INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[funnyfarmmom]

Any body think this will be a good brooder I think add a heater to the bottom shelf and need no lamps... Right?

I have that greenhouse for my plants.it is very rickety, not near sturdy enough for active animals.

 

[Crafty chick]

Good morning everyone chicks are in at big R in Warsaw. Came home with: Ameraucana, light brahma, black australorp, buff orpington, barred rock and an Isa brown. Hoping the kids will be happy with my picks when they get home. My oldest really wants a silkie again. Big R won't have bantams in the bins, they said they will only special order them 25 minimum. So, if anyone knows someone not too far away that has or will have silkie chicks let me know!

 

[ellymayRans]

Good morning everyone chicks are in at big R in Warsaw. Came home with: Ameraucana, light brahma, black australorp, buff orpington, barred rock and an Isa brown. Hoping the kids will be happy with my picks when they get home. My oldest really wants a silkie again. Big R won't have bantams in the bins, they said they will only special order them 25 minimum. So, if anyone knows someone not too far away that has or will have silkie chicks let me know!

I live in Martinsville so it would be a good trip for you but i do have silkie chicks. Some hatched in December and some due to hatch in a couple of weeks.

 

[Crafty chick]

Ellymayrans- how much are you wanting for the chicks? We have to make a trip to Carmel for a Dr appt for our youngest friday...

 

[tmarsh83]

Good morning everyone

chicks are in at big R in Warsaw. Came home with: Ameraucana, light brahma, black australorp, buff orpington, barred rock and an Isa brown. Hoping the kids will be happy with my picks when they get home. My oldest really wants a silkie again. Big R won't have bantams in the bins, they said they will only special order them 25 minimum. So, if anyone knows someone not too far away that has or will have silkie chicks let me know!

How did the Ameraucanas look? Hoping they have a couple left later this week I can drop in with the chicks I have coming from MM this week.

 

[Crafty chick]

Tmarsh- there were about 50 of those. Ranging in colors, chipmunk, dusty color, and yellow. I chose the dusty color hoping for a pretty salmon type feather color.

 

[tmarsh83]

Tmarsh- there were about 50 of those. Ranging in colors, chipmunk, dusty color, and yellow. I chose the dusty color hoping for a pretty salmon type feather color.

Thank you! I like the sound of this.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Our rural king in kendalville is disgusting. And full of lazy people. I hate more than anything to see chicks with pasty butt. Out of all their chicks I would say a good 65% had quite a bit of buildup. I asked if anyone was in charge of taking care of the chicks. NO ONE knew what the heck was going on. I ended up taking one chick to the bathroom because he was trying so hard to poop. It broke my heart. But as soon as I got his butt cleaned he pooped a massive poop. Poor guy. Last year I saw the same thing with this specific store. They shouldn't be able to sell chicks.

This is so heartbreaking and disgusting... Not one employee thought it might be a good idea to step in before that point?! I can't believe anyone can look at that and think everything is okay! I haven't yet seen any in the store in too bad of shape, but if I do...

Tmarsh- there were about 50 of those. Ranging in colors, chipmunk, dusty color, and yellow. I chose the dusty color hoping for a pretty salmon type feather color.

Just so y'all know, you are describing Easter-eggers, not Ameraucanas. Ameraucanas are consistently colored, not all kinds of colors like that. You would also not buy 'just Ameraucanas', just like you wouldn't buy 'just Plymouth Rocks'. Both breeds come in varieties; TRUE Ameraucanas are sold as their varieties. There would be Blue Ameraucanas, or Black Ameraucanas, or Wheaten Ameraucanas, in the same way that there are White Rocks or Barred Rocks or Partridge Rocks. In both breeds, there are many more varieties, but that's just an example.

The sad thing is that, just like in the case of pasty chicks that Acornewell posted about, the feed store employees just don't know any better. They are labeling them as what the hatcheries call them. The hatcheries call them Ameraucanas because they claim that there is no such breed as an Easter-egger, and they are right, Easter-eggers are not a breed, they are more like a mix. However, that doesn't stop them from selling 'Golden Comets' or 'Black Stars', neither of which is a breed, but a sexlinked mix, so their excuse is very thinly veiled. They sell them as Ameraucanas because Ameraucanas are rare and attractive, that's all there is to it. In this way, though, they perpetuate the confusion about the breed and cause so many people to be ripped off or disappointed by backyard breeders who either don't know better or are also trying to make their Easter-eggers more attractive.

Now, there are hatcheries that now sell TRUE Ameraucanas--but they are ALWAYS sold with a variety name, not just as Ameraucanas as I mentioned before! Meyer Hatchery has Blue Ameraucanas, and I believe it's Cackle Hatchery that recently started stocking Black Ameraucanas, and if you look at their websites, you will see quite a price difference between them and their appropriately-labeled Easter-eggers because Ameraucanas are a rare breed. I'm also pretty sure they haven't seen any fewer orders of Easter-eggers as a result of labeling them correctly. Easter-eggers are wonderful birds and attractive in their own way. I've had quite a few, and I adore them for their unique appearances and their colored eggs. Neat thing about Easter-eggers is that they're a complete surprise! You never know what they'll look like as adults, and you never know what color of egg they'll lay! But still, for no reason, many hatcheries continue to sell them under the wrong name, and the confusion about the breed continues.

Anyway, just be aware that the birds you are buying from the 'Ameraucana' bin at these feed stores are not true Ameraucanas, but mixed color birds that are more commonly called Easter-eggers.




Edited to clarify something

 

[Crafty chick]

I'm OK with that pipd, they are from a farm store anyway, and not direct from a reputable hatchery. They really should advertise them correctly though. I agree with you.

 

[tmarsh83]

This is so heartbreaking and disgusting...

Not one employee thought it might be a good idea to step in before that point?! I can't believe anyone can look at that and think everything is okay! I haven't yet seen any in the store in too bad of shape, but if I do...

Just so y'all know, you are describing Easter-eggers, not Ameraucanas. Ameraucanas are consistently colored, not all kinds of colors like that. You would also not buy 'just Ameraucanas', just like you wouldn't buy 'just Plymouth Rocks'. Both breeds come in varieties; TRUE Ameraucanas are sold as their varieties. There would be Blue Ameraucanas, or Black Ameraucanas, or Wheaten Ameraucanas, in the same way that there are White Rocks or Barred Rocks or Partridge Rocks. In both breeds, there are many more varieties, but that's just an example.

The sad thing is that, just like in the case of pasty chicks that Acornewell posted about, the feed store employees just don't know any better. They are labeling them as what the hatcheries call them. The hatcheries call them Ameraucanas because they claim that there is no such breed as an Easter-egger, and they are right, Easter-eggers are not a breed, they are more like a mix. However, that doesn't stop them from selling 'Golden Comets' or 'Black Stars', neither of which is a breed, but a sexlinked mix, so their excuse is very thinly veiled. They sell them as Ameraucanas because Ameraucanas are rare and attractive, that's all there is to it. In this way, though, they perpetuate the confusion about the breed and cause so many people to be ripped off or disappointed by backyard breeders who either don't know better or are also trying to make their Easter-eggers more attractive.

Now, there are hatcheries that now sell TRUE Ameraucanas--but they are ALWAYS sold with a variety name, not just as Ameraucanas as I mentioned before! Meyer Hatchery has Blue Ameraucanas, and I believe it's Cackle Hatchery that recently started stocking Black Ameraucanas, and if you look at their websites, you will see quite a price difference between them and their appropriately-labeled Easter-eggers because Ameraucanas are a rare breed. I'm also pretty sure they haven't seen any fewer orders of Easter-eggers as a result of labeling them correctly. Easter-eggers are wonderful birds and attractive in their own way. I've had quite a few, and I adore them for their unique appearances and their colored eggs. Neat thing about Easter-eggers is that they're a complete surprise! You never know what they'll look like as adults, and you never know what color of egg they'll lay! But still, for no reason, many hatcheries continue to sell them under the wrong name, and the confusion about the breed continues.

Anyway, just be aware that the birds you are buying from the 'Ameraucana' bin at these feed stores are not true Ameraucanas, but mixed color birds that are more commonly called Easter-eggers.

Edited to clarify something

I think their sign at Big R actually says Easter Eggers. I don't recall specifically, but unless buying from a breeder I would always assume exactly what you said.