Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[FVRM]

At what age do you put chicks out with a free range flock and how do you integrate them into it?

I have 12 6-week old Ameraucana chicks that I want to get outside with my free range flock as soon as possible.  That flock of four hens has a very protective Ameraucana rooster (one year) protecting it.  He takes his job extremely seriously.  I'm in South Central Texas, so the temps aren't really an issue.  They are currently going out during the day in a 20' x 8' covered pen that is beside the free range flock's coop and in my office at night.


I also want to integrate two Ameraucana hens that have been separated due to health (crop) issues back into the flock.  I thought I should get the chicks safely integrated into the flock  before I put the two hens back.

I'm going away for about 10 days in the middle of April and don't want to leave my poor, long suffering husband with  too many pens and flocks to take care of.


Suggestions on how and when to do this safely?  Thanks.

Here's my suggestion:

12 week old chicks are too young to be inside a pen with grown chickens. They can easily be crushed or pecked to death. How about making a separate enclosure inside the existing pen with chicken wire until they get bigger. Since they're chicks they don't require too much room like the bigger ones.

And lastly, I think you should integrate the new hens with the old flock before you leave, so you can make sure they'll be okay.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Here's my suggestion:

12 week old chicks are too young to be inside a pen with grown chickens. They can easily be crushed or pecked to death. How about making a separate enclosure inside the existing pen with chicken wire until they get bigger. Since they're chicks they don't require too much room like the bigger ones.

And lastly, I think you should integrate the new hens with the old flock before you leave, so you can make sure they'll be okay.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The more I think about it the more uncomfortable I am about leaving the 12 little ones with the free range flock when I am not around. If not the risk from hawks, there are my mini dachshunds and they are showing a little interest in the chicks. I think I will just quickly build a little wooden box to put in the (parrot) aviary where they are during the day now. I just hope the box holds up to the parrots until I get back. I had originally put a little dog house in the aviary that had been converted to a little coop, but two of the parrots decided that it would make a great nest box for them so I removed it. I'll make a box and close it up during the day to keep the parrots out and hope the outside can take their abuse.

 

[Caitlin_VT]

What color variety tends to be the most productive and largest? I really want to develop more substance to my project Lavenders so that they are more of a dual-purpose birds.

 

[sbucciarel]

Sorry if it came off as harsh. I didn't mean for it to. But as we all know things you write on the internet don't always convey the feelings behind what your write. Just get frustrated as folks are right the majority of the posts on this thread are about EE's. No worries all breeding chickens is a learning experience. Wish everyone and their birds the best. 

Henry 

Personally, I understand the frustration. It seems most of the discussion is about EEs and most of the pics are EEs. I have Ameraucana and want to learn more about them, but it seems I have learned more about EEs than Ameraucanas.

I also understand the frustration of thinking you have an Ameraucana because that is what you were told at point of sale, but they are EEs. Very dishonest to label chicks with an official breed name when they are not that breed (according to SOP).

 

[HaplessRunner]

Personally, I understand the frustration. It seems most of the discussion is about EEs and most of the pics are EEs. I have Ameraucana and want to learn more about them, but it seems I have learned more about EEs than Ameraucanas.

I also understand the frustration of thinking you have an Ameraucana because that is what you were told at point of sale, but they are EEs. Very dishonest to label chicks with an official breed name when they are not that breed (according to SOP).

Yep - there is a lot of frustration to be had regarding EEs passed off as ameraucanas. Some of it is certainly due to dishonesty but a lot of it is due to pure, unadulterated ignorance.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Yep - there is a lot of frustration to be had regarding EEs passed off as ameraucanas. Some of it is certainly due to dishonesty but a lot of it is due to pure, unadulterated ignorance.

I think most of it starts out as ignorance and then morphs into denial, but there is no excuse for the big hatcheries. I can understand the feed stores remaining ignorant--they are just selling what the hatcheries tell them they have. It bothers me a lot that so many people continue to call their Easter Eggers--basically mutts--Ameraucanas when it has all been explained to them with links to the ABC web site.

 

[Reyvaughn]

Yep - there is a lot of frustration to be had regarding EEs passed off as ameraucanas. Some of it is certainly due to dishonesty but a lot of it is due to pure, unadulterated ignorance.

Last year, since this is an every year thing with the farm stores' chick days, I was removed from this thread for 8 months because of my frustrations. I even sold off all my Ams because of the circus that surrounds them. Thankfully I had over 4 dozen of my flock's eggs in the 'bator to restart with. Point is, I ignore the parts of this forum that frustrate me. I do not mean to be rude, but I am a very impatient and intolerant person so I tend to come off as rude (oh geez, fine, I admit it, sometimes I just am). Because I know this, I keep my mouth shut and let the lovely people that have the patients to answer the EE questions have at it. Otherwise, I would more than likely be removed again. It also makes reading this forum go so much faster!

I think most of it starts out as ignorance and then morphs into denial, but there is no excuse for the big hatcheries. I can understand the feed stores remaining ignorant--they are just selling what the hatcheries tell them they have. It bothers me a lot that so many people continue to call their Easter Eggers--basically mutts--Ameraucanas when it has all been explained to them with links to the ABC web site.

Eggsactly. The people's ignorance and denial is what I have issues with. Yes, the mislabeling, too. But, I am intolerant to the first two things.

 

[johnderosa1]

Personally, I understand the frustration. It seems most of the discussion is about EEs and most of the pics are EEs. I have Ameraucana and want to learn more about them, but it seems I have learned more about EEs than Ameraucanas.

I also understand the frustration of thinking you have an Ameraucana because that is what you were told at point of sale, but they are EEs. Very dishonest to label chicks with an official breed name when they are not that breed (according to SOP).

The unfortunate effect of the negative discourse that often develops on here when someone is told that they have EEs has driven most of the experts away. If it wasn't for a few diehard Ameraucana breeders that have hung in here to help, this thread would offer very little if any relevant insight into the breed. I do understand the frustration of those who bought birds thinking they were Ameraucanas only to find out they aren't but that's not the fault of those who help here. I had to learn the hard way too and am still working towards a good foundation flock 3 years after getting burned the first time. I know it is hard to ask that people read through this forum a little to get the basics down before posting here but doing so would eliminate 90% of the problems we are seeing here. I wonder if there is a way to get a disclaimer to pop up asking new members to the forum to take a few minutes to learn about the difference between Ameraucanas and EEs. Might be a pipe dream but this is America... and I am allowed to dream!!!! So for all those new to the breed , please understand that it is likely that your first birds are indeed EEs... Nothing wrong with that, but this is the Ameraucana thread so please be respectful to the intention of this forum and please understand that the experts still here have endured hundreds if not thousands of discussions on the same subject.. pictures of EEs with the following tag .. Just got some ameraucanas( often spelled americanas) can you tell me if they are show quality? Or something similar. Then there are pages of discussions back and forth to define what an ameraucana is or isnt... Only to be repeated 3 posts later... So if you get a short answer every once in a while don't be offended . Its remarkable that people like Jean, Henry , etc still take the time to respond at all. So let me thank the people who still take the time to help out here and hope that there is someway to get the focus back on ameraucanas!

 

[Reyvaughn]

Last year, right before I got removed from the thread, I wrote up a little blurb to post to people asking if their EEs were Ams. It was nice, but somewhat clinical with a link to the ABC so they could read about Ameraucanas and educate themselves. Well, it wasn't well received. It would be nice if people were to try to educate themselves to save us 3-4 months of repetitive posting... It will never change. It's a shame.

That is all I am going to say about it. With my past on this thread, I don't want this topic to get out of control and be removed again. Sometimes there is some valuable Ameraucana information posted. Sometimes. And I would like to continue learning.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Eggsactly. The people's ignorance and denial is what I have issues with. Yes, the mislabeling, too. But, I am intolerant to the first two things.

You can't blame a person for not knowing. You have a point with the denial aspect, though.

I was just plain lucky to get purebred Ameraucana on the first go around. I wanted the possibility of exhibiting my birds when I started looking for Ameraucanas, so found the the breed club, Ameraucana Breeders Club, and Paul Smith before I had even ordered my first chick. If I hadn't been show minded (I have exhibited show dogs for decades in the past), I would have probably ordered Americana/Ameraucana/Araucana mutt Easter Eggers and would never have known there was a difference.