Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[lonnyandrinda]

Are his legs green though? Maybe it's just the lighting in the photo.

There is a breeder near me who sold my husband some "Ameraucanas" from her high quality breeding program (I couldn't go with him to see them), $50 for a young blue and black trio, I was so ticked when he got home, one was obviously splash and another was a bad quality blue with GREEN legs. I didn't even bother keeping the good looking black not knowing what was in her background. Still see her ads on Craigslist and feel sorry for people being taken....

 

[Angelicisi]

It took me quite awhile to find a breeder that knew what they were doing & took quality care of their birds, I came across at least a dozen different "breeders" of ameraucanas with long winded genetic mumbo jumbo (later when I researched only had half truths and then technically most were mixed pens/yellow legs & green legs/mixed combs or green layers not blue :/...finally put my faith in one that let me visit, had great pens set up for her projects and had many beautiful birds (a few were missing hind feathers from recently breeding but were filling in nice/chicks were separated by hatch dates and breed, sexed as soon as able but mainly sold straight run. So many people really really think mixed flocks will keep to their own kind O.O I was told on multiple occasions. Lol tons of easter eggers out here, I have one, she's great, but was NOT as advertised and cost much more because of it. I sent some info after declining my almost purchases. Most responded with "they are PURE the hatchery said so. " so I suppose it'll be that way awhile. I have to find another line of birds to be able to hatch my own and call them ameraucanas...this is a loooong project, Ug. But I love them

Are his legs green though?  Maybe it's just the lighting in the photo.

There is a breeder near me who sold my husband some "Ameraucanas" from her high quality breeding program (I couldn't go with him to see them), $50 for a young blue and black trio, I was so ticked when he got home, one was obviously splash and another was a bad quality blue with GREEN legs.  I didn't even bother keeping the good looking black not knowing what was in her background.  Still see her ads on Craigslist and feel sorry for people being taken....

 

[dak]

Sorry, but I have to speak out. NO ONE comes to my property to see my birds, and that is a silly thing to evaluate a breeder by. If anything that would be a big strike in my book. To those who are disappointed when I won't let them come visit, oh well. My family and flock safety come first, and I'm not the local petting zoo.

Disease - (very easy to transmit). VERY!

Theft - yes, there are bad people out there who will come back and take what they want. Remember those birds you just pointed out and bragged about. So does the visitor.

Ask questions. The right ones will let you know the important stuff. Do they belong to the breed club, where did they obtain their birds, do they exhibit (NOT at fair level)? Obviously, don't buy birds sight unseen, unless it is someone with impeccable references. Take the time to go to an APA/ABA show. You will learn more in one day at a show, talking to breeders, than one year on BYC.

 

[Shaffer]

Sorry, but I have to speak out. NO ONE comes to my property to see my birds, and that is a silly thing to evaluate a breeder by. If anything that would be a big strike in my book. To those who are disappointed when I won't let them come visit, oh well. My family and flock safety come first, and I'm not the local petting zoo.

Disease - (very easy to transmit). VERY!

Theft - yes, there are bad people out there who will come back and take what they want. Remember those birds you just pointed out and bragged about. So does the visitor.

Ask questions. The right ones will let you know the important stuff. Do they belong to the breed club, where did they obtain their birds, do they exhibit (NOT at fair level)? Obviously, don't buy birds sight unseen, unless it is someone with impeccable references. Take the time to go to an APA/ABA show. You will learn more in one day at a show, talking to breeders, than one year on BYC.

Clare,
I agree with you 100%. I do let personal friends visit though. As far as theft have known many that have been violated over the years not just chickens but a variety of animals, even my neighbors have been robbed of personal belongings. Had many trespassers, even a poucher which was a neighbor. My one pit bull chased someone thru my field one night.

 

[dak]

Clare,
I agree with you 100%. I do let personal friends visit though. As far as theft have known many that have been violated over the years not just chickens but a variety of animals, even my neighbors have been robbed of personal belongings. Had many trespassers, even a poucher which was a neighbor. My one pit bull chased someone thru my field one night.

At the last swap, I heard a report of an Old English Breeder who just had birds stolen. Also, I had a group of young men pull onto my property, right over to my coops, on a four wheeler towing a trailer (empty). They were "lost".

My DH ran them off. I had another trio of nere-do-wells return after the police ran them off. I met them with a lead deployment unit.

Rattled my nerves a bit, but when it takes the police 20 minutes to respond around here, you have to be prepared to protect yourself.

Personal friends are the obvious exception. My farrier thinks I'm a hoot (crazy chicken lady), but he enjoys the eggs.

 

[Phage]

Sorry, but I have to speak out. NO ONE comes to my property to see my birds, and that is a silly thing to evaluate a breeder by. If anything that would be a big strike in my book. To those who are disappointed when I won't let them come visit, oh well. My family and flock safety come first, and I'm not the local petting zoo.

Disease - (very easy to transmit). VERY!

Theft - yes, there are bad people out there who will come back and take what they want. Remember those birds you just pointed out and bragged about. So does the visitor.

Ask questions. The right ones will let you know the important stuff. Do they belong to the breed club, where did they obtain their birds, do they exhibit (NOT at fair level)? Obviously, don't buy birds sight unseen, unless it is someone with impeccable references. Take the time to go to an APA/ABA show. You will learn more in one day at a show, talking to breeders, than one year on BYC.

Totally with you. I have certainly suffered from returning thieves. No-one goes to the house now.

It also save so much time (no waiting in all day for flakey no-showers), and people taking the kids on a "chick tour" of the county.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I have a question about sexing.Before when I only had a few ameraucanas I just waited until they got older to see what sex they were.Well know that I have some more chicks and eggs in the incubator, I would like to be able to sex them when the younger verses just waiting until they are older. I read a few places that you can sex by how many rows of peas in their comb 3 rows=male 1 row=female. Is this true? And if it is is it accurate? Thanks

 

[Tailfeathers]

Sorry, but I have to speak out. NO ONE comes to my property to see my birds, and that is a silly thing to evaluate a breeder by. If anything that would be a big strike in my book. To those who are disappointed when I won't let them come visit, oh well. My family and flock safety come first, and I'm not the local petting zoo.

Disease - (very easy to transmit). VERY!

Theft - yes, there are bad people out there who will come back and take what they want. Remember those birds you just pointed out and bragged about. So does the visitor.

Ask questions. The right ones will let you know the important stuff. Do they belong to the breed club, where did they obtain their birds, do they exhibit (NOT at fair level)? Obviously, don't buy birds sight unseen, unless it is someone with impeccable references. Take the time to go to an APA/ABA show. You will learn more in one day at a show, talking to breeders, than one year on BYC.

Clare, your points are valid but I will tell you, if I can't come to somebody's place and look at their conditions and birds, I wouldn't buy from them. I don't care who they are. As MCM said above, one can sound like a real know-it-all on the phone but when you see one's set up, facilities, and birds themselves, that can tell you a whole lot more. I've been to quite a few "breeders" places and I can tell you one look at filthy conditions, waterers that look like they've never in their life been cleaned, birds running around with legs swollen with scaly leg mites, etc. sent me looking elsewhere. There are lots of other reasons to personally visit one's farm but anyone can go online or read books and find out all that stuff.

As for Disease - it's not all that hard to take good, effective, and simple precautionary measures. Mainly, ask visitors to not wear their "chicken clothes" when they come and if they come with their work, rubber or other boots that they wear in their chicken yard, just do a good oxine or chlorine foot wash. Moreover, I would submit that one is just as likely to pick up a disease at a show (which isn't all that likely but with the gaining popularity in backyard poultry is becoming increasingly more so because of innocent beginners not knowing better) as it is from someone serious about getting good breeder birds coming to your place.

Asking good questions - and a LOT of them - is definitely something one should be doing. But it can never take the place of seeing the breeders place with your own two eyes.

P.S. I encourage people to come to my place. I want to visit with them, answer their questions, and begin to build a relationship with them. It'll pay off in the future.

God Bless,

 

[salt and pepper]

I have a question about sexing.Before when I only had a few ameraucanas I just waited until they got older to see what sex they were.Well know that I have some more chicks and eggs in the incubator, I would like to be able to sex them when the younger verses just waiting until they are older. I read a few places that you can sex by how many rows of peas in their comb 3 rows=male 1 row=female. Is this true? And if it is is it accurate? Thanks

I can always tell by 3 weeks by their comb. When they are super little, they don't really have a distinctive comb, and just a wide area doesn't mean it's a rooster.

 

[Angelicisi]

At 3 weeks what clues are you looking at to sex? I know I have a 50/50 shot at guessing...I'd like to change those odds! Lol but so far I must await the crow. I've read 3 row combs/boy, 1 row combs/girl, thicker legs, taller stance, darker feathers (i have wheatans), wider combs, sweeter chicks(nice sweeties turning into mama boys then bad boys lol) are indicators of males. Lighter more even feathering/girls, sassy chicks, single comes, squatted stances are female indicators. But nothing has shouted "Yes its a roo" or "Yay! It's a pullet" to me (except my brain screams constantly it wants all girls when I am observing them, its biased lol)

I can always tell by 3 weeks by their comb. When they are super little, they don't really have a distinctive comb, and just a wide area doesn't mean it's a rooster.