Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Because big birds seem to win at the shows.

Seems to happen in all the breeds. The judges like them BIG. Just check out the Rock section at the next big show you visit if you doubt what I'm saying ....

 

[ChickenLeg]

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I am curious why so many people are trying to breed very large Ameracaunas. The Ameracauna Breeders Club website gives the weights for standard large fowls (copied below). In my opinion, if you breed larger than the standard, you are just creating a bird that will eat you out of house and home, but not produce or look any better, and, of course, not be bred to the SOP. If one wants really large birds, a different breed might be a better choice.

STANDARD WEIGHTS for LARGE FOWL

Cock………………6½ lbs. Hen……………….5½ lbs.​

Cockerel………….5½ lbs. Pullet……………..4½ lbs.

As I've read, usually constant line breeding results in smaller birds, therefore, the bigger you can get the better, especially if it's crossed with a smaller bird in hopes of acquiring a medium, more correct, ameraucana size.

 

[NYREDS]

There is no reason why, correctly done, line breeding should result in smaller birds.

 

[johnderosa1]

Hi Kismet,

I am new to this and don't have any show experience but all I've read points to the preference of birds that tend a bit larger. When I talk about "big", I'm talking about a nice solid LF bird. I am not looking to create a 12 lb rooster or 8 lb hen but instead birds that are at or 1-2 lbs above standard. Some of the birds I've hatched look like over sized bantams to me and I can't stand that. They just look too scrawny to me. I am also breeding for egg size and larger birds tend to produce larger eggs in my limited experience. My current crop of pullets have just started laying and my two largest birds have produced eggs of 2.0 and 2.1 ounces respectively after laying only a few eggs. My smaller birds have started out laying eggs that are between 1.4 and 1.7 ounces. That's a big difference in my eyes. In the long run I am looking for cock birds in the 7-8 lb range and hens that are 6-7 lb range that consistently produce eggs at least 2.0 oz - preferably in the 2.25 oz range.

 

[TNBarnQueen]

Hi Royce,

Thanks so much for your post and for the PM you sent to me. Much appreciated. Just to clarify a few of my comments... after reading hundreds of pages of posts in both the Ameraucana and BCM strings over the past several months here on BYC, I have come to appreciate just how difficult it is to create a decent line of birds. However, when I started out 1 1/2 years ago I really was clueless... I truly believed that you could simply order some eggs, hatch them out and get your flock. I am sure that there are many others out there that started out like me. Since then I've learned that things are obviously a bit more complicated than that.

As for my comment that "I want to be confident that if I sell hatching eggs or chicks to someone down the line they will get exactly what they were expecting and not have to deal with all the difficulties that I have to work through". I didn't mean to infer that I expected to hatch out 100% show quality birds but instead that reasonable expectations would be that hatching eggs or chicks provide birds close to standard that produce eggs with an acceptable color. My experience has been that this is not easy to attain. I know that there are many excellent breeders out there but there are also far too many people out there who either purposely or inadvertently mislead buyers by selling substandard stock or worse. It's really hard to know which is which when you first start out. To make matters worse it is really hard to get the attention of the best know breeders. I am sure they are inundated with requests and just can't respond to everyone who contacts them. I think my biggest disappointment at this stage is that even with a lot of research and reaching out to many sources I am not sure I even have a starter flock yet. If it wasn't for two well established breeders from here and the ABC, I am sure I would still be exactly where I was 1 1/2 years ago. My goal is to build a representative flock of birds with excellent egg color that breed true so that someday I can help others get a decent start right from the beginning.

Since my first post, I have received some excellent advice from people on this thread (thanks everyone) and feel hopeful I will reach my modest goals sometime in the not too distant future.

Kindest regards,

John

Hey...new to this forum but wanted to comment.. You are absolutely correct about having to be careful of who you buy from and those who pose to have a "finished" product in what they are selling. I fell prey to it. I gave a very large price for Crele Polish eggs. It was never disclosed by the seller they where project and by that I mean...very early stage project.
Out of the eggs only 2 hatched...a roo and a hen. This first year in breeding them I have gotten 3 ranges of colors. Red, Crele and a diluted Crele. So....I am basically beginning at the first step in what was suppose to be a finished project. So...the jest of this is ask A LOT of questions...such as what generation are the eggs from...how long have then been working on the project..anything that will give you a clue to what you are actually getting.
I am glad I found this forum...I am still uncertain what I am going to do in my Ameracuana project...I only know I do love mine.

 

[Reyvaughn]

I was just wondering... Anyone else find it hard to get a hold of Paul Smith? I have emailed and called. I mean, I am sure with the holidays and all he's busy... I am sure my excitement may be making the wait seem worse than it is. I did email him months ago, though... His contact info on the breeders' list on the ABC site is right... right?

 

[DMRippy]

I was just wondering... Anyone else find it hard to get a hold of Paul Smith? I have emailed and called. I mean, I am sure with the holidays and all he's busy... I am sure my excitement may be making the wait seem worse than it is. I did email him months ago, though... His contact info on the breeders' list on the ABC site is right... right?

He was very quick to reply to my emails....

 

[cubakid]

As I've read, usually constant line breeding results in smaller birds, therefore, the bigger you can get the better, especially if it's crossed with a smaller bird in hopes of acquiring a medium, more correct, ameraucana size.

There is no reason why, correctly done, line breeding should result in smaller birds.

I wouldn't say that there is a "correct way" of line breeding. I don't remember reading anywhere a specific guideline. It is what the breeder is looking for in thier birds and what they want to improve. Sometimes someone has to compromise to get desired traits. Maybe the size of the bird went down a little but you were able to attain the perfect head or egg color. I know that one of my breeds were at half standard weight, but because of lack of other strains to utilize, the birds quickly became inbred and lost size over generations. The birds however had perfect shape, just not the weight behind it. Again, compromise. Wise breeders have told me that one should never overload on traits they want to breed for in a single generation, pick one or two and once accomplished start the next trait.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
I think what he means is, line breeding, correctly done, (i.e. when the right choices are made of who to cross with whom) results in good birds, even better birds - and not smaller ones, unless, of course, smaller is what you are after in which case, you might select for that.

 

[Reyvaughn]

He was very quick to reply to my emails.... 

Hmmm... I will try calling again this weekend. And email again, too.