Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[melissaG]

no idea, thought you were shouting and hid here...

 

[Duck Drover]

The March/April issue of BackHome Magazine has an article on Ameraucana, Araucana, and Easter Eggers and how no hatchery sells anything other than Easter Eggers not matter what they call them. It was a nice article that actually got the breeds right and directed readers to look for private breeders. 

Most EEs lay greenish or khaki eggs. Out of 12 I'd bought (I knew what I was buying), one lays a pink, one a blue, one a grassy green, and the rest are greenish to khaki and olive. Mom hates the khaki and olive ones, but loves the blue, green, and pink. 

I have quite a few blue eggs now from all the wheaten, blue wheaten, and silver girls. I'll eventually just have BBW ameraucanas and silkiebators.

One way to help tell if what you're buying is an actual ameraucana or araucana is if the color is named. Since they come in so many colors, there should be color type next to the name on any chicks someone is selling. That doesn't guarantee if you're dealing with someone unscrupulous, but it helps a ton.  

I am relieved to know that hatcheries don't sell true Araucanas because that is the only way I will be able to know that I am getting true Easter Eggers in the future. I would not want to buy Araucana, Ameraucana, Americana (yes, with an "I"), or even Easter Eggers from private breeders when there is so much misinformation about the breeds that I would never know what I was getting. As long as I won't get true Araucana chickens from the hatchery I should be safe buying what they call "Araucana" chickens or "Easter Egger" chickens if I want to increase my flock in the future. When I saw the picture of the standard Araucana I was worried because I was afraid I got the wrong chickens but these should be the type I want after all. I am so glad I got them from the feed store and not from a private person!

 

[RainMom]

Are ya seeing Carpenter?? He is who fused my back.

You let a carpenter fuse your back? Geez, no wonder you got problems!

Tell me about it. I'm beginning to understand that getting three non-hatchery SSH hens and an unrelated rooster in 2011 was nearly a miracle, and I should have been more aggressive about hatching eggs last year- although given that 2012 was the Year Electrical Things Died, I'd have been hard-put to house them.

in 2009 we had the year in Tumwater : Tweekers Broke my Truck Windows and stole my Electronics. (3 times!- same heroin addict!)
What's SSH? (Speckled Sussex?)

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: You silly ducky girlyz just qwack me up ! ! !

 

[Stumpfarmer]

OK - after looking at everyone's comments and messaging with Honeysuckle Hills; the next northend meetup will be...  get ready for it!

Sunday, April 14th at 2 p.m. (Yes, in two days!)

Third Place Books in Shoreline - 17171 Bothell Way NE Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

Shucks! I have a surprise b-day party I am going to. Maybe next time!

Aw, darn! But HH and I were talking, we should do this at least once a month anyway =)

Your EEs and mine are siblings, then- Tertia, Guinta and Ginjur are from Kanake eggs. Wish I knew what she was up to.

Hopefully soaking up the aloha and enjoying her wild chickens!

My Foxglove got much larger than all my other EEs, she's white & black and lays an egg the same size as our Jersey Giant! Good girl!

Sounds like Tertia- she's silver and bearded and lays a HUGE green egg, at least six days a week; last week I got seven in a row before she skipped a day. I'm hoping to get a round of chicks from her and her sister Ginjur, who's marked much the same and has a good beard but lays a big pink egg. I'm hoping, by the time DH retires, to have a good, predictable line of EEs for egg sales at the Market.

Quinta is wildly marked- columbian, black partridge back and silver spangled breast, unbearded, and lays a very blue egg: she's going in with Elvis this round, because in the end I want my dependable blue egg layers to also be spangled.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

I think EE's are awesome They lay a nice colored egg, and most of the time their feathering is quite attractive.

Just 2 is ok - don't get just one. Also - if your plan is to get 4 - do that now. If you want the details - I'll explain why - but trust me here - you'll have less work if you do the 4 chicks at once and not two now and two later. So - it's better for you to start all 4 at once.


Ok -- next batch of questions please

X2 on the EE's I try to keep a few. Just because we like to have a wide variety of colours in our cartons.

I do have to say that I TOTALLY DISAGREE with VF about getting 4 chicks now! IF you plan to have 4 chickenz.


GET ALL 8 right now! !! ! CHICKEN MATH ! ! ! !

 

[BGMatt]

Tell me about it. I'm beginning to understand that getting three non-hatchery SSH hens and an unrelated rooster in 2011 was nearly a miracle, and I should have been more aggressive about hatching eggs last year- although given that 2012 was the Year Electrical Things Died, I'd have been hard-put to house them.

Very lucky. They're beautiful birds and hard to find, although I know Jim Legendre (spelling?) does a great job promoting the bantams. As long as you got some though you can hatch more and keep them going. All the Hamburg colors are super rare.

Different breed but I'm really hoping I can find transport for those birds from up north so I can get back in the fight against the hatchery mutts! LOL

 

[melissaG]

X2 on the EE's I try to keep a few. Just because we like to have a wide variety of colours in our cartons.

I do have to say that I TOTALLY DISAGREE with VF about getting 4 chicks now! IF you plan to have 4 chickenz.


GET ALL 8 right now! !! ! CHICKEN MATH ! ! ! !

qft!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

OT but very interesting
If any have cable and have History channel they're showing how logging was done at the turn of the century. Very informative, with actual photos and some film.
The trees were huge, much larger then we see today.

Well I wasn't home and saw this WAY too late. But find it interesting. see a couple weeks ago I traded my saw to CGG. The saw was Mercury. It had a 2 cylinder 11 hp gas motor. It was made in the late 40's early 50's. It was a 2 (strong) man saw. See it had a 7' bar with a handle on the end of the bar for the second man and weighed about 75 lbs. I also had the original owners manual.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: Well of course they are Ron !!! You just keep trying to convince yerself of dat!!! Down here IF I had any white eggers I wouldn't be able to give those eggs away. I have 4 new EE's that are producing some nice blue eggs and my buyers are so after them. One guy even said they are too pretty he doesn't wanna break them.