Lavender Ameraucana Breeders .... UNITE

[DMRippy]

My friends and I ask each other every time we see each other who has layers. My one friend has 9 month old pullets that are not laying. They are hitting their heads into walls. I have five layers that range from every day to every three days. The funny thing is the smallest youngest lav is laying. I marked her as my last one to lay. She lays the cutest blue eggs that are robin size. She is so proud of her self.

It will come. If this weather does not warm up soon, I think I am going to go crazy. 70-20 degrees is not my favorite.

Did I mention I had one pullet that was low man on the totem pole, feather picked so bad I had to move her to a pen she could run in but the roos were caged and couldn't get to her to hurt her. She came into lay later in the fall but didn't actually lay till she was over a year old.

 

[SIMZ]

Did I mention I had one pullet that was low man on the totem pole, feather picked so bad I had to move her to a pen she could run in but the roos were caged and couldn't get to her to hurt her. She came into lay later in the fall but didn't actually lay till she was over a year old.

This is not encouraging. lol I thought 26 weeks was a long wait! I've since realized that only one of my girls is actually laying. I don't think the other one has started yet. The pretty blue eggs completely stopped when the one pullet went broody, so she must be the only one laying. I also have a 26 week old Blue Ameraucana. I might as well stop expecting eggs from her anytime soon.

Good thing they're such pretty chickens!

 

[Kikiriki]

I got my Lavender Ameraucanas today! e

3 chicks: 1 is 10 days, one 6 days, and 1 day old. They are all getting along fine, eating and drinking and pooping and peeping!

Had some problems with the brooder, but thanks to BYC I got it set up and stabilized before the chicks came home. They came from Lakeland, FL and I got to see their parents...very lovely pair, both Lavender.

No pics yet...it was an exhausting drive through some of the worst rain I have ever seen! White knuckles at 30 mph in a 70 mph zone until I could find a place to pull over to wait it out....

 

[LavenderCrow]

I FINALLY got my first lavender Ameraucanas! I looked and looked and looked, and I finally gave up trying to find ones in my area and drove to Kentucky. 80$ in gas and 60$ in birds. I think I've got a chicken problem... I did get 6, and he only charged me for 5, since once might die. I took the small one he had. So far, so good! Sav-a-chick is an awesome product.

Either way, they're wonderful. They're not very messy at all, and don't seem to eat or drink tons. They do, but it's a sip here, and peck there. Boy, are they skittish, though... Can't do anything without them screaming or freaking out. Wish they were more friendly, but they'll learn from the others, hopefully.

 

[Caitlin_VT]

Pictures of some of my 2014 hatchlings! Pretty much grown up now Butchered 4 extra 18-20 week old cockerels and got decent size skinless breast meat from them. Definitely not worth doing a whole bird!

 

[Shaffer]

Any one that wants to join the Ameraucana Breeders Club should apply now. Cut off date for the year is Dec 31st I believe.

 

[LavenderCrow]

Quick question - I know that lavender feathered birds have some problems with feathers (brittle feathers, etc.)... One of my Ameraucana chicks has a primary feather that has grown longer and faster than the rest on its wings. Is this normal? It looks rather.. Unsightly, I do have to say. I thought the poor thing had a broken wing when I came home because of how badly it stuck out!

 

[favlove]

I FINALLY got my first lavender Ameraucanas! I looked and looked and looked, and I finally gave up trying to find ones in my area and drove to Kentucky. 80$ in gas and 60$ in birds. I think I've got a chicken problem... I did get 6, and he only charged me for 5, since once might die. I took the small one he had. So far, so good! Sav-a-chick is an awesome product.

Either way, they're wonderful. They're not very messy at all, and don't seem to eat or drink tons. They do, but it's a sip here, and peck there. Boy, are they skittish, though... Can't do anything without them screaming or freaking out. Wish they were more friendly, but they'll learn from the others, hopefully.

WHERE!!! in KY did you find these?

 

[LavenderCrow]

WHERE!!! in KY did you find these?

Sent you a PM.

 

[DrFarmersDrWife]

I have a breeding/hatching question:

I have lavs, blacks and blues from P. Smith. One black hen and one lav. The rest were Roos. One of the hens started laying about 6 weeks ago. They were great looking from day one but very small. I assumed they were from the lav b/c she is very petite and I beleive smith lavs have bantam in the background.

We set 8 of her eggs Nov 25th. I had one pip but in the middle of the egg and turned almost 180 degrees from the air cell. I wasn't home to help and we lost it. The other one to pip only made it internally, in the same malposition and the others died very soon before that.

It was my first incubation so very sad and demoralizing. I checked the two that pipped, which is how I know the positions were oriented wrong. However the chicks were in the right placement body wise with head tucked under the wing and ready to pip.

Both chicks were perfectly formed, absorbed the yolk and the external pipped one was ready to come out, with blood veins not visible etc only had a slightly large naval still (not sure if this is deformity?)

My questions are this:

1: did the small egg size prevent proper positioning to air cell? Membranes were not shrink wrapped and air cells were proper size.

2: Both chicks were dark black/blue feathers with yellow feather spots... So, according to black x lav breeding this should not be possible. Were they blue x lav? Or must these eggs be from the black hen? Splits black x blue are supposed to be all yellow at hatch, correct?

Thanks for any advice or ideas!!!