@Amer
Come say hello to @Amer who comes to us from Wisconsin and has been a member since November 2017.
Come say hello to @Amer who comes to us from Wisconsin and has been a member since November 2017.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
Hi, I’m Amer! I’m a breeder of Belgian d’Anvers bantams and on BYC I spend much of my time giving advice on the breeding and genetics forum. I love genetics and I am a licensed fair judge. I hope to get an APA judging license someday.
I am very active on the Any Artists Out There? thread. I initially joined BYC for the online roleplays, and I spent years roleplaying.
Originally, my username was AMERAUCANAS4REAL because I was sure I was going to become this great breeder of Ameraucanas, but I eventually became disillusioned with them. They are fine birds, but they weren’t as exciting as I thought they would be. The next year, I took over my brother’s d’Anvers flock and began breeding those, and the d’Anvers became my favorite breed.
Anyway, on BYC, people found my username quite too long to write out and used Amer as a nickname for me. Since I didn’t care for Ameraucanas much anymore anyway, I decided to change my username to Amer.
I am aware it is also a popular male name in southwest Asia.
I am actually a girl from Wisconsin, but what people think of me is no concern of mine.
2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
My family wanted to own a farm in the country, and chickens seemed like a good first step. That was… nine years ago now, I think. We were researching them and I found Storey’s Guide to Poultry Breeds. I read it over and over. I was amazed by the variety between the breeds. My family kept a few Easter Egger pullets until we realized they weren’t legal in town. They went to my great uncle. A couple of years later, we moved to the country and I’ve consistently kept poultry since 2016.
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
I hadn’t given it much thought before and so I spent a few days thinking on this question. I still think I cannot put words to it. A great deal of it is the sense that all these birds are dependent on me, that they wouldn’t exist without my care. Also their beauty and cute faces, and I like when they are genuinely happy to see me. I love their bright and multifarious personalities.
Belgian d’Anvers all may look the same but I never tire of hatching more, and I enjoy seeing all the variety among other breeds at shows.
Poultry keeping is like raising living art.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
I have kept chickens, pigeons, geese, and turkeys… Here are the standouts…
My first pet turkey was really sweet. She was simply named Turkey.
And I had a black d’Anvers hen named Noodle, I trained her to do tricks and things.
Luna was one of the first d’Anvers I ever owned. She was very sweet and friendly.
I have her daughter, Lovebird, still. They used to hang out all the time.
We also had a pet d’Anvers named Sally.
She hung out with Stripes, who would attack people just to get attention. He liked getting picked up and petted, I think.
There was Pancake, the turkey who would always sit down and accept pets (I called her Pancake the Flat). The first time she did this, I panicked and brought her into the house so she would “warm up.” So I have some pretty silly pictures of her walking around the house. She was probably the sweetest bird I have ever owned.
My current favorites are…
Praline: a sassy four-year-old blue quail d’Anvers. She got best in show at my county fair this year and reserve bantam at the state fair. I think her pose here is just so silly.
Queen: a friendly quail d’Anvers
Punkin, a quail d’Anvers cockbird who is a cute little punk.
And Moon, a very personable quail d’Anvers pullet.
5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
Unfortunately I have a poor memory, so undoubtably, there is something hilarious I have forgotten.
But here’s one:
One day, (this was years ago) I went to the coop. I noticed movement coming from within a feed bag that was propped up against a wall. There was an animal inside! A rat must have eaten its way into the bottom!
I ran into the house and expressed my fears to my mother. She went out with me to the coop. We cautiously peered into the bag.
The bag was filled with grass! My dad used to rake up grass to use as bedding and store it in empty feed bags. (Would not recommend, I didn’t like it even then but he insisted on it because it was free.)
There was a harmless porcelain d’Uccle hen scratching around inside, along with a tiny creamy-colored egg hidden within the grass.
6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
You have probably seen my cat Shiloh.
For years, he has been my avatar. My title, which has confused many folks, has long been “Advocate of Shiloh.” Who is Shiloh? My cat. What makes me an advocate of him?
But I came up with that idea years ago, and I am grown-up now. I am thinking about rebranding. If anyone has any new avatar ideas, let me know, lol.My family also has three other cats, Snowbelle, Tiger, and Sammy.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
I’m happy to finally be able to introduce myself! I never actually did a member introduction because at first I didn’t know how it worked, and once I figured it out, I decided it was already too late.
If you want to see more of my birds, check out “My Coop” on my profile.
@Amer
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews
stunning birds! Funny story about the hen in the grass bag, chickens sure do like to investigate the oddest places! 
