Texas

[Ms Jellybean]

That is a very nice design. More than adequate.

Thanks!

Ms Jellybean, you would do wonders with that coop! That is definitely your style!

Lisa

Thank you!

I don't know. You might try plywood and paint the top a white. The roofs in the Caribbean are mostly painted plywood. I think you want a complete block of the sunlight. Also, you have to consider where the sunlight falls. What is shade at one part of the day (or even one part of the year) is full sun at another.

I will look into my options. I do want to reflect the sun. Are there any other changes I should consider? I was thinking larger windows for starters....

 

[bnjrob]

Well, actually, that's not quite right. Before Araucanas were an official recognized breed in the APA, there were breeders breeding their version of "Araucana." Some bred towards a goal of what is now the Araucana, others bred to what is now the Ameraucana. The APA decided, I believe on it's own without consultation with everyone involved, to a breed standard for what was named Araucaunas. At the time, there were breeders who believed the "new" breed should look like an Ameraucana. There was a division amongst the breeders of what an "Araucana" should look like and the APA decided. A few years after the Araucana was recognized by the APA, the Ameraucana was recognized. They really are breeds that were developed by breeders side by side, not one from the other. Yes, there was the blue-egg laying chickens from South America that went into both breeds. My understanding is that both breeds were developed together at the same time under the same general umbrella of "Araucana."

http://ameraucana.org/history.html

The APA has never just inserted new standards into the SOP of its own accord. Whenever someone wants a breed to be recognized by the APA, they have always been required to follow specific rules to be able to even submit the new poultry variety into the SOP. This involves having a certain number of breeders that breed the particular bird for a specified number of years to ensure that more than one person is able to breed the bird and have its physical characteristics breed "true" on a consistent basis. Once the breeders feel that their birds are breeding true consistently, they can then apply to the APA to submit the birds for basically a Spanish Inquisition, where they have to have a showing of a large number of the birds in question from the various breeders. The APA judges the birds for uniformity and thus starts the process of determining what the final Standard for the bird will say as far as the expected characteristics, etc. That is, if the breeders even get their petition approved by the APA.

Ideally, an "official" breed group would be the entity that would be coordinating breeders and offering official endorsements of new varieties of poultry that were going to be submitted to the APA for acceptance, but there is no regulation that prohibits individual breeders from getting together and submitting their birds to the APA. And if the breeders can meet the criteria that the APA has, then they may be able to get their version of the breed Standard accepted by the APA. This may be why some of the breeders of Araucana/Ameracaunas have differing views of what characteristics they feel should have been included into the SOP for the breed. But the APA is not required to consult with every breeder.

Currently the APA is looking at making it even more difficult to get new varieties accepted into the SOP because there are varieties of poultry that have disappeared because there simply are not enough breeders for every variety of poultry and because there are so many fads out there with new colors, new types of feathers shapes, etc. and the APA is about preservation of poultry for the long term, not about satisfying the demands of the public to have their purple and pink polka dotted chicken admitted for inclusion into the SOP.

I have been dealing with this issue myself recently, as a man has developed a new color variety of the breed that I work with and he is wanting to get it admitted to the SOP despite my objections that there needs to be more work and thought put into it before submitting it to the SOP, since it will affect all breeders.

The APA doesn't let people endorse or oppose new breeds that are submitted which can be good or bad depending on which side of the coin you're on. Which is probably why the original blue/green egg breeders weren't all happy about the decision of which Standard got admitted to the SOP.

 

[henless]

I found this coop on here. I think it will be affordable and a good size. I even have some cinderblocks left in the yard that I didn't use for the raised bed. I would add shade cloth under the polycarb panels. I think I wouldn't get clear for them either. Something more opaque.

I like this! Very cute! You could even put some hanging baskets along the front rafters.

I have a couple of questions. What is on the roof, under the poly panels? Is it hardware cloth? Reason I ask is because it looks like there is a gap where the rafters lift the panels up off the roof. If it is hardware, that would make great ventilation. I would think about adding something along the raised portion to keep stuff from getting trapped between the cloth and poly panels. Leaves, debris or birds even.

I agree with jajeanpierre. I wouldn't use the clear poly panels. Looks like it would give it a "greenhouse" effect, make it much too hot for our Texas weather. Maybe white or tan since you don't want to get the darker ones. Or, you could get a color to match your trim.

You could put another window along the back wall. Make it much cooler during the summer and just keep it closed on those cold winter days.

The base is 5x10, so that would give you a max of 5 hens maybe? You could probably make the run a little longer without costing much more if you wanted to or even add to the run later. Looks like it wouldn't be too much trouble.

 

[jajeanpierre]

The APA has never just inserted new standards into the SOP of its own accord. Whenever someone wants a breed to be recognized by the APA, they have always been required to follow specific rules to be able to even submit the new poultry variety into the SOP. This involves having a certain number of breeders that breed the particular bird for a specified number of years to ensure that more than one person is able to breed the bird and have its physical characteristics breed "true" on a consistent basis. Once the breeders feel that their birds are breeding true consistently, they can then apply to the APA to submit the birds for basically a Spanish Inquisition, where they have to have a showing of a large number of the birds in question from the various breeders. The APA judges the birds for uniformity and thus starts the process of determining what the final Standard for the bird will say as far as the expected characteristics, etc. That is, if the breeders even get their petition approved by the APA.

Ideally, an "official" breed group would be the entity that would be coordinating breeders and offering official endorsements of new varieties of poultry that were going to be submitted to the APA for acceptance, but there is no regulation that prohibits individual breeders from getting together and submitting their birds to the APA. And if the breeders can meet the criteria that the APA has, then they may be able to get their version of the breed Standard accepted by the APA. This may be why some of the breeders of Araucana/Ameracaunas have differing views of what characteristics they feel should have been included into the SOP for the breed. But the APA is not required to consult with every breeder.

Currently the APA is looking at making it even more difficult to get new varieties accepted into the SOP because there are varieties of poultry that have disappeared because there simply are not enough breeders for every variety of poultry and because there are so many fads out there with new colors, new types of feathers shapes, etc. and the APA is about preservation of poultry for the long term, not about satisfying the demands of the public to have their purple and pink polka dotted chicken admitted for inclusion into the SOP.

I have been dealing with this issue myself recently, as a man has developed a new color variety of the breed that I work with and he is wanting to get it admitted to the SOP despite my objections that there needs to be more work and thought put into it before submitting it to the SOP, since it will affect all breeders.

The APA doesn't let people endorse or oppose new breeds that are submitted which can be good or bad depending on which side of the coin you're on. Which is probably why the original blue/green egg breeders weren't all happy about the decision of which Standard got admitted to the SOP.

At the time, there was a LOT of fighting amongst the breeders of what an "Araucana" should look like. The APA decided. Remember, what is now the Araucana--rumpless, ear tufted--and the Ameraucana--tailed, beards and muffs--were being bred and exibited at the same time as Araucanas before the APA had accepted them into their SOP. I believe many of the breeders wanted the SOP to include both the rumpless, ear-tufted and the tailed, bearded and muffed birds to be accepted as one breed, Araucanas.

I also know of someone pretty influential deciding that the SOP for Modern Game Red Pyle is incorrect, and is working very hard to change the standard. There is a more game playing in this hobby than I expected.

 

[GaryDean26]

Currently the APA is looking at making it even more difficult to get new varieties accepted into the SOP because there are varieties of poultry that have disappeared because there simply are not enough breeders for every variety of poultry and because there are so many fads out there with new colors, new types of feathers shapes, etc. and the APA is about preservation of poultry for the long term, not about satisfying the demands of the public to have their purple and pink polka dotted chicken admitted for inclusion into the SOP.

I find the comment on the Aruacana/Ameraucana interesting. My Dad ordered 10 "Araucanas" from Myers Hatchery in the 1960's after reading the September 1948 article on Easter Eggers in the old stack or National Geographic that my grandparents collected over the years. My dad still has original photos and notes on his "Araucanas" in a 4H project binder. His notes say that only 2 of the 10 "Araucanas" looked the same and that when those two hens started laying one laid blue eggs and one laid green eggs to where there were no two birds in the whole group that were uniform. The exhibitions breeders surly had a lot of diversity to start with and no standard to work off of so they could have gone in a lot of directions. The National Geographic however showed rumpless chickens with ear tuffs, so I think that the Araucana SOP got it right and the Americana provide another interesting spin-off that was more practice to breed (I.e. no lethal genes, better utilities).

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I like this! Very cute! You could even put some hanging baskets along the front rafters.

I have a couple of questions. What is on the roof, under the poly panels? Is it hardware cloth? Reason I ask is because it looks like there is a gap where the rafters lift the panels up off the roof. If it is hardware, that would make great ventilation. I would think about adding something along the raised portion to keep stuff from getting trapped between the cloth and poly panels. Leaves, debris or birds even.

I agree with jajeanpierre. I wouldn't use the clear poly panels. Looks like it would give it a "greenhouse" effect, make it much too hot for our Texas weather. Maybe white or tan since you don't want to get the darker ones. Or, you could get a color to match your trim.

You could put another window along the back wall. Make it much cooler during the summer and just keep it closed on those cold winter days.

The base is 5x10, so that would give you a max of 5 hens maybe? You could probably make the run a little longer without costing much more if you wanted to or even add to the run later. Looks like it wouldn't be too much trouble.

There is hardware cloth on the top of the frame under the roof rafters that hold the polycarb. I plan on putting a much larger run around this one, but that may have to wait for another year. Hopefully my chickens won't have wanderlust too much. My yard is pretty big so they should be happy.

I think windows that are twice the size will be much better for the coop. They don't even have to be glass. I can use heavy duty plastic on them to keep the wind out in the winter. I can probably find some salvage windows around here somewhere. There seem to be a lot of them in this old city. Good idea to add one on the back wall. That will really get the breeze through the coop.

 

[bnjrob]

At the time, there was a LOT of fighting amongst the breeders of what an "Araucana" should look like. The APA decided. Remember, what is now the Araucana--rumpless, ear tufted--and the Ameraucana--tailed, beards and muffs--were being bred and exibited at the same time as Araucanas before the APA had accepted them into their SOP. I believe many of the breeders wanted the SOP to include both the rumpless, ear-tufted and the tailed, bearded and muffed birds to be accepted as one breed, Araucanas.

I also know of someone pretty influential deciding that the SOP for Modern Game Red Pyle is incorrect, and is working very hard to change the standard. There is a more game playing in this hobby than I expected.

There has always been a lot of fighting amongst breeders. I have some historic literature for my breed indicating breeder disagreements going back to the 1800s. When the breeders choose to ask the APA to accept a Standard, then they have to agree to follow the criteria. Whoever meets the criteria more completely is who wins - particularly when there are breeders with differing views like those of the Araucana and Ameracauna breeders.

The APA wants to see distinct differences between birds that are accepted. There is so much more to chickens than color - even though most people don't realize this because color is the first thing people see. People should be able to see a black and white photo and tell what breed the bird is based on it's physical conformation and not just pretty feather colors. This is why in my breed, Javas, that the White Java was removed from the SOP 100+ yrs ago because there were issues with breeders wanting the Standard to conform to their birds, instead of breeding their birds to look like the Standards - and their White Javas were looking too much like other white breeds of chickens.

The problem with changing standards is that it can get to be where everyone wants the Standard to be written to what their bird looks like - rather than taking the time to breed their bird to the accepted Standard. This person that you know may think the SOP is incorrect, but they should have to have some very compelling reasons with good evidence to show why the Standard for those Games should be changed. Any breeder can select traits to breed for within their own flock regardless of the accepted APA Standard. The Standard for a breed should be more of a reflection of what is seen throughout a large cross section of the breed and not just what a few people have bred for within their own flocks.

Yes, there is quite a bit of drama in the poultry world.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I just sourced some old windows for $15 each. I'm going to look at them on Saturday.

 

[henless]

I just sourced some old windows for $15 each. I'm going to look at them on Saturday.

That's a great find!!!

 

[bnjrob]

I find the comment on the Aruacana/Ameraucana interesting. My Dad ordered 10 "Araucanas" from Myers Hatchery in the 1960's after reading the September 1948 article on Easter Eggers in the old stack or National Geographic that my grandparents collected over the years. My dad still has original photos and notes on his "Araucanas" in a 4H project binder. His notes say that only 2 of the 10 "Araucanas" looked the same and that when those two hens started laying one laid blue eggs and one laid green eggs to where there were no two birds in the whole group that were uniform. The exhibitions breeders surly had a lot of diversity to start with and no standard to work off of so they could have gone in a lot of directions. The National Geographic however showed rumpless chickens with ear tuffs, so I think that the Araucana SOP got it right and the Americana provide another interesting spin-off that was more practice to breed (I.e. no lethal genes, better utilities).

Interesting. Goes to show what breeders go through in their efforts to get a particular characteristic to look uniform among chickens of the breed. It's not easy and I think that is why so many people want the APA SOP to conform to their own birds rather than to do the serious work to get their flock to look like the SOP.