anyone know of a good breeder/hatchery for americaunans?

[DarthCareBear]

I want to get a straight run of ameraucanas and the only breeder ive found charges $6 per chick plus shipping on a straight run. This seems pretty overpriced to me (from what ive read). They gave mea quote of $96 including shipping for 10 chicks. Is this overpriced or am I mistaken? Does anyone know of a more reasonable breeder?

 

[dheltzel]

That's a really good price for pure Ameracuanas. If you want cheap, you should go with the "Easter Eggers" that commercial hatcheries sell. They aren't show quality and won't breed true, but they will lay a lot of pretty eggs. It really depends on what you want them for. If quality matters, pay the going price. When you think about it, you're going to have a lot more than $100 invested in housing, feed, and other care items. IMO, the initial acquisition cost of poultry is a bargain.

It's sort of like having kids. Getting them is pretty cheap and easy, at least compared to the total outlay of time, money and exasperation.

Personally, I'd recommend buying the $6 chicks if you are serious. Their eggs and chicks will be more valuable to others also, and you can make back a lot of the additional costs. Note, I'm not saying you will make an overall profit, that is another thing entirely, but the difference in the initial cost can pay itself back easily.

 

[foreverlearning]

That is a really cheap price if they are pure bred, not hatchery, and not an EE. EE's are really pretty, cheaper, often mislabeled, and not for showing. If you want show quality you can always contact your local 4H but this is the cheapest you will ever find them.

 

[DarthCareBear]

Right, I already bought some ee poults, I want the ameraucanas for breeding. Also if I put an ameraucana rooster with my ee pullets will I get easter eggers out of it?

 

[DarthCareBear]

And all im going for from selling eggs/chicks is to break even. I dont expect to make money on them

 

[DarthCareBear]

Thank you for the input

 

[foreverlearning]

Yes, the pure bred rooster with the EE hens would give you EE's. The lines on EE's are mixed so the chicks may not lay the same egg color as the mother or even look too much like her.

 

[DarthCareBear]

Ok thank you 2 very much

 

[City Chicks 13]

They are going to still be classified as easter eggers if you breed them to an ameraucanas but will PROBABLY look more like ameraucanas, but you can't really tell since EE are muts.

 

[dheltzel]

They are going to still be classified as easter eggers if you breed them to an ameraucanas but will PROBABLY look more like ameraucanas, but you can't really tell since EE are muts.

True, but you will be essentially outcrossing the hatchery EE's with a pure Ameracauna, so you could get more vigor and better laying than either parent line. I would hope they would be excellent layers. That is the strategy I'm using with my pair of blacks. The pullet has not yet started laying, so I added 3 older EE's that are laying well, and intend to hatch their eggs also for our laying flock. When the pullet begins laying, I expect to see a much smaller egg, maybe even a different shade of blue. If I can't tell the difference between the eggs or chicks I will separate them, but I think I will be ok.

I really like our EE's as layers. I can't imagine the pure Ams being better than they are. Feels a bit "snobbish" to value the pure ones more.