Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[jajeanpierre]

The birds pictured are not a cross between two different varieties of ameraucana. They are easter eggers.

Ameraucanas have white skin and crossing two different varieties does not give you yellow skin, which is what your birds are displaying.

Wow, you have an eye for this breed! Where did you see the color of skin? Inquiring novices want to know!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Wow, you have an eye for this breed! Where did you see the color of skin? Inquiring novices want to know!

Ignore my question--someone already noted the green legs gave the skin color away. I really, really, really appreciate the experienced people helping to explain the breed and type to us novices.

 

[Angelicisi]

The legs...

Wow, you have an eye for this breed!  Where did you see the color of skin?  Inquiring novices want to know!

 

[jajeanpierre]

I just wanted to let everyone know that Ozexpat is collecting hatching eggs to incubate. He has a farm in the Phillipines and he will be giving away trios of chickens that he incubates to people who lost everything including their flocks. Please PM me if you would like to pitch in on sending him some fertile eggs. Breed doesn't matter, but I expect that heat-tolerant types would be a must.

Thanks for any help you can give,
Renee

I've seen this in a Silkie thread on BYC, so I imagine this is on every threat out there.

Not wanting to criticize anyone's effort to help people, but I think it would be much, much more cost effective to buy local chickens from local farmers whose flocks were spared or were not in the typhoon's path.

I am always cautious of donating to individuals and organizations without a track record that is easily verified. The whole charitable-organization industry have more than their share of scams and are often simply get-rich self-employment schemes with little or no donated money going to the cause the money was donated for. I have no idea who Ozexpat is, their integrity or, more importantly, their knowledge and expertise to be able to get get aid from the US to needy people in the Philippines.

Personally, I can't think of a more cost INEFFECTIVE way of getting chickens to needy farmers than sending hatching eggs/chicks from the US to the Philippines. It is problematic in so many ways. If the eggs are sent, it requires incubators and electricity to hatch them, two scarce resources in the poverty-stricken Philippines. Few if any will actually make it to hatch. The shipping costs surrounding getting eggs to Ozexpat and then chicks to the Philippines will be higher than buying chicks from a city in the Philippines outside the disaster zone. The Philippine bred and born chicks will be better suited to the Philippine environment as well.

Every disaster brings an outpouring of goodwill from the "haves" towards the "have nots" but anything I donate, I want to be sure goes to the people who need it, not to the middle man. All reputable charities will publish a figure that shows the percentage of received money that makes it to the needy. Some registered charities send zero funds to the needy that they collect for. Others send upwards of 90% to 95%. It is not hard to get a charity designation for tax purposes.

This is not about Ozexpat's desire to help or integrity, but more about EFFECTIVE delivery of aid. There are reputable organizations where you can donate money to buy things like goats, chickens, ducks or cows (or a share of) to those in need worldwide. This kind of an organization has the skill sets to get the donation into the hands of the needy.

I am never happy when donations made by good people never make it into the hands of those who need it. Katrina and Haiti are recent examples of the discrepancy of the value of donated money and the value of the delivered aid.

 

[KiwiLand]

I am not here to talk about what anyone thinks my birds are or are not. I posted the pictures so you all could see the birds I have, but not so they could be critiqued or my intelligence about the breed questioned. I came here to get help in finding a breeder that I can get show quality chicks and hatching eggs from. I saw the birds that the breeder has that produced my two birds and they are all true ameraconas, just not the variety that I want. I do not have contact with the lady who bred them as she has moved. She shows her birds. Now with that said I would like some help finding pure birds. I am not interested in breeding the two I have for the outside world. I am looking for blue, blue wheaton, wheaton, lavender. My favorite is the blue wheaton but I like the others just as well too. If anyone can help me get started with one of these varieties I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[chiqita]

Oz is a little different. He is over there hatching eggs and lives close to the disaster. ( look for the thread getting the flock out there i think?)Id say as these things go getting him eggs would be as close as one could get to personally helping.

Not at all to disparage your very valid point. Dh and I were just talking about this last night after hearing a story about how logistically challanging it is to get to some of these islands.

 

[delisha]

I just wanted to let everyone know that Ozexpat is collecting hatching eggs to incubate. He has a farm in the Phillipines and he will be giving away trios of chickens that he incubates to people who lost everything including their flocks. Please PM me if you would like to pitch in on sending him some fertile eggs. Breed doesn't matter, but I expect that heat-tolerant types would be a must.

Thanks for any help you can give,
Renee

Depending on what time of year..I would love to get some of my meat birds to the Phillipines. I know Ozexpat and his constant trials to get eggs to the Philipines. It is a cute and lovely story filled with pictures of his work and progress. I have worked hard on this breed and they will do well over there.

 

[Phage]

I am not here to talk about what anyone thinks my birds are or are not. I posted the pictures so you all could see the birds I have, but not so they could be critiqued or my intelligence about the breed questioned. I came here to get help in finding a breeder that I can get show quality chicks and hatching eggs from. I saw the birds that the breeder has that  produced my two birds and they are all true ameraconas, just not the variety that I want. I do not have contact with the lady who bred them as she has moved. She shows her birds. Now with that said I would like some help finding pure birds. I am not interested in breeding the two I have for the outside world. I am looking for blue, blue wheaton, wheaton, lavender. My favorite is the blue wheaton but I like the others just as well too. If anyone can help me get started with one of these varieties I would greatly appreciate it. 

Wow!
People were trying to be very helpful and educate as you are new to the breed. That is what happens on this thread and you posted your pictures.
It may be helpful so that you do not go on to get birds that you think are one thing but are another.
You got advice from the president of the Ameraucana breeders club.
Some people just don't want to learn I guess.

 

[Penny Hen]

The birds pictured are not a cross between two different varieties of ameraucana. They are easter eggers.

Ameraucanas have white skin and crossing two different varieties does not give you yellow skin, which is what your birds are displaying.

I think you monitor tint is off because on my screen they legs look slate.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote: While they are pretty birds you were misinformed about their parentage. Black x Wheaten will never give those colors. All children from that crossing will be Black. Genetics tell me this. Check the soles of their feet - they look green skinned on my monitor too - if they are yellow then they are crossed to another breed, and more than once.

The classification of EEs to color crossed AMs is from the Ameraucana Breeders - if you seriously want to breed Ameraucanas please follow their rules. Color projects are called EEs until they return to the AM form and breed true 50% of the time, by serious breeders who want to improve the Breed, not by people who just let all color birds run together and call the results "purebred" to raise the price. Once you cross colors you mess up the genetics of colors for all future generations, doing more damage to the breed than helping it. That is why it is frowned upon and why they are called EEs. At least they don't base their breed designation on the egg color - Marans are not Marans unless they lay a certain dark shade of egg. Purebred bird to purebred bird can result in a "not-Marans". I don't agree that the hatchery mixed birds should also be called EEs - but that's what they do here on this forum so I follow those rules too. I call those Americanas outside of this forum. Perhaps calling them AM EEs for the color crossed "purebred" birds would be a compromise? And the hatchery birds Hatchery EEs?

Look on the ABC website and you can find people who ship day-old chicks. I purchased my Lavender AMs from John Blehm. Some people also have AM hatching eggs here on BYC so you can purchase eggs and incubate them. Make sure to view the parent birds and ask questions about their goals for improving their breeding stock, if they have none I would not purchase them.

P.S. - there is NO SUCH THING AS SHOW QUALITY CHICKS! I am very sorry, but that is a pet peeve of mine. Show quality parent stock, yes - but you may have to raise 100 chicks from that stock to get one Show Quality bird - and you won't know that until they are old enough to show. People who advertise Show Quality Eggs or Show Quality Chicks are doing it to raise the expectations and the prices of their offerings. Show Quality is ONLY after the bird has been shown - AND WON. Otherwise it is breeder quality (if no defects) until shown.