Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[CackleJoy]

Anyone know where I can get blues and blacks in Washington state? I wasn't able to find any breeders locally this past spring so I ordered eggs online. The post office scrambled them good =( So, no chicks for me.

At this point, I'd be willing to pay just about anything and to drive pretty far to pick up hatching eggs, chicks, or young adult birds--both genders.

I have 7 acres for free range <3 Currently have a small flock of 3 EE (local feed store mutts, but they're very sweet birds), 3 reds, a turken with attitude, and 2 black australorps--all ladies.

I'm willing to drive as far as Oregon for pick up. I just don't trust the post office any longer =( Cried for three days when I opened up my eggs and found them all cracked.

I just got BBS eggs from Ohio. (I'm in CA). They didn't do well, 4 out of 14 hatched. Someone suggested I try getting eggs that don't have to cross the Rockies. Maybe you should try that too. See if buying closer makes a difference. There is a place in Southern California that ships eggs and chicks. I saw them on Craigslist. You can use Craigslist and search an entire area for fertile eggs/chicks. It's a handy tool!

The place in SOCAL that has eggs & chicks. I found them after my poor shipping experience. http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/grd/4121556102.html

 

[KilnChick]

I agree.The red breast gives it away plus the comb seems to be laying over.The comb is likely pea carrying the single comb gene.

His comb isn't laying over, he has a pea comb.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I have pictures of her when she was 4 and 1/2 - 5 months old ( the three ones below) I'll take more pictures if these don't help? Thanks for all your help everyone! I have never had chickens till this spring and i don't know much about Ameraucana's all you can tell me is great!!!

as far as i can tell she is an AM, but before i say i am sure i have a dew questions. Does she have slate legs? Where did you het her from?

 

[delisha]

I have a 6 month old black Ameraucana and she was ill when I got her with a upper resp infection which then spread to the rest of my chickens and caused them all to quit laying for 2 months and one is just now starting to lay again. I contacted the seller that I got her from and she said that she didn't know that she was ill when I got her but as soon as I got her home 3 months ago she was sneezing and she sounded like a crow. I treated my flock and finally they are sounding healthy again. When I asked her if her others had started laying she said that 6 months is not old enough for Ameraucanas. Is this true? My other chickens started at 5-6 months.

Since i do not know what type of respiratory infection she had and you gave to the rest of your flock, I could not tell you if they will ever lay again. Some diseases can scar reproductive organs and be damaged from infections. The reproductive organs lay right on top of the lungs. They may lay regular and they may not depending on damage.

Make sure you isolate any new birds for a minimum of 30 days. Add one established bird to the new birds for two weeks before introduction. may people loose whole flocks by not following simple bio security measures. Do not cross contaminate by waring different cloths and shoes. This is also for going to the feed store. Many contagious diseases are on the bottom of shoes and you can bring them home.
I have crocks for my coops. Each coop has a different color crock. They fit in the dishwasher for sanitation.
My winter ware is different style boots. I ware those to the coop and slip on the crock inside the coop.

 

[Infinity]

Hello, All! I am gathering a small, mixed flock. I was able to purchase a couple of EE pullets, but I am particularly interested in having some lovely REALLY blue eggs. My girls are just a few months old so I have no idea what I will get from them. Regardless, I thought I would ask here is the eggs from these birds are guaranteed to be blue. Do they range all shades or do they pretty much conform to the same color? If so, I will need to add one or two girls to my little group. Thanks for all your input!

 

[Audio51]

Hello, All! I am gathering a small, mixed flock. I was able to purchase a couple of EE pullets, but I am particularly interested in having some lovely REALLY blue eggs. My girls are just a few months old so I have no idea what I will get from them. Regardless, I thought I would ask here is the eggs from these birds are guaranteed to be blue. Do they range all shades or do they pretty much conform to the same color? If so, I will need to add one or two girls to my little group. Thanks for all your input!

Infinity....no guarantees with EE from my experience. Mine layed plain old brown eggs...

 

[misschickenlittle]

Infinity....no guarantees with EE from my experience.  Mine layed plain old brown eggs...

Ditto...

 

[ChickNmamma]

Hello, All! I am gathering a small, mixed flock. I was able to purchase a couple of EE pullets, but I am particularly interested in having some lovely REALLY blue eggs. My girls are just a few months old so I have no idea what I will get from them. Regardless, I thought I would ask here is the eggs from these birds are guaranteed to be blue. Do they range all shades or do they pretty much conform to the same color? If so, I will need to add one or two girls to my little group. Thanks for all your input!

My EEs lay lovely Blue eggs, but I have some older ones that lay green. There are no guarantees that AMs will lay blue eggs and their eggs do range all over shades of blue and also even green or white or tan also. It depends on what the breeder is going for. If they get some birds that only carry one blue egg gene because they are trying to improve something else you can end up without the blue egg gene in those offspring.

I suggest waiting to see what your EEs lay before you decide to get AMs just for the egg colors. My EEs outlay my AMs, they start earlier and I believe they lay more eggs every week. They are crossed with leghorns and selected for egg laying ability, not show ability. I love my AMs, but I didn't buy them for their egg laying ability. My really blue egg laying EEs are from McMurray Hatchery - the one I have that lays a tan egg is from Privett Hatcheries that supplies my feed store Americanas.

 

[Angel16]

Tiny ll girl..is she a bantam?
If she is I do not know when bantams lay. I have a hen who is 10 months old and has not started to lay yet. Most of my Ameracuana's did not start till over 7 months. She might just need more time to grow if she is large fowl.

I don't think she is a bantam she was 4 or 5 months old when i took those pictures and not she is about 6 or 7 months i think I hope she hasnt started laying yet! I really would like the blue and green eggs!

as far as i can tell she is an AM, but before i say i am sure i have a dew questions. Does she have slate legs? Where did you het her from?

I'm not sure what slate legs is? I got her from a breeder in my aera that was selling his so he could buy and breed pheasants.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I don't think she is a bantam she was 4 or 5 months old when i took those pictures and not she is about 6 or 7 months i think I hope she hasnt started laying yet! I really would like the blue and green eggs!

I'm not sure what slate legs is? I got her from a breeder in my aera that was selling his so he could buy and breed pheasants.

look at pictures on this website and some of them you can see their legs in the picture, slate is like a blue color www.ameraucana.org