Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[DMRippy]

Quote:

 

[Shaffer]

Great to see you on here, Harry!
Will you be attending the May 4th show at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds?

Will anyone be there? I am always looking for that perfect wheaten cockerel/roo...

Reyvaughn,
There is a person from Benton, Pa that has Wheaten and blue wheatens which is near Bloomsburg don;t know them but they may be there since it is close. There is another fellow that raises the rare game birds that is getting into them right now that will probably be there also send me a PM and I will give you his name you may even know him.

 

[Caitlin_VT]

The lavenders were more green eggs and not good layers when I got them. Plus size was a problem. I improved egg color and laying by using some project dominant white hens split for black. The white was easy to select away from. Size was still lacking. Next I added size from some larger lavender. Greenish eggs showed again. I next added a Smith split. I now have some good egg color,size better type good layers. Selection is ongoing. It takes time. Remember John Blehm used bantam to create large fowl lavender. It has been a long journey. Each breeder has made improvements based on their own priorities. So there are differences between bloodlines. Even so they trace back to John. Related but they can be very different on some traits.

And Shaffer, thanks for posting, I love to hear what other more experienced breeders are doing! I understand that the Lavenders came from bantam, so building up size is just an ongoing selection process. However, what is the easiest method to distinguish which hen lays which egg? I can't set nest traps (I can't remember exactly what they are called) because I am at work all day, and I tried the food coloring method, but it seemed that they excreted it all prior to laying an egg = no marks on eggs. I have one pullet that is good sized and I have noticed (on the rare occasion that I see her lay her egg) that she lays a much more blue egg. I also do not have the space right now to only do single matings.

 

[Shaffer]

Caitlin VT,
Yes, John's strain came from bantams. Mine did not they came from an Araucana/Orpington cross large fowl they had no relation/blood line to John's bird at all..

 

[Caitlin_VT]

Caitlin VT,
Yes, John's strain came from bantams. Mine did not they came from an Araucana/Orpington cross large fowl they had no relation/blood line to John's bird at all..

Oh, okay!

 

[CackleJoy]

And Shaffer, thanks for posting, I love to hear what other more experienced breeders are doing! I understand that the Lavenders came from bantam, so building up size is just an ongoing selection process. However, what is the easiest method to distinguish which hen lays which egg? I can't set nest traps (I can't remember exactly what they are called) because I am at work all day, and I tried the food coloring method, but it seemed that they excreted it all prior to laying an egg = no marks on eggs. I have one pullet that is good sized and I have noticed (on the rare occasion that I see her lay her egg) that she lays a much more blue egg. I also do not have the space right now to only do single matings.

I am not an experienced breeder but love the lavender AM's so this caught my eye. By happy accident I discovered that blue kote sticks around for a very long time. I had a hen with all her tail feathers plucked so I blue-koted her and the NEXT DAY her eggs had blue kote streaks. I think it comes in both blue and red. It would take a while but if you did a different bird every 3rd day or so, you'd be able to write hen (# legbands?) numbers on the eggs.

Just a thought. I did do the blue kote at night during roost so it didn't last 24 hrs.

 

[CackleJoy]

Caitlin VT,
Yes, John's strain came from bantams. Mine did not they came from an Araucana/Orpington cross large fowl they had no relation/blood line to John's bird at all..

I badly want lavender AM's. Do you have a website with photos of your stock?

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

And Shaffer, thanks for posting, I love to hear what other more experienced breeders are doing! I understand that the Lavenders came from bantam, so building up size is just an ongoing selection process. However, what is the easiest method to distinguish which hen lays which egg? I can't set nest traps (I can't remember exactly what they are called) because I am at work all day, and I tried the food coloring method, but it seemed that they excreted it all prior to laying an egg = no marks on eggs. I have one pullet that is good sized and I have noticed (on the rare occasion that I see her lay her egg) that she lays a much more blue egg. I also do not have the space right now to only do single matings.

Put a different color of food dye on each hens vent. Then when thy lag it will come streaked with that color. Perfectly safe you to eat still and no harm to the hens

 

[jerryse]

Put a different color of food dye on each hens vent. Then when thy lag it will come streaked with that color. Perfectly safe you to eat still and no harm to the hens

I pen a hen the night before I expect her to lay. Let her out after she lays. I eventually find who lays what egg.

 

[Caitlin_VT]

Put a different color of food dye on each hens vent. Then when thy lag it will come streaked with that color. Perfectly safe you to eat still and no harm to the hens

I've tried this with no luck. Food coloring or food dye? Is there a type that stains more strongly?

I am not an experienced breeder but love the lavender AM's so this caught my eye. By happy accident I discovered that blue kote sticks around for a very long time. I had a hen with all her tail feathers plucked so I blue-koted her and the NEXT DAY her eggs had blue kote streaks. I think it comes in both blue and red. It would take a while but if you did a different bird every 3rd day or so, you'd be able to write hen (# legbands?) numbers on the eggs.

Just a thought. I did do the blue kote at night during roost so it didn't last 24 hrs.

Good idea, but I have 4 hens that I would like to figure out, and they lay sporadically at best so I'm not sure who is supposed to lay when..

I pen a hen the night before I expect her to lay. Let her out after she lays. I eventually find who lays what egg.

Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe once they start laying regularly I could attempt this.