Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[cgmaster]

OK , I lied.  Yes I have kept them in longer....at least a month.  I do not have an outside brooder house, I only have my small hutches so as they get older I have to keep splitting them up.  No way will I put them outside if it is cold.  

I had one silkie that I kept in the house until he was at least 3 months old (he used to sneak out of his cage to snuggle with our old boxer, she acted like she was his momma), also the first chick that I got when I first got restarted in chickens was kept in the house almost until she started laying....

 

[rainbowchick]

I just sent my "keepers" from my first hatch out to the porch brooder today, actually. They're two weeks old. We'll see how they like it.... Once it really starts warming up, they go outside between 3-7 days old.

 

[Miss Ameraucana]

I would if I could, but last year I ordered pullets from a breeder relatively local and one arrived with a runny nose/bubbles coming out of her nose (Cream Legbar). Soon 2 others from them were sick too (BCMarans) (looked awful compared to my other Marans to begin with) and so I had them tested for many things- collected specimens from them by a vet and sent to the state lab. Came back positive for MG. Breeder denied they came from them sick but eventually tested and said they we negative.  She basically asked many questions insinuating it was my environment/care - though we had two other batches of healthy chicks from local breeders. We culled the sick ones but my other birds are carriers so I cannot sell any from my property.  We quarantined but not in the strictest way - like a closed shed that feathers can't escape from, you can't track poop out of, or carry dander on your clothes, etc.  I got 6 pullets that day from the same breeder - 3 younger ones about 3 mos old - they were the sick ones, and 3 older ones - I still have them and no signs of illness from them.  I will breed for resistance like I have read others have done - it's either that or start from scratch. I guess it will keep me from getting addicted to hatching.  Sucks though!  

How do you breed for resistance ?

 

[dstokely]

I just candled my 16 eggs that have been in the bator for 7 days. Looks like I may have only two that are viable. Is it possible that the cold weather had something to do with this. They look like just a dark clump in the top of the egg. I have the pointy end down so I am thinking that I should have seen an air sac along with the spidery veins. These are the first eggs that I have collected in about 6 months. Only three are young hens, the others are 2 yrs old. I also collected them over 10 days, kept them at room temp, in an egg carton with the pointy end down. I have had no problems with the bator, although I chose to use the dry method and kept my humidity between 25 and 35%, and getting ready to increase it by another 10 percentage points. I bought a Brinsea OvaView so I could see all but one egg clearly.

Yes, I know this is not the hatching blog, but they were AMs.

 

[jerryse]

How do you breed for resistance ?

Here is how I do it . Never breed from a bird that gets sick . I destroy any bird that shows sins of sickness . A bird that recovers from a virus carries that virus dormant . A dormant virus can wake up when your bird is under stress . It can then infect other birds . So you breed from healthy birds ( likely resistant ) and prevent carriers .

 

[JulesChicks]

Since that video I have replaced all the GQF incubators with some custom designed and homemade ones. Someday when I get a round TUIT I'll put make a new video.
Selling hatching eggs is a good way to get a bad reputation, so I quit years ago as did others for the same reason. There are too many variables involved and often the seller of the eggs gets blamed for eggs that don't hatch. I found it much easier to sell live chicks and live in peace and harmony.

I have tried the heat pads that some use to ship less than 25 chicks/box, but here again feel it is safer to put 25 LF chicks in boxes that are designed for 25 to keep each other warm.

I totally understand. If I expand my coops or I can share an order and have them shipped to the other place I will look you up

Yes...breed for resistance. MG is much more common than most know and instead of trying to eliminate every virus and disease known to chickens I believe it is best to breed birds to be survivors.

Thank you SO MUCH for this! I was second guessing myself. It's hard, especially in spring when you see everyone on Craigslist and local FB pages and BYC selling and I can't "play" in the same way. I know that if I culled all my birds (not a large flock, only 13) and sanitized and waited at least the 30 recommended days - it could all happen again. MG or another virus can come in on the breeze at any time.

How do you breed for resistance ?

Well, I am no expert, having only researched this so far. Basically, you cull any that show signs of illness and keep the ones who are resistant - i.e. vigorous - and if you are breeding towards SOP, whether showing or not, you are looking for vigor, then type, then things like color and comb, etc. Tara (Canuck Bock?) up in Alberta does this and she posted an awesome explanation. I will look for it and post it if I can find it. She brought in birds with MG a long time ago, unwittingly - then bred for resistance and now has a vigorous, healthy flock - of several species that she is helping to preserve - ducks, chickens, geese, swan. Very knowledgable lady.

 

[Miss Ameraucana]

Here is how I do it . Never breed from a bird that gets sick . I destroy any bird that shows sins of sickness . A bird that recovers from a virus carries that virus dormant . A dormant virus can wake up when your bird is under stress . It can then infect other birds . So you breed from healthy birds ( likely resistant ) and prevent carriers .

Thank you Jerry! I appreciate your response Your very kind!

. It does make complete sense now.

 

[Miss Ameraucana]

I totally understand.  If I expand my coops or I can share an order and have them shipped to the other place I will look you up  

Thank you SO MUCH for this! I was second guessing myself. It's hard, especially in spring when you see everyone on Craigslist and local FB pages and BYC selling and I can't "play" in the same way.  I know that if I culled all my birds (not a large flock, only 13) and sanitized and waited at least the 30 recommended days - it could all happen again. MG or another virus can come in on the breeze at any time.

Well, I am no expert, having only researched this so far. Basically, you cull any that show signs of illness and keep the ones who are resistant - i.e. vigorous  - and if you are breeding towards SOP, whether showing or not, you are looking for vigor, then type, then things like color and comb, etc.   Tara (Canuck Bock?) up in Alberta does this and she posted an awesome explanation. I will look for it and post it if I can find it.  She brought in birds with MG a long time ago, unwittingly - then bred for resistance and now has a vigorous, healthy flock - of several species that she is helping to preserve - ducks, chickens, geese, swan. Very knowledgable lady.

Thanks very much John! I am glad to get some experienced opinions. Thanks for responding!

 

[Saris]

I was getting tired of the gray

You should do BBS nails to match your darling little chickies.

First hatch of the season...

Large fowl lavender Ameraucana chicks.

Large fowl silver Ameraucana chicks.

Large fowl black Ameraucana chicks.

Oh gosh those are darling!

Lavender breeds true because it is recessive, as junebuggena said, and with two copies of the gene (lav/lav) it dilutes an otherwise black chicken to lavender. Lavender also dilutes red.
There is no BBS variety or gene. Blues don't breed true because they are the result of an incompletely dominant gene called blue (Bl).
When an otherwise black chicken receives two copies of this gene (Bl/Bl) the bird is a splash. I really think the gene should have been named "splash" instead of blue.
When the chicken is normal or what is called wildtype for this gene (bl+/bl+) it is black. The "+" after a gene symbol means it is the normal or wildtype gene.
When the chicken receives only one copy of the blue gene (Bl/bl+) the black feathers are diluted to blue.

Woooo, now I understand the (+) following certain symbols, thank you! Is a symbols capitalization have anything to do with its dominance? Lower case meas recessive and Capitol mean dominant right? does that mean that if it contains an upp and lower case, like Bl for blue that it is incomplete dominant?

Here is how I do it . Never breed from a bird that gets sick . I destroy any bird that shows sins of sickness . A bird that recovers from a virus carries that virus dormant . A dormant virus can wake up when your bird is under stress . It can then infect other birds . So you breed from healthy birds ( likely resistant ) and prevent carriers .

Does this include birds that get sick after being seriously stressed? Can't birds still be carriers without ever showing symptoms or do they always show symptoms when they become infected for the first time?

 

[JulesChicks]

Does this include birds that get sick after being seriously stressed? Can't birds still be carriers without ever showing symptoms or do they always show symptoms when they become infected for the first time?

From what I understand, and I believe this depends on the disease, my birds that are healthy are carriers of MG. MG will die off on our property if we destroy all our birds, but some other diseases, like Mareks, won't - they live on in the soil. Yes, stress will bring it out. There are so many diseases that chickens can get so in the end, I believe it is best to breed for resistance -keep only the healthy ones who never showed signs of illness. Also, I believe in not vaccinating as it only weakens the overall immune system. There are many ways to build up their immune system - high quality food, fresh water, sunshine, fresh air, deep litter in coop and run (healthy non-poopy soil= healthy birds), fermented feed for probiotics (and many other benefits). So, there is a lot you can do, and fairly easily, to strengthen the health of the birds. The "old timers" and the natural chicken keeping thread are great resources.