Silkied Ameraucana Project

[EdenCamp]

How hard was NPIP on the Missouri side? Planning on doing this on the KS side as soon as I finish one final round of culling.

And this lady for pure blacks! Speaking of which...... When ya gonna be ready to meet up and do a hand off?

My lav eggs from Trish are here! I like the packing job - I hear this method is doing well? Lot lighter than the way I pack too. Must do more research.....

The biggest PIA about it is having everything 4 months or older to test - and depending on how hard they are to get with for scheduling. That and catching up EVERY bird and bringing it for them to draw blood on. Depending on your tester - some will let younger slide if they have NPIP paperwork and still in the brooder or of your own birds. It's a state by state and even tester by tester protocol what they insist on. Right now you have to go through this EVERY year to have certification. Here in MO our NPIP guy is trying to get this changed so it's a ONE TIME deal - as long as ONLY NPIP birds brought it, no probs or reasons for concern. Makes more sense really, once ground tested and everything on it either tested or from certified sources - it's pretty redundant to keep putting everyone through this yearly. More people would come on board so more flocks tested - and more time to apply resources to enforcement instead. Would be a win-win.

Basically you just request the package sent to you, fill it out and send back with a list of all the breeds and varieties you have. Once they have it back it's a matter of scheduling a time to test. They won't test in the mud or inclimate weather - so rescheduling sometimes happens. Free here in MO.

 

[LBejaran]

Trish is the go to gal for Black/Lav SiAms.  BBS/Choc/Mauve Siams are not as far along, but those are in my court and I can hook you up with eggs for those.
TX is being very hard core with the bird flu thing going on - should have my  NPIP done in about a month and I will be shipping chicks, (splits only tho), after that.  

I would love those as well! I'm very interested in having a small flock of this breed. I'd want to breed these birds correctly, though, so I'm going to continue perusing through this thread and the original thread in order to get a better idea of how this will work. I'm going to need to build several more coops, apparently.

I'm really only a backyard poultry owner (the only breeding I've done recently is with Muscovy ducks and Australorps for egg production), but I'm slowly phasing out other breeds in an attempt to get a single breed on the property to work with solely for myself.

Texas has a scary amount of paranoia around illnesses in any large group of animals. Several horror stories have been told to me by friends about their own losses, including mistakes being made and full flocks/herds being killed off. Down in the Valley, you'd be hard pressed to find a poultry flock NPIP because of this.

 

[EdenCamp]

when you're thinking about coops.......keep in mind while the splits can do the regular perch thing and all, full silkied birds cannot and need better predator and weather insulation.

 

[LBKS]

And this lady for pure blacks! Speaking of which...... When ya gonna be ready to meet up and do a hand off?

A month out or so I can do, anytime after that. Going to be super busy for a bit as I try to get the last bit of fencing done - that way the free rangers and goats will have 6 more acres of land to forage upon (and access to some mulberry trees). Plus that'll give me time to see who my black silkied are from these first few hatches, so I can make sure to share some!

Any other local area folks we can get for a meet up? Seems like we have several project folks nearby last I had checked.

 

[LBejaran]

when you're thinking about coops.......keep in mind while the splits can do the regular perch thing and all, full silkied birds cannot and need better predator and weather insulation.

I'm already planning for that. We do have really mild weather down here, though, so I have to take that into consideration. It's hot most of the time, so there needs to be plenty of ventilation with the with the capability to provide shelter and a lower perch. Winter weather varies (this year was mostly rain) so it might change year by year.

We are completely fenced in, so ground predators are less likely with the dogs on watch, but from above, we've got issues. I'll likely have to make a tractor coop/run as a temporary solution.

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

Woah, really? There are only couple people I know right now who have purebred Ameraucanas (most around here have brown egg layers and the occasional EE) but one has black and the other has Lavender. That would pretty much be perfect. I'm trying to recall through my insomnia, but mixing straight feathered AMs with SiAMs will produce half silkied/half straight chicks, right? Or something along those lines. I'll go back and review. Pretty sure someone put up a chart for me, the plebeian chicken owner, haha!

Edit: Never mind about that chart. I read, got confused, retread and now I understand. You get splits! Hazah! Either way, I'm still very interested.

How much do you charge for how many eggs? I gotta do some calculations and prepare myself for this. ~__~

I charge $75.00 for a dozen +$15.00 shipping. Everything you hatch from my eggs will be either Lavender or Black split to Lavender and Silkied feathered as I am no longer breeding splits only Silkied to Silkied. My birds have been outcrossed several times to great Ameraucana lines and are strong and healthy now- no more week inbred birds

My lav eggs from Trish are here! I like the packing job - I hear this method is doing well? Lot lighter than the way I pack too. Must do more research.....

I'm so glad you got them and in great shape!!!! Yes I have had REALLY great success packing like that. You'll have to let me know how it goes for you!

Basically I wrapped them in LARGE SIZE bubble wrap so the egg kinda stays suspended in it's own little bubble wrap nest. The egg doesn't have to absorb any bumps since the large bubbles and void space absorb the shock. Also the key to a great shipped hatch is very fresh eggs and only shipping out pullet eggs. My experience has been that pullet eggs have a way better hatch rate than a hens egg when shipped. I believe the egg structure must be stronger and able to withstand the rigors of shipping better.

I have tested this theory several times with several different breeds and each and every time it has proven true. Try it for yourself- ship out a pullet egg and a hens egg in the same box and see what hatches. Be sure the eggs you ship are the same breed and being kept under the same conditions with feed etc. You'll be amazed at the results!

Happy hatching everyone!

Marsha have you candled yet?

 

[LBejaran]

I charge $75.00 for a dozen +$15.00 shipping. Everything you hatch from my eggs will be either Lavender or Black split to Lavender and Silkied feathered as I am no longer breeding splits only Silkied to Silkied. My birds have been outcrossed several times to great Ameraucana lines and are strong and healthy now- no more week inbred birds

Okay, gotta do some math so make sure I can do this. Still phasing out birds so money is coming in for them...my heads says it's a lot of money but not really, considering what you get in return.

I was worried about weakness but I know this project has been going on long enough that stronger birds are being bred now. It's pretty fantastic.

About how long is your waiting list for eggs? I have a bunch of goose eggs in my incubator right now, so I'm kinda packed, but I don't want to let the opportunity slip.

 

[marsha tutterow]

I charge $75.00 for a dozen +$15.00 shipping. Everything you hatch from my eggs will be either Lavender or Black split to Lavender and Silkied feathered as I am no longer breeding splits only Silkied to Silkied. My birds have been outcrossed several times to great Ameraucana lines and are strong and healthy now- no more week inbred birds



  I'm so glad you got them and in great shape!!!!  Yes I have had REALLY great success packing like that.  You'll have to let me know how it goes for you!

Basically I wrapped them in LARGE SIZE bubble wrap so the egg kinda stays suspended in it's own little bubble wrap nest. The egg doesn't have to absorb any bumps since the large bubbles and void space absorb the shock. Also the key to a great shipped hatch is very fresh eggs and only shipping out pullet eggs. My experience has been that pullet eggs have a way better hatch rate than a hens egg when shipped. I believe the egg structure must be stronger and able to withstand the rigors of shipping better.

I have tested this theory several times with several different breeds and each and every time it has proven true. Try it for yourself- ship out a pullet egg and a hens egg in the same box and see what hatches. Be sure the eggs you ship are the same breed and being kept under the same conditions with feed etc. You'll be amazed at the results!

Happy hatching everyone!


Marsha have you candled yet?

.


Just candled. 14 are developing. Several with air cell damage but hopeing they will be ok. I will hatch in the upright position and that should help. But am so very happy with these eggs.

 

[18angovem]

So does anyone with the silkie ameracaunas sell hatching eggs?




Also does anyone have splashes? Mostly I just see blacks and lavenders but the first person to have the silkied amercaunas had splahes?

 

[LBKS]

Aww yeah!