Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Lrkel]

Yes, now that they are side by side I can see the difference.

 

[chickiyo]

Hi there,

I'm looking to get a new hen for my flock, and I'm trying to decide between an Americauna and a RIR. I don't want an aggressive or noisy bird, but I do want a smaller sized hen who is a good layer. Which breed would you recommend?

 

[ronott1]

Hi there,

I'm looking to get a new hen for my flock, and I'm trying to decide between an Americauna and a RIR. I don't want an aggressive or noisy bird, but I do want a smaller sized hen who is a good layer. Which breed would you recommend?

Whichever breed you pick, if you get one from a breeder instead of a hatchery, you will have a better chance of getting a nice one. Breeders and those that show chickens at fairs and such need to have nice chickens.

It would not work well if the children were pecked by them at the show....

Ron

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Hi there,
I'm looking to get a new hen for my flock, and I'm trying to decide between an Americauna and a RIR. I don't want an aggressive or noisy bird, but I do want a smaller sized hen who is a good layer. Which breed would you recommend?

My Niece raises both breeds and only those breeds. She just added 3 hens from my flock of Wheatens and they are learning to get along. Surprisingly (to me at least) the RIRs are less aggressive than the Wheaten AmerAUcanas she has mingled into the same flock. The birds she got from my flock were hand picked by me to me a sweet and people friendly addition, they are now "people timid" since being introduced into her flock and I hope that will change in time. The RIRs are better layers but are more vocal.
Denise
Paradise Found

 

[chickiyo]

Thanks for the help you guys,

I am getting the birds from a good breeder, she also sells Red Stars.

How are the amerecauna's egg laying abilities, do they lay 5-6 eggs a week?

I already have one RIR an she is a good layer, but she is very noisy and aggresive towards my poor silkie. I don't want a bird to join her in her reign of terror which is why I am hesitant to get another RIR.

So when it comes down to amerecaunas, RIRs, and red stars which would you recommend?

 

[Christie Rhae]

I am happy to report that my chicks from John Blehm are doing ok. I am all read up on cocciodosis now...hopefully will never have to use all this info again but at least I understand what it is now.
This is the 5th day since I starting medicating them and no more little chicks standing around with their heads pulled in looking depressed. I am going to medicate for 7 days I think just to make sure.
That gave me a scare. I did not understand what cocciodosis is so I was afraid it was going to sweep through my birds and wipe them all out. Lol ok that might have been a little dramatic. Lol

 

[ronott1]

I am happy to report that my chicks from John Blehm are doing ok. I am all read up on cocciodosis now...hopefully will never have to use all this info again but at least I understand what it is now.
This is the 5th day since I starting medicating them and no more little chicks standing around with their heads pulled in looking depressed. I am going to medicate for 7 days I think just to make sure.
That gave me a scare. I did not understand what cocciodosis is so I was afraid it was going to sweep through my birds and wipe them all out. Lol ok that might have been a little dramatic. Lol

I am so happy your Ameraucana chicks are ok. I was worried all weekend for them.

Ron

 

[Lark Rise]

I am happy to report that my chicks from John Blehm are doing ok. I am all read up on cocciodosis now...hopefully will never have to use all this info again but at least I understand what it is now.
This is the 5th day since I starting medicating them and no more little chicks standing around with their heads pulled in looking depressed. I am going to medicate for 7 days I think just to make sure.
That gave me a scare. I did not understand what cocciodosis is so I was afraid it was going to sweep through my birds and wipe them all out. Lol ok that might have been a little dramatic. Lol

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I am happy to report that my chicks from John Blehm are doing ok. I am all read up on cocciodosis now...hopefully will never have to use all this info again but at least I understand what it is now.
This is the 5th day since I starting medicating them and no more little chicks standing around with their heads pulled in looking depressed. I am going to medicate for 7 days I think just to make sure.
That gave me a scare. I did not understand what cocciodosis is so I was afraid it was going to sweep through my birds and wipe them all out. Lol ok that might have been a little dramatic. Lol

Very good news, Christie!!!

 

[AinaWGSD]

Thanks for the help you guys,
I am getting the birds from a good breeder, she also sells Red Stars.
How are the amerecauna's egg laying abilities, do they lay 5-6 eggs a week?
I already have one RIR an she is a good layer, but she is very noisy and aggresive towards my poor silkie. I don't want a bird to join her in her reign of terror which is why I am hesitant to get another RIR.
So when it comes down to amerecaunas, RIRs, and red stars which would you recommend?

Just wanted to forewarn you that your good breeder may not be the breeder you think she is. Red Stars are a specific commercial strain of black sex link hybrid that is, I believe, copyrighted. There are no private breeders of any of the commercial sex-link strains that I am aware of as the parent stock tends to be a closely guarded "trade secret." And none of the sex-link hybrids breed true, meaning a Red Star rooster + a Red Star hen does not produce Red Star chicks. If she is advertising Red Stars I would strongly suspect that she is either using misleading or inaccurate names for her birds (which may or may not be technically illegal) or that she is simply re-selling chicks she purchased en masse from a hatchery. Or she may be a reputable breeder who also happens to sell hatchery birds on the side, I don't know. But at any rate, I'd be at least a little suspicious that any "ameraucanas" she sells you are actually easter eggers. Not that there's anything wrong with EE, mine is my favorite bird in my small mixed flock, but it's always good to know exactly what you are buying.

As for egg laying abilities, that depends a lot on the strain and a little bit on the age, health, and diet of the individual bird. Some strains lay better than others. My hatchery EE lays 5-7 green eggs a week even in her second year of laying. My 1 year old ameraucana lays slightly less at about 4-6 eggs per week, or at least she did before she went broody on me a month ago. Egg laying abilities is something that you should ask the breeder about if it is a priority for you. Any breeder, even one who does not breed their birds to the standard, should be able to tell you what kind of egg production the parents of the chicks or birds they bred have.

As for which I would recommend, I have no experience with RIR or stars. However, if you are looking for a bird of a slighter build, then an ameraucana, easter egger, or red star would probably be a better choice than RIR. If egg production is really important to you, it's hard to beat the commercial sex-links like Red Stars for rate of lay in the first 2-3 years. However, after that their egg production will drop significantly and because they are bred to be egg machines they do tend to be somewhat more prone to reproductive problems such as egg binding, internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, and cancers of the reproductive tract. If you are just looking for chickens as producers and intend to cull your flock every few years as the hens' production starts to decrease then these issues may not be a problem for you. If however you are looking at chickens as pets who also happen to produce yummy eggs, then this reduced long-term productivity and increased risk of potentially fatal reproductive problems is going to be an issue in the long run.