Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[pamperedamber]

Flock Raiser shouldn't be causing any issues. Do you offer lots of treats?

No they do free range all day on half an acre. They also spend most of their day in the garden, which is filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, corns, squash, and there are lots of earth worms to feed on. They get scratch mixed with sunflower seeds once a day. its 1/4 cup for all 6 of them. The rooster doesn't really get any of that because he is so slow now. I am giving vitamins in the water dishes to try and help his condition.

 

[Alaskan]

Hi everyone, not enough coops and too many cockerels. I let them grow out as long as I could and now I need to make a decision . I am favoring the darker Blue - he has a better pea comb and like his overall shape more. However the lighter blue color of the second guy is my preference. His comb is a bit wonky and he has some lighter feathers in his tail. Not sure if the feather have just not finished coming in all the way on the darker one but the lighter seems to have fuller density. Opinions for breeding? I'd like to show a little. I can take more photos if needed.

I prefer the darker one. He has better body shape, way less fluff at the base of the tail, just overall nicer bird.

Gosh!

Talk about major disappointment. Two of my three roos that were looking gorgeous, have popped up with leakage on their hackles. One is black and the other is blue. I have one blue roo left to see if he has it too. The have gold coloring coming out overnight!

Sure it can't be dirt? A little mud or something? Because yeah, that is sad.

 

[Alaskan]

No they do free range all day on half an acre. They also spend most of their day in the garden, which is filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, corns, squash, and there are lots of earth worms to feed on. They get scratch mixed with sunflower seeds once a day. its 1/4 cup for all 6 of them. The rooster doesn't really get any of that because he is so slow now. I am giving vitamins in the water dishes to try and help his condition.

wild weird, your nutritional issue.

Another thing to look at is intestinal issues, something that would have made it more difficult for them to absorb nutrients... a heavy worm load would be the most common culprit.

The problem though is if they have been nutritional deficient during their growth then the nutritional issues could cause permanent narrow hips, or perpetual unthriftiness that they cannot recover from. It will definitely slow down their maturation.

Unfortunately, if the people that are hauling, storing, and then selling the feed bags are not careful to make sure that the bags are never baked, and do not get too old, many essential nutrients are lost.

I am not sure how to get around that problem, since there is no way to know what you are buying at the store, how old it is and how it has been treated (at least the feed that I buy has no date stamp). Luckily for me there is only one local feed available, so it flies off the shelves, I know it is never old, and living in a colder part of Alaska, it would be difficult indeed to bake nutrients out of anything.

 

[pamperedamber]

wild weird, your nutritional issue.

Another thing to look at is intestinal issues, something that would have made it more difficult for them to absorb nutrients... a heavy worm load would be the most common culprit.

The problem though is if they have been nutritional deficient during their growth then the nutritional issues could cause permanent narrow hips, or perpetual unthriftiness that they cannot recover from. It will definitely slow down their maturation.

Unfortunately, if the people that are hauling, storing, and then selling the feed bags are not careful to make sure that the bags are never baked, and do not get too old, many essential nutrients are lost.

I am not sure how to get around that problem, since there is no way to know what you are buying at the store, how old it is and how it has been treated (at least the feed that I buy has no date stamp). Luckily for me there is only one local feed available, so it flies off the shelves, I know it is never old, and living in a colder part of Alaska, it would be difficult indeed to bake nutrients out of anything.

Thank you for your help. I will start those two on a dewormer and see if that helps. I haven to see any worms in their poops or in any of the rest of the birds. The rest are all laying great and acting fine. Just my Ameraucanas are not right. I got them from a local meet up. wont do that again. The rest to the chickens i bought from a hatchery.

 

[LaPoulet]

Hi everyone, not enough coops and too many cockerels. I let them grow out as long as I could and now I need to make a decision . I am favoring the darker Blue - he has a better pea comb and like his overall shape more. However the lighter blue color of the second guy is my preference. His comb is a bit wonky and he has some lighter feathers in his tail. Not sure if the feather have just not finished coming in all the way on the darker one but the lighter seems to have fuller density. Opinions for breeding? I'd like to show a little. I can take more photos if needed.

 

I prefer the darker one.  He has better body shape, way less fluff at the base of the tail, just overall nicer bird.

Gosh!

Talk about major disappointment. Two of my three roos that were looking gorgeous, have popped up with leakage on their hackles. One is black and the other is blue. I have one blue roo left to see if he has it too. The have gold coloring coming out overnight!

Sure it can't be dirt?  A little mud or something?  Because yeah, that is sad.

I wish but I don't have gold dirt.

 

[Alaskan]

you are welcome, good luck!

 

[daxigait]

Hi guys! Would you give me your opinion of the black Ameraucana and which of the two blues to keep? April 2 hatch.
Here is the black, but he won't stay in the sun to show off the green and purple highlights he has.

Number one

Number two who is also camera shy.

Thanks!
BTW both hens are blue, and I plan to cover RIR for green egg layers.
@junebuggena

 

[Pipe Dreaming]

I have been enjoying this thread and all the pictures. It's been awhile since I've posted. Been busy with work, kids, farm life.. good thing I have a couple pens of "stress relievers". Love my ameraucanas! It's funny, I raised the Am's right along with a batch of BlRW's and they're still together.. the Am will fly right up into my lap and want to be loved on while the BLRW are more stand-offish.. they have completely won me over. My birds came from mstrawn and peachick. I keep thinking about narrowing down the breeds I own so I can have more varieties of them Am's, not just the Wheaten/Blue Wheatens.
Does anyone else find their Am's to be the friendliest in the flock?

The cockerel on the right I gave away as I didn't think his color was correct... he looked very different from the rest of my young roos.

 

[chickee]

I have been enjoying this thread and all the pictures. It's been awhile since I've posted. Been busy with work, kids, farm life.. good thing I have a couple pens of "stress relievers". Love my ameraucanas! It's funny, I raised the Am's right along with a batch of BlRW's and they're still together.. the Am will fly right up into my lap and want to be loved on while the BLRW are more stand-offish.. they have completely won me over. My birds came from mstrawn and peachick. I keep thinking about narrowing down the breeds I own so I can have more varieties of them Am's, not just the Wheaten/Blue Wheatens.
Does anyone else find their Am's to be the friendliest in the flock?

The cockerel on the right I gave away as I didn't think his color was correct... he looked very different from the rest of my young roos.

He looked different because he was a splash wheaten. Wheaten x Splash Wheaten = 100% Blue Wheaten.

I love my Ameraucanas! Other breeds have come and gone, but the Ameraucanas have continued to be my favorites. I have been raising them for over 5 years now.

 

[Pipe Dreaming]

Really!? Newbie mistake I ordered just W/BW..so he must have been an accident getting shipped with my order.
Thanks for the info!