Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[SteveH]

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Sorry, I hope my post did not offend. I prefer as brilliant of blue as possible, and so I do understand your disappointment.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Oh no- no offense taken.

 

[PepsNick]

Had fun reading through this.


Illia, oh no! I think that you should breed what you want to breed, not your family.

Sylvia, you don't have any Ameraucanas, those are EE's. Happymtn... I love how blue your eggs are. Keep it that way! That's one of the things that we love most about Ameraucanas after all, isn't it?

 

[livin-green]

At what age do most of your Ameraucana pullets finally start laying? I ask because I have two senior hens that didn't start laying until they were nearly a year old. I blamed that mostly on the fact that we got the chickens ahead of the coop and they weren't housed "properly"--with enough space & defined nestbox. However, now we have their 8 & 9-month old pullet offspring, and they aren't laying either. I've heard mention that Ameraucana are slower to mature than lots of other breeds, but I was just curious what you all think.

Also, I tried the Cayenne pepper in the feed that was mentioned way back on this thread--I think--and it may have worked on one of my senior hens...or it might have just been coincidence...

How many have tried this & gotten results? If so, how much do you guys mix in with the feed? I didn't really measure out--just sprinkled some in there and mixed it up good. Maybe I didn't do enough?? Guesstimating, it was maybe 1/4 cup of finely ground, dried Cayenne into 36oz container of feed. Also, I'm assuming it won't bother roos consuming the same feed?? Would be good to know before putting out any more--especially if at a higher ratio.

Edited for spelling :-/

 

[ByN8ureHomstead]

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I used Serrano instead of Cayenne. I gave them 3/4 of a cup. Out of my 5 or 6 hens only one is laying. My hens are 7 months old. I don't think the pepper did anything for them.

 

[Tailfeathers]

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Cynthia, that's an outstanding tail on the BW in the background. Nice. I've got a few looking like that now and hope to have them all that way soon. How long has it taken you to get there?

God Bless,

 

[Goose and Fig]

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Cynthia, that's an outstanding tail on the BW in the background. Nice. I've got a few looking like that now and hope to have them all that way soon. How long has it taken you to get there?

God Bless,

I'm pretty sure that's an EE.

 

[Tailfeathers]

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Wheatens! Supposedly Blehm (line). This is the second time this happened to me this month- last time I didn't even set the white ones- I had a pretty full bator and I figured my lav eggs would be better served. When I cracked the white ones last time they were even white inside. I get a pale egg once in a great while- but I'd never send them to anybody! Sheesh. I don't know what to do.

I don't think I would set them, I might even go as far to ask the seller for a refund, minus shipping.

Somebody previously posted a link to the ABC Forum references this subject there. Please see my comments there as I won't repeat them here.

I will add a few comments here, however, that I did not state there:

First, one needs to remember that the outside of the egg is not necessarily a good prediction of what's on the inside of the egg.

Second, one needs to remember that egg color is just one of many factors that must be taken into consideration. I have sold some almost white eggs in the past and have made it VERY clear to all my customers why I was doing it and that they needed to let me know if they did not want those particular eggs. For instance, when having productivity problems, I used two BW pullets that laid an almost white egg because they gave me 5 eggs/bird/week. Does anyone really care how blue an egg is if the female inside doesn't ever lay an egg? Moreover, I plan to breed a couple of W & BW pullets from this past year who are laying a very light blue egg but they have the best looking color in the tails and wings that I've ever had. The same goes for a couple of clean-faced pullets I have. Both the egg color and muffs/beard genes are dominant so I don't see that as a problem at all.

Lastly, let me just say that before someone should go so far as asking the seller for a refund (minus the shipping), they should make sure they were clear about what they expected to get. If someone is more concerned with egg color than they are, say for example, the bird meeting the SOP - then they should state such ahead of time or IMO not be asking for a refund. Of course, on the other hand, I think a Seller took have the forethought to take the necessary precautions and make sure the customer knows what they will be getting if there is something they reasonably could expect might be a concern or area of disappointment.

Which btw remind me, if there are any of my previous customers who have gotten eggs from me the last couple of years (some of which may have been white/almost white), would you please email me and let me know how those birds turned out. TIA.

God Bless,

 

[livin-green]

Quote:
I used Serrano instead of Cayenne. I gave them 3/4 of a cup. Out of my 5 or 6 hens only one is laying. My hens are 7 months old. I don't think the pepper did anything for them.

Yeah, I think mine was probably just coincidence. Sure would like to see those two newbies producing some eggs, though! Thanks for commenting. I'm still unsure about the age you should expect Ameraucanas to start laying. I'm wondering if maybe there is a reason mine are so late..?? Could they be short something nutritionally, other issues??

Here's a photo of them, of course, the splash in the front is the "senior" hen (I should clarify that she's only senior to the other birds, she's not old--2 years the end of this month)

Some of you veteran chicken keepers see any noticeable problem with them??

 

[livin-green]

Quote:
I used Serrano instead of Cayenne. I gave them 3/4 of a cup. Out of my 5 or 6 hens only one is laying. My hens are 7 months old. I don't think the pepper did anything for them.

Yeah, I think mine was probably just coincidence. Sure would like to see those two newbies producing some eggs, though! Thanks for commenting. I'm still unsure about the age you should expect Ameraucanas to start laying. I'm wondering if maybe there is a reason mine are so late..?? Could they be short something nutritionally, other issues??

Here's a photo of them, of course, the splash in the front is the "senior" hen (I should clarify that she's only senior to the other birds, she's not old--2 years the end of this month)

Some of you veteran chicken keepers see any noticeable problem with them??