Lavender Ameraucana Breeders .... UNITE

[slick4591]

I do raise Marans and my girls are doing exactly that now. This sounds more logical for these Lavs because the breeder wasn't sure if they were laying when I bought them. They started laying about a week and a half or two after I brought them home and they laid that greenish egg up until they went into full brood. Guess they are starting another cycle. My first experience with broodies, so now I've learned something. Thanks!

 

[jajeanpierre]

I'm brand new to chickens--my oldest chickens are a little over three months old. I've been reading what I can and every once in awhile, someone comments on damaged feathers being associated with lavenders.

I have one lavender Ameraucana. There is something "not right" with her feathering. It seems very dense (lots of feathers) but very soft and cottony. Many of the feathers on her neck have/had retained their sheaths. I've gone through her feathers, working the sheaths off. A lot of the feathers have dried pulp in the sheaths. Yesterday I bathed her. There was an incredible amount of that dried black stuff from inside the feather that washed out. I bathed a couple of other Ameraucanas that were hatched on the same day and they didn't have any that dried black stuff from inside the feather.

One main difference between the feathers on the lavender and the others is the sheer number of them--the lavender seems to have much denser plumage. I wonder if the nutritional load to produce all these juvenile feathers (she is three months old) causes the weaker feathers and whatever feather developmental problem is going on.

I'm not sure what is going on with the feather development. There shouldn't be any black pulp left in a mature feather.

Any comments?

Below are a couple of pictures of her. You really can't see the retained sheaths (I've gotten rid of most) but you can see how the feather vanes don't hold together. These pictures were taken t his morning. She is three months old.

 

[Penny Hen]

I'm brand new to chickens--my oldest chickens are a little over three months old. I've been reading what I can and every once in awhile, someone comments on damaged feathers being associated with lavenders.

I have one lavender Ameraucana. There is something "not right" with her feathering. It seems very dense (lots of feathers) but very soft and cottony. Many of the feathers on her neck have/had retained their sheaths. I've gone through her feathers, working the sheaths off. A lot of the feathers have dried pulp in the sheaths. Yesterday I bathed her. There was an incredible amount of that dried black stuff from inside the feather that washed out. I bathed a couple of other Ameraucanas that were hatched on the same day and they didn't have any that dried black stuff from inside the feather.

One main difference between the feathers on the lavender and the others is the sheer number of them--the lavender seems to have much denser plumage. I wonder if the nutritional load to produce all these juvenile feathers (she is three months old) causes the weaker feathers and whatever feather developmental problem is going on.

I'm not sure what is going on with the feather development. There shouldn't be any black pulp left in a mature feather.

Any comments?

Below are a couple of pictures of her. You really can't see the retained sheaths (I've gotten rid of most) but you can see how the feather vanes don't hold together. These pictures were taken t his morning. She is three months old.

Try putting a little olive oil on your finger tips and stroking the feathers up the shafts and then smoothing the oil from the shaft out to the tips brushing the ragged edges together. If this mostly fixes the raggedness then she may not be producing enough oil from her oil gland or she is not grooming herself enough with it. She also may have the fray gene. I am not experienced enough to tell the difference. I have reconditioned feathers that I have collected by steaming them and gently brushing them back in alignment then oiling them for conditioning. I have some feathers that I collected as a teenager and I am over 50 now.

 

[faykokoWV]

I believe what you are talking about is "fretting", which is a problem with lavenders. That is why it is recommended that you breed lavenders to top quality blacks and incorporate split lavender birds into your flock. This will help improve the feather quality.

 

[chickita12]

Wowww Those birds are really pretty!

They are my new favorite breed!

 

[Caitlin_VT]

Is it unusual to have 15 week-old cockerels who have not even attempted to crow? I have others around the same age, different breeds, that have been crowing for a number of weeks (including bantam Orpingtons, which I understood tend to develop slowly).

 

[familypendragon]

OK, so I am a brand new chicken lady And I am just dipping the surface learning about breeding. I know there is lots of controversy about EEs vs Ameraucanas etc. But here is what I just inherited and I am hoping you can tell me what they are/are not and what is right/wrong about them. I have no emotional attachment to them being one thing or another and eagerly encourage your honest critique so I can learn to know what I am looking at. The woman I got these from said the they came to her as "Lavender Ameraucanas", I think she hatched the eggs. She had 2 roos, and I took the one with the larger beard, LOL! The pullet was supposed to be a lavender Ameraucana as well. I am guessing from reading this she is a split? But I am not seeing the beard or anything so....??? Thank you!

 

[jerryse]

OK, so I am a brand new chicken lady And I am just dipping the surface learning about breeding. I know there is lots of controversy about EEs vs Ameraucanas etc. But here is what I just inherited and I am hoping you can tell me what they are/are not and what is right/wrong about them. I have no emotional attachment to them being one thing or another and eagerly encourage your honest critique so I can learn to know what I am looking at. The woman I got these from said the they came to her as "Lavender Ameraucanas", I think she hatched the eggs. She had 2 roos, and I took the one with the larger beard, LOL! The pullet was supposed to be a lavender Ameraucana as well. I am guessing from reading this she is a split? But I am not seeing the beard or anything so....??? Thank you!











You have the real deal.Cockerel has a large frame,good beard and good comb.Since lavender is a project color a non bearded pullet is possible.She is most likely a split.

 

[kynewbchickie]

Love his beard!

 

[familypendragon]

Thanks He's like Santa bird, LOL!