Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[marchick]

That thing is so easy it makes you lazy. It cooks like a convection oven. Food and hickory chips go inside, charcoal goes outside, so the only thing that flavors the food is the hickory. 2 chickens took an hour and a half, 15 lb turkey is 2 hours, 5 pound Boston Butt in 3 hours.

Ok you talked me into it! lol

 

[mirandaleecon]

Personality. Is he good with his hens and people? Fertility. I had a beautiful bw roo that only had 25% hatch rate. Are the chicks robust and active from the start?
There is such a limited gene pool out there that you need to keep all options open. Some roosters look like spare parts until they are 1.

Makes sense! I don't really like to pen any of them but if it's only temporary, I can deal with that. Hoping to build some bigger pens eventually so I won't feel so bad about it...

I'm planning on phasing out most of the flock I have now but I was thinking of keeping some of my brown egg layers because they would be so easy to tell apart from the Ameraucanas. And I could possibly hatch sex-links with my Barred Rock. Thinking it might be cool to be able to sell sex-link EE or OE (even if it's only 25-50% chance)...Anyone else do this?

 

[bruceha2000]

Others can help with the culling aspects, I'm new to this as well, but I keep black chickens in SC with high temps and humidity in the summer. The trick is to provide shade and clean water. All of mine are in pens, and my pens are 50% covered by metal roofs. That is a life saver in the summer.

It has nothing to do with the color of the birds. I have 2 White Rocks, a mostly white EE, 2 BAs, 2 BJGs and assorted other colored birds. NONE of them (including the Cubalaya and Ancona, originally warm climate breeds) hang out it the midday sun. They will be under the picnic table (they made a dust bath), under the lilac bushes, under the deck, under a small tree next to the barn or in the barn. Shade is important when you are ALWAYS wearing your down coat and a breeze doesn't hurt

And it doesn't get as hot up here in Vermont as it does in the south.

Just because a chicken isn't up to SOP for the color you are working on don't toss them until everyone is producing. Having an EE or OE pen on the side gives you a place to test your extra roosters.

Plus, lots of people like EEs! You can sell the excess EE chicks to people who just plain like them but would like local rather than hatchery birds.

 

[CGilbert]

http://www.ameraucana.org/clubmerchandise.html
You can buy it from the ABC

Thank you!

 

[scflock]

It has nothing to do with the color of the birds. I have 2 White Rocks, a mostly white EE, 2 BAs, 2 BJGs and assorted other colored birds. NONE of them (including the Cubalaya and Ancona, originally warm climate breeds) hang out it the midday sun. They will be under the picnic table (they made a dust bath), under the lilac bushes, under the deck, under a small tree next to the barn or in the barn. Shade is important when you are ALWAYS wearing your down coat and a breeze doesn't hurt

And it doesn't get as hot up here in Vermont as it does in the south.


Plus, lots of people like EEs! You can sell the excess EE chicks to people who just plain like them but would like local rather than hatchery birds.

My EEs are some of my best sellers. A lot of people just want the colored birds that lay the pretty eggs, and don't torture themselves like the rest of us

 

[bruceha2000]

I bet a sex linked supplier would be VERY popular. Some people can't have or just don't want a rooster so they get sex link chicks from the hatchery if they need to be 100% confident on gender. What better than a local guaranteed gender EE chick instead of the 'standard' hatchery Red Star (under all the various names)??

 

[Saris]

I bet a sex linked supplier would be VERY popular. Some people can't have or just don't want a rooster so they get sex link chicks from the hatchery if they need to be 100% confident on gender. What better than a local guaranteed gender EE chick instead of the 'standard' hatchery Red Star (under all the various names)??

That is my plan too. I want to get a few Cuckoo Marans, paired with a blue (split Choc) roo would make sex-linked OEs in a variety of pretty colors. ^_^ I'm so excited!

 

[marchick]

I wondered the same thing! A 15 pound bird cooked/smoked in 2 hours!
SC, we're coming to your house for Christmas!
Have a Merry Merry Christmas girl!

I hope he has plenty of room! lol Merry Christmas to you all! Blessings my friends!

 

[Ravynscroft]

So my Lav cock is throwing leakage on his black split sons... looking for advice on if I should try to get a non leaky BS cockerel out of him, or just replace him?

Any thoughts?

 

[scflock]

So my Lav cock is throwing leakage on his black split sons... looking for advice on if I should try to get a non leaky BS cockerel out of him, or just replace him?

Any thoughts?

I saw the one yesterday you are talking about. Is the Lav the sire of the one you showed me a few months ago that was so bad?