Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

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here is my favorite girl

sorry the pic is bad

 

[speckledhen]

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here is my favorite girl https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/98166_knox-20110824-001281.jpg sorry the pic is bad

She's a pretty Easter Egger girl. You should post her on the EE thread. I like the blue in her tail.​

 

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thanks iv had a hard time finding out what she was

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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here is my favorite girl https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/98166_knox-20110824-001281.jpg sorry the pic is bad

She looks almost exactly like the one and only EE I've kept, she's my favorite hen ever.

 

[Midwest Lizabeth]

Quote:
Shroeder: Thank you for the info. I want to select the best roos. . .it seems like we'll be waiting to determine the best if we want to raise quality Ameraucanas. There's just so much to learn. There's such a wealth of knowledge on this forum and individuals that have been breeding for so many years. We initially, like so many others started with what were sold to us as "Ameraucanas" that we found out later were EE's (nothing wrong with EE's mind you, just didn't like the deception/or ignorance--mine and the individuals who sold them to me). We're not sure that we want to raise them, but the possibility of doing so is challenging. . .and we do like challenges. IF we decide to raise Ameraucana's, we want to do it the right way.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Mahonri:
I'm sending you as much good wishes as I can. I am too far away I think, but if there is anything I can do, just ask.

 

[Ivywoods]

I am thinking of showing some of my ameraucanas this fall. I have some reservations as I have never shown above the "state fair" level. The other part of it is, I raised these from chicks, but I didn't BREED them. Any credit should go to the breeder, which in this case would be John Blehm. I don't think any of my roosters are mature enough but I think by the end of October that some of my pullets will surely be.

I know I could wait another year until I have acutally bred some up, but I am wanting to get my feet wet in showing again, and I know I have a lot to learn when it comes to showing at a regional level.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? At this point I don't really care if any of my birds place, I just want to get started competing and learn what I need to know in order to be competitive in the future. I'm also wanting to learn to do what is necessary here at home in order to get them prepared to show and in show condition. I know they need to be pullorum tested and have leg bands. The show I am thinking of requires permanent leg bands, so I have some of them ordered as of this morning.

Is there anything I need to do besides get them in top condition and used to a cage? How much would they be handled at a show? Are they supposed to assume a certain "stance" like some of the bantams? I'm new to ameraucanas this year, but I am "driven" to try to do the best for them as I can.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
I've never shown a chicken in my life, so...............................
I have been to few APA last year, and watched. They closed off the row the judge was looking at, so any final preperations had to have already been done. Chickens can't be taught to "stack" or "park", and they're judged on their natural stance or carriage. They have to be handled, as the judge is going to feel for body developement and look at them closer for defects or flaws. I watched him handle a cockeral that didn't appreciate it at all, but it didn't seem to bother the judge much because he placed him BoV.

 

[Midwest Lizabeth]

Quote:
Cloverleaf: Thank you for the explanation. I have too many roos and need to make some decisions. I'd like to keep all of them, but I don't know if we can stand to have that many roos making noise. . .destroying hens. . .or having more expense to build (another) coop for just roos, plus feed. Eventually, I hope to take some photos. Since all of my birds appear to be built alike (confirmation to me looks the same), I wanted to remove those with undesirable coloring so that it's not (potentially) passed along. My thinking is that those long time breeders with specific Ameraucana experience know how to select their stock (sell/freezer camp). . .like being able to tell a properly colored juvenile silver roo from an improperly colored silver roo. An example a few pages back was brown leakage on the silvers. (None of my silvers are showing brown leakage, but it was a great clue on what to avoid.) Then there was a comment about the blue wheaten roo that has the wrong colored hackles. (That looks like some of my roos.)

It's distressing to me knowing that my purebred "Ameraucana" can be referred to as EE when there's so many posts telling individuals that their so call "Ameraucana" is a mixed breed "EE". (Been down that road myself.) Now that I have the real deal, it is somewhat demoralizing /confusing /annoying / sad to call them EE's. I don't plan to mix colors, or rather plan to breed accepted colors. I know there are colors that produce different percentages of outcome. I have no clue about the letters that refer to colors, patterns or generation, but plan to learn. I wasn't good with peas in biology, so I don't know if we'll ever breed chickens or get good at it. IF we decide to raise Ameraucana chickens, we want to do it right. Kudos to those of you that have been breeding chickens for decades!!

LIz

 

[Goose and Fig]

The past few years I have probably put 1/2 of the ameraucanas I have bought (eggs or chicks) into the EE pen. Its a very long process getting to the point where you can close your flock.

BUT- culling them for faults isn't as bad as with other breeds- at least you have the option to use or sell them for Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers. Its not like having a marans that you paid $10 a chick for that ends up having side sprigs. That marans is good for nothing but a pricey dinner or a yard bird.