Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
HappyMtn
I've had the same problem with not getting to the eggs fast enough before they freeze. Now that I'm actually getting a few. I can't believe I have had to buy eating eggs from the grocery store. Ugh!

Can you believe this Tennessee weather?!

I know, right?! I just let them all out for the first time in a few days. They flew out, hit the ground, and went straight back in

 

[NellaBean]

My birds were not impressed by the snow, but I forced them to come out anyways. I love how they fly out and then fly around shrieking at the top of their lungs.

My blue wheaten boy flew straight from the doorway to the fence.

Wuss!

 

[bikechick]

Quote:
HappyMtn
I've had the same problem with not getting to the eggs fast enough before they freeze. Now that I'm actually getting a few. I can't believe I have had to buy eating eggs from the grocery store. Ugh!

Can you believe this Tennessee weather?!

I know, right?! I just let them all out for the first time in a few days. They flew out, hit the ground, and went straight back in

The juves wouldn't go out the first two days of snow

, but now there back to chicken business of scratching, eating and play fighting/posturing. I'm impressed with how well they are handling the temps and being out of water when it freezes overnight or during the day before I can give them fresh, warm water. I'm working on making water heaters from cookie cans. There are some great plans on BYC forum.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:
OH NO! I'm so sorry for your loss! What happened?

Well I guess they were just too cold. So now I'm going to build some insulated bantam breeding hutches for them to live in all year. They were the two youngest and I just bought them in October and I'm super bummed so after I take my finals and start my Christmas break I'm going to try to get my name on some list to replenish what I lost. I lost a nice wheaten hen from neil townsend and a patty pickard pullet.... so what do i do. I round up all the bantams and they are now living in my garage! I think I over reacted then my ducks got out today.... its been busy at TK Poultry LOL

I know just how you feel. I lost my last silver ameraucana pullet last summer to heat stroke a month after my other silver girl was taken by a predator.

I had even set out ice jugs everywhere but she must have been pushed aside by the bigger girls. I think it's happened to all of us that have been raising birds for awhile.

 

[TK Poultry]

Quote:
Well I guess they were just too cold. So now I'm going to build some insulated bantam breeding hutches for them to live in all year. They were the two youngest and I just bought them in October and I'm super bummed so after I take my finals and start my Christmas break I'm going to try to get my name on some list to replenish what I lost. I lost a nice wheaten hen from neil townsend and a patty pickard pullet.... so what do i do. I round up all the bantams and they are now living in my garage! I think I over reacted then my ducks got out today.... its been busy at TK Poultry LOL

I know just how you feel. I lost my last silver ameraucana pullet last summer to heat stroke a month after my other silver girl was taken by a predator.

I had even set out ice jugs everywhere but she must have been pushed aside by the bigger girls. I think it's happened to all of us that have been raising birds for awhile.

hmm I'm going to get some emails going for some replacements after my Christmas break starts...

 

[Imagesoart]

Can six week olds go outside in Northern California weather? I want to put mine outside in about a week.

 

[cpartist]

Quote:
I'm not sure of your climate, but I'm in North Fl, so it may be similar. I've had my early Nov hatched chicks out since
they were two weeks old. The front of my brooder pens are wire, but I bungee styrofoam panels onto this on the coldest nights.
I have three heat lamps and turn on one or all, depending on the lows. When I first put them out
our lows were in the 40's and 50's....in the early morning they were spread out and happy...temps under the lights
maybe around 70-75.

We are getting much colder now, (our low this morning was 24). Chicks are great and happy at temps under the lights around 50.
They are pretty fully feathered now, as yours should be. I think they feather out faster when gradually exposed
to lower temps, and I think being outside and on the ground is good for developing strong and healthy immune systems, IMO.

The key is gradual acclimation, I think. Start them out on a heat lamp that is close to the temps they are used to.
Every few days raise the lamp, or lower the wattage. At 6 weeks they should be good to go, with a little transition time.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Those are Easter Eggers, not Ameraucanas.

Although you said their colors are not true to type, there's more to it than that. Most of them in the photo have green legs (an Easter Egger trait) and almost all of them have common hatchery-based Easter Egger plumage colors. To be honest, the only one in there that has an Ameraucana coloring is the white one.

Still, very pretty birds! There's actually an Easter Egger thread here too.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:
When I lived in Sunnyvale I kept mine in a brooder in the garage until they were fully feathered out. I lowered the temp every week by 10 degrees. At that time they went outside in an uninsulated coop. Never lost 1 to cold but this weather lately is a little unpredictable. If you have a coop that is free of drafts and is the right size (too big a coop is hard for them to warm up with their bodies and too small a coop can create too much humidity which can then freeze if it gets into the 20's) they should be just fine.

 

[The Turken Lady]

Quote:
Those are Easter Eggers, not Ameraucanas.

Although you said their colors are not true to type, there's more to it than that. Most of them in the photo have green legs (an Easter Egger trait) and almost all of them have common hatchery-based Easter Egger plumage colors. To be honest, the only one in there that has an Ameraucana coloring is the white one.

Still, very pretty birds! There's actually an Easter Egger thread here too.

Ha ha okay. I bought them from a feed store and were told they were americanas. Thanks!