The Ameraucana Thread: Where everything and anything about the breed can be discussed (APA, Non-Stan

[K Epp]

I agree. Ha ha, get rid of the leghorn! Just kidding. It will definitely be fun to see what color/egg combinations you get.

I may put the Leghorns 1Rio/2hens up and let my Amer/EE boys have the flock. How long will it take to get the Leghorn out of the hens. I have heard it can take a while.

Also another question for those of you with incubation experience. Are the first eggs a hen lays week as chicks, have trouble hatching, ect...

I have Silkies, Gold Laced Wyandottes, Polish, and mixed yard birds in the brooder now. I also have Blue Jersey Giants and Wellsummers coming. As well I have my name on a list for Marans so I can have all color eggs. I have gone chicken crazy. I do have people waiting to buy some of the birds I don't keep. I bought extra of each kind. I don't know why I got the Silkies and Polish... other than their looks. Can I even put them in the barn with the others. I have 2 mix bantam and 2 turkey poults too. Like I said I have gone crazy.

 

[Outrun Acres]

I may put the Leghorns 1Rio/2hens up and let my Amer/EE boys have the flock. How long will it take to get the Leghorn out of the hens. I have heard it can take a while.

Also another question for those of you with incubation experience. Are the first eggs a hen lays week as chicks, have trouble hatching, ect...

I have Silkies, Gold Laced Wyandottes, Polish, and mixed yard birds in the brooder now. I also have Blue Jersey Giants and Wellsummers coming. As well I have my name on a list for Marans so I can have all color eggs. I have gone chicken crazy. I do have people waiting to buy some of the birds I don't keep. I bought extra of each kind. I don't know why I got the Silkies and Polish... other than their looks. Can I even put them in the barn with the others. I have 2 mix bantam and 2 turkey poults too. Like I said I have gone crazy.

I would go by the shape and size of the egg. Generally the first eggs a hen lays are not good to incubate. Don't incubate any eggs that are odd shapes or have small hairline cracks or fissures. You just really want them to look like traditional eggs. I would also crack open their eggs for a couple weeks to make sure they are fertile.

The Silkies are really fun! We have two of them and they fit in with the rest of the flock well. I was really worried they would get picked on and wouldn't do very well. Seems I worried needlessly. They use the ramp to get into our coop just fine. They also roost at night with the other birds. Go figure.

We are in the same boat right now! I have no idea what we are already going to do with all the eggs we get this summer. What does everyone do with their extra chicken eggs?

 

[Outrun Acres]

I have a question about egg shell quality. Most of my birds free range and during the summer and the fall there eggs had a much thicker harder shell. Most of them continued to lay during the winter and the ones that did have now started laying again. All of the eggs seem to have much thinner shells now. We feed them a layer ration and give them a few handfuls of scratch everyday. Should we start supplementing oyster shell? Do they do this before molting? I'm sure all the bugs they eat during the summer helps contribute to eggshell quality as well. So maybe thickness of the shells will improve during the summer?

 

[unkadan]

I have a question about egg shell quality. Most of my birds free range and during the summer and the fall there eggs had a much thicker harder shell. Most of them continued to lay during the winter and the ones that did have now started laying again. All of the eggs seem to have much thinner shells now. We feed them a layer ration and give them a few handfuls of scratch everyday. Should we start supplementing oyster shell? Do they do this before molting? I'm sure all the bugs they eat during the summer helps contribute to eggshell quality as well. So maybe thickness of the shells will improve during the summer?

always have oyster shell and grit available

 

[Outrun Acres]

I have a question about "Hatchery Ameraucanas." Since the color of their birds rarely even come close to the APA Standard, what do they focus on? Do they simply try to breed a blue egg layer with a beard and muffs?

 

[Outrun Acres]

Ok, I am just full of questions this morning! If you cross a bird with blue/slate colored legs to a bird with yellow legs, would all of the offspring have green legs? Is this why the majority of EE's have green legs? We have 2 chicks in the brooder right now that have green legs and I am trying to determine which rooster is the daddy. Thanks.

 

[cottagegarden]

I have a question about "Hatchery Ameraucanas." Since the color of their birds rarely even come close to the APA Standard, what do they focus on? Do they simply try to breed a blue egg layer with a beard and muffs?

Hatcheries focus on making money. They are filling orders. Even the ones that are selling purebred Amers are doing it on a mass production level so there is no selection for correct breed characteristics. And while a step in the right direction as far marketing a purebred product this will cause you see more substandard Ameraucanas. I guess what you have to understand is Amer breed traits, specifically the pea comb and the beard and muff are dominant..and the pea comb is tied to the blue egg gene. Hatcheries just use any random chickens to make "Hatchery Ameraucanas/Easter Eggers". At some point they toss in either a purebred or a mixed peacomb in there, but it is totally random as to the feather colors and egg color. I can pick up a cochin at the feed store, a substandard cochin....no cushion or poor foot feathering....BUT its still genetically a cochin. The problem with selling a mixed breed under an actual breed is its confusing as anything and the poor messenger who has to explain this always gets shot. There is very little Ameraucana in "Hatchery Ameraucanas".

 

[Loghousemom]

I will try to combine this answer with a question I saw about favorite varieties.Hands down favorite is my bantam whites.Excellent layers of nice size eggs 1 ounce to 1 3/8 ounce each.You can keep egg laying and vigor up in whites because white removes any color.So you can have a showable bird with a diverse gene pool.I have mostly been a bantam breeder but have added large fowl.Don't have these where I want them yet.Black is my second choice.Black has th e potential for a large family tree.Here are the colors that are or can be based on black.Blue,lavender,white,mottled,barred,cuckoo,chocolate and if done correctly I believe buff.So quite a large gene pool.Now I will tell you how I like to add diversity.This works for me but most breeders do not use this much.Some will have 2 or 3 lines of one color for diversity.I like to shift within color families.Now there ca be some problems but if handled well they are not that bad.In blacks you can pickup leakage in the males.The problem is color families on some colors were never developed.Brown red only has black , buff andwheaten as possible crosses and then you have to restore lacing.Buff is very hard to restore after a outcross.Wheaten can use buff.Silver has limited options.Black has been used but still takes 5 years to restore good color.I will stop here on color as there will be questions.Egg laying is triggered by light.You need lights in winter to get eggs.12-14 hours works for me.

Thank you so much!

 

[Loghousemom]

We are in the same boat right now! I have no idea what we are already going to do with all the eggs we get this summer. What does everyone do with their extra chicken eggs?

I sell mine to people I know. I have some neighbors, teachers at my daughter's school, my parents and whatnot that like them. In fact, I usually have a waiting list of people who want them so I know that getting more birds will really not hurt.

I had thin eggs earlier this winter and did start adding oyster shell to their food. I also crush up their old egg shells and mix them in with their greens and scraps from the kitchen.

Now I have a question for you... How many birds and what breeds do you have your silkies penned with? I was sort of wondering about trying it... My daughters would love to have a couple of those silkies. I like to stick with big hearty birds, but kids just don't care.

 

[Loghousemom]

Another question.

Those of you who have Americaunas that are NOT hatchery stock, how did you acquire your birds?

I am in ND, and as far as I can tell from the research I have done, there is not anyone near me who has any from good lines. I found a gal about 3 hours away, but she just said they are from breeders (no names) but she also has hatchery birds. If I am going to spend some good money on eggs or chicks I want to be sure they are going to be decent.

We are traveling to Iowa at Easter and so I might see if I can find a place out there with some, though I am sure most are probably sold out for the year. :-(