about 6 eggs per week total from 7 birds), and the RIRs that hatched in Jan. haven\'t started laying. Last year my hens went into molt mid-Aug. I noticed that my birds started laying early this year, too. Last year I didn\'t get eggs until the end of Feb., this year they started mid-Jan. Anyone else experiencing an early molt and/or unusual laying cycle? It\'s crazy hot here for this time of year, more like Aug. temps, so maybe that\'s why?
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April, James told me that you and he were concerned about inbreeding since all your chicks are siblings. In case you\'re interested, I\'m going to be putting a few of my black split girls with the other (#2) Lavender rooster I got from John just to get a few birds that are \"cousins\" as opposed to siblings. James wanted to get some of these eggs. If you get a male chick from James from this cross (he can blood test), it would be just a couple of months behind your other chicks, and you wouldn\'t have to house another full grown rooster just yet.
I\'m also considering selling my #2 roo after the cross is made, since I have the #1 roo, and I\'ll have quite a few new males to pick from too.
Scratch all the above. I went to get the male to put with 2 of the split hens, but it looks like the little bit of off color (creaminess) he had in his hackle and saddle areas is more noticable now, so I\'m not going to use him after all. I also looked over my #1 male well in good light to see if he\'d developed any off colors, and he doesn\'t have any that I can see, so he\'s still numero uno around here for now.
Do you think breeding one of the male chicks to the female chicks would be that bad? True, they all had the same father, but I had 6 different females with him, and those 6 were from two different lines.
Anyone want to comment about line breeding and inbreeding and such?
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Do you think breeding one of the male chicks to the female chicks would be that bad? True, they all had the same father, but I had 6 different females with him, and those 6 were from two different lines.
Anyone want to comment about line breeding and inbreeding and such?
Without line breeding there would be no pure strains of chickens. As Don Cable used to say, the best usually come in bunches of one. Raise a lot, cull for the usual coloring and deformity defects, but also cull for lack of vigor, size, and production. Good traits can be set in a line via line breeding, just as defects can. Go for it.
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Thanks for your input Mike. Thats basicly what I was thinking, just wanted to get more opinions and facts. I hear pros and cons.
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I also noticed my free-range EEs were not only more productive layers, but I had higher hatch rates from those eggs than my Ameraucanas, which are penned.
Off-topic as well, but found these comments interesting because my Ameraucanas have all but stopped laying (I\'m getting about 6 eggs per week total from 7 birds), and the RIRs that hatched in Jan. haven\'t started laying. Last year my hens went into molt mid-Aug. I noticed that my birds started laying early this year, too. Last year I didn\'t get eggs until the end of Feb., this year they started mid-Jan. Anyone else experiencing an early molt and/or unusual laying cycle? It\'s crazy hot here for this time of year, more like Aug. temps, so maybe that\'s why?
Well, it\'s unusually cold and wet here (we\'ve only had one day in the 80s) and my bantam Ameraucanas moulted in April and still aren\'t laying...
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I have a nice bantam lavendar trio - 1 year old, but the gals haven\'t started to lay. Cant seem to figure that one out. All of the other varieties are laying. Really thinking of just getting rid of them - perhaps someone else can get them to lay. Really pretty variety.
Patty
Mine seem to lay very sporadic, out of 3 hens I get 1 or 2 a day or 1 a day. Sometimes they skip a day though...but then all my Ameraucana\'s are laying kinda slow. I just figured it was because they weren\'t bred for production.
If you do decide to sell them, please let me know. I may be interested in them.
Thanks
April
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Do you think breeding one of the male chicks to the female chicks would be that bad? True, they all had the same father, but I had 6 different females with him, and those 6 were from two different lines.
Anyone want to comment about line breeding and inbreeding and such?
Without line breeding there would be no pure strains of chickens. As Don Cable used to say, the best usually come in bunches of one. Raise a lot, cull for the usual coloring and deformity defects, but also cull for lack of vigor, size, and production. Good traits can be set in a line via line breeding, just as defects can. Go for it.
I plan on line breeding the blacks, I\'m raising a couple black cockerels, one for the black line and one for the Lavender project.
I\'m hoping I can have 2 roosters in the Lavender pen with the hens - I\'d like to have one black roo and one Lavender roo. What do you all think? Should I have the two or just one? If just one, then possibly just the black?
Thanks so much for all the input.
April
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Well, alot of folks do double male their females, but the downside i see is not knowing the viability of and positive/negative traits passed of each of your Roo\'s without knowing who to attribute the specific offspring to.
Perhaps, if you are combining 2 lines/Roos you have history/confidence, with the thought of saving the best to create a line to cross over another?
I am not knowledgeable enough about poultry fertility to know how long hens hold sperm or if they can carry many males mixed like cats who can have mixed litters to be able to notice differences in a hens offspring who they may have been bred with?
A llama story....the Pattersons in Sisters, Or. ran double studs for years and guessed according to phenotype. When DNA testing began it was found that in one case 2/3 offspring of a particular male was really the the offspring of the other male. It was not known if the first was a more attentive breeder or the other less fertile.
eliz
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Very good point eliz....Thank you. I don\'t really know anything about genetics to be able to make a good decision. I\'ll have to look more into this.
:)
April