Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[WendyF]

Nobody has been hurt, but oddly enough my Polish girls are most dominant over the orpingtons & brahma. Our 11 week old ladies & 8 week olds do share the same coop. There is a definite pecking order with 3 polish hens at the top (huh?), but they all free range our oversized backyard almost all day. My 3 week old girls are kept where the older ladies can see them, but not touch. I know they'll get chased & scared by their big sissies so I want to wait until they have some decent size on them before letting them mingle. My Ameraucana & ee are in this youngest group. If there are too many problems in the coop, i can put a wirecloth wall right through the middle as each end of the coop has its owm 100 sq foot run. Bullying was a main concern in the design process. I hope it doesn't come down to that!

 

[sssharon]

Wendy, It's so funny but it must be no matter who was there first they usually rule the roost. I read that Orpingtons are usually pretty docile and get picked on and in my case it is true. I have a buff and a black and they are both picked on some. Not a whole lot though. Everyone seems to get along pretty well. It's really that your Polish chicks would be the rulers because what I have seen in my families chickens they usually are not. That is cool. Good for them. It always is amazing that the biggest birds don't just kick the other ones butts and show them who's boss. Doesn't work that way. My biggest birds are the ones that run. Haha You'll be surprised how big the orpingtons get if you haven't had them before. You can see my chickens on my profile. My black one is really pretty with little green running through her feathers. Have fun with your chicks.

 

[rainbowchick]

Hi y'all!
I'm new on here, but hoping to get some Ameraucanas soon. Can anyone recommend a breeder in the piedmont NC region? I'm looking specifically for Wheaten (not BBS) and Lavender.
We are in zone 7 (gardening), so do you think I need chicks, or could I do hatching eggs in October and have them old enough to withstand the mild winters here? Or do I just need to rein in my excitement and get them in the spring?

 

[tigercreek]

Hi y'all!
I'm new on here, but hoping to get some Ameraucanas soon. Can anyone recommend a breeder in the piedmont NC region? I'm looking specifically for Wheaten (not BBS) and Lavender.
We are in zone 7 (gardening), so do you think I need chicks, or could I do hatching eggs in October and have them old enough to withstand the mild winters here? Or do I just need to rein in my excitement and get them in the spring?

here is a link to the Ameraucana Breeders club. There is a link at the bottom of the page to breeders. If you are thinking you might want to start a breeding flock, I would suggest that you wait till spring and order chicks from breeders with a reputation for quality chicks. If you are just looking for a laying , backyard flock, any chick that is fully featherd will go thru the winter as long as they are protected from the wind....
http://www.ameraucana.org/index.html

 

[rainbowchick]

I am looking to start a breeding flock. I've looked at the ABC directory. I contacted a few of them last year and it seemed the directory was not all that accurate. I was hoping to find one that *actually* sells what I'm looking for...

 

[RoosterLew]

I am looking to start a breeding flock. I've looked at the ABC directory. I contacted a few of them last year and it seemed the directory was not all that accurate. I was hoping to find one that *actually* sells what I'm looking for...

For Wheatens I always see people referred to Wayne Meredith.
I only know him by reputation, but I am working on Wheatens as well and everything goes back to Mr Meredith when they come up.
I do know Paul Smith has some, and there is someone from Arkansas on here that raises them...but I am horrible at remembering screen names! MrsBachBach maybe?

Curious as to why you mentioned "Not BBS"...as BBS has nothing to do with Wheatens?

Wheatens are not the most popular variety, but patience will land you some.

For Lavendars I'd say Jerry Segler or John Blehm.
Jerry is on here often "jerryse".

 

[rainbowchick]

Sorry, I misspoke (mistyped??), I meant Blue Wheaten. It seems like many breeders offer an "assortment" of Wheaten/Blue Wheaten. I'd like to stick with just Wheaten, without any surprise genes hiding....
Yes, I was on John Blehm's site for Lavenders... Being a newbie, I'm not sure I'm ready to take on a full order of 25 yet. I'd really prefer to find someone within a few hours from me for that reason, as well. I wouldn't risk going with a breeder who claimed to be able to ship smaller quantities...

 

[RoosterLew]

Sorry, I misspoke (mistyped??), I meant Blue Wheaten. It seems like many breeders offer an "assortment" of Wheaten/Blue Wheaten. I'd like to stick with just Wheaten, without any surprise genes hiding....
Yes, I was on John Blehm's site for Lavenders... Being a newbie, I'm not sure I'm ready to take on a full order of 25 yet. I'd really prefer to find someone within a few hours from me for that reason, as well. I wouldn't risk going with a breeder who claimed to be able to ship smaller quantities...

OK, I thought maybe that is what you meant. Yes most have the variety. If you get Wheatens, the only real genetic difference to the blue wheatens and splash wheatens is the "Blue" gene. It is a visible difference, so getting wheatens from a breeder with Blue/Splash Wheatens is really not at risk of surprise genes.

Another member on here , Tailfeathers, raises Wheatens as well...kind of specializes in them.

 

[jerryse]

Sorry, I misspoke (mistyped??), I meant Blue Wheaten. It seems like many breeders offer an "assortment" of Wheaten/Blue Wheaten. I'd like to stick with just Wheaten, without any surprise genes hiding....
Yes, I was on John Blehm's site for Lavenders... Being a newbie, I'm not sure I'm ready to take on a full order of 25 yet. I'd really prefer to find someone within a few hours from me for that reason, as well. I wouldn't risk going with a breeder who claimed to be able to ship smaller quantities...

Smaller quantity on large fowl (15 ) is not much of a problem if you are willing to wait until the weather warms a bit . The real problem is people want their chicks as early as possible . Listen to the breeder about when to ship . The weather will even fool him sometimes . No one can predict months in advance . For lavender I plan to offer lavender and lavender split pullets or high percentage of pullets . Still evaluating pullets . Winter survival is a factor also . So not sure how many hens I will have . Hoping for 6-9 . Split hens will make up about half of the hens and covered by a lavender rooster .

 

[jan12]

I have a question... I have a line of BBS ameraucana whose rooster combs flop over to the side. Is that something I can fix by bringing in other lines, and if so, is it easy to fix? I'm assuming that is not a desireable trait... Thanks in advance for any input.