Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Alliegeiger]

I am really trying to strengthen the breed quality of my blue ameraucanas. I am fairly new at the chicken game (over the past couple years) and am loving learning more everyday. Could you all please have a look at my flock and tell me if they are good bbs breeding material?
Also, if some of their beards don't look very full it is because they are just starting their molt.

 

[chickenmomma16]

I have a couple Blue Wheatens:

The 2 eggs are from my girls and show the color range.

 

[FowlStuff]

You can now read about 4 decades worth of Ameraucana Newsletters and several Ameraucana Handbooks from the past by going to the Archives tab on our Ameraucana.org site!

 

[Basel]

Why don't a few of the experienced folks here make a thread that is a sticky that covers this topic in full. And make it a closed thread.

Then when someone new comes here--with valid questions--they can be given the link to read the full story there.

That way it won't need to discussed on this thread so often.
I have only had my AMs [from a breeder off the ABC site] for about 10 months and I've seen this come up here at least 3-4 times.

It is hard for the veterans to see it come up so often BUT it is confusing to new chicken owners who think they have an AM when it is actually an EE. No wonder they have a lot of frustration and questions.

So to help them AND to not drive others here crazy, maybe make a new closed thread that explains and answers it all.

 

[Apocha14]

My first Ameraucana egg! What a difference between that and my Easter Eggers!!!

 

[scflock]

If I've been repetitive I've only been answering the posts that asked me questions or I had questions. I keep hoping someone will come up with an explanation or something I may not have thought of as a fix.
The explanation that has been given over and over is that 3 birds is not enough to make generalized statements about a breed
I have no intention of "putting down" any bird unless it is vet recommended.
You need to learn to cull a bird that would be better off not suffering or spreading disease. Some people say they are too "kind hearted" to cull. Sometimes the kind heart is the one that makes the difficult decision
I really do love my only Ameraucana but how can some people have hardy birds, have good layers, or at least decent layers and we here in the SoCal SGV don't have any luck with them.
Is that everyone in SoCal, or you and your friend?
I know Am's hate the heat and seem to have fun on cooler or rainy days because mine pants like crazy in humid weather which unfortunately we had for several weeks.
I live in the real SC, South Carolina, and I seriously doubt you are as hot or as humid as we are in July. Chickens do better in the cold than the heat, that's just how it is. All of my chickens were panting and suffering until I built roofs over 50% of my pens to provide shade.
Now that it's been cooler and even raining she's been out and about but her comb shows no sign of deepening. Is that a sign she'll never lay again? She layed through winter before so I'm stumped.
How many chickens do you have over 2 years old? First year layers lay through the winter for the most part. The second winter, they slow way down, even stop for a few months during and after molt. That's not a sign that the AM is defective, it's a sign that she is a chicken
I've also been posting what breeds seem to be a good match in the flock for the Amer since not all LF are good flock matches with our timid Am as we found out having her with some other assertive LF breeds.
This is something else I wanted to ask you about. I see LF in with silkies in your pics. I also assume there are different ages of chickens that you keep moving in and out. Is this one combined flock? I have 7 flocks, but I also have 7 pens. I fell in love with keeping chickens, just like so many others on this forum. When I saw that my addiction was bringing in different breeds, LF and bantams, I had to build new housing to keep the birds comfortable and happy. Adding chickens to an established flock creates problems, such as reduced laying, fighting, and overly timid birds. The problem is compounded when mixing LF and bantams
I hoped my experience would help others who may have had or have a similar dilemma and that's what posting is all about - sharing - I thought. This thread is entitled "Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds" -- so I'm discussing

. Sorry you were ruffled as it's never predictable what emotions are evoked from people who read someone else's posts. I was hoping to get some encouragement or get a handle on some constructive feedback that I might have missed somewhere along the way.

I have read a ton of constructive feedback that you have received, and what I have seen is that you are unable to comprehend that any of the problems could possibly be related to something you have done or not done. It must be those fragile, flighty, poor laying AMs.
I've posted pictures on here of birds I was proud of, and got some very harsh criticism when I asked for advice from more experienced keepers. I bought BCMs from a local "breeder", then posted pics on the BCM thread. I was told to cull them all and start over. It was suggested at least twice that I should eat them. I didn't start posting about how hard BCM were to breed, about how their hackles are impossible to get correct color on, or how they have chicks with yellow feet. I stayed on that thread and learned that it was my fault for not doing research and buying a faulty flock. It wasn't the chickens' fault, it was mine. That's how I came to buy chicks from Paul. I sold all of my BCM (as dark egg layers) to make room for the AMs I wanted to breed. Sometimes criticism is hard to hear, and the first reaction is to be defensive, but 99% of the issues in a flock, or flocks, are directly related to the flock keeper

 

[WalnutHill]

As a hobbyist who finally has true Ameraucanas after having various types of Easter Eggers for the last 19 years, I find it discouraging that there are two factions fighting over the breed. Before a breed is accepted into the APA I understand that there will be a great deal of debate on which colors and features are to make up the standard. But once accepted as a standard, it seems that the goal should be to improve the birds to bring them closer to the standard, and move to introduce new color varieties that otherwise meet the standard.

I don't intend to show, nor to develop new colors or even improve the breed beyond culling obvious culls. I keep them for my own enjoyment and for colorful eggs in my egg basket. But I do keep over 200 chickens so if I choose to dedicate more time to breeding upon retirement, I don't want to have to fight with factions over whose birds are right and who is telling the right story.

While the history is long and involved, why not focus on moving the breed forward rather than engaging in the breed organization wars? What is to be accomplished by being divisive?

 

[Ravynscroft]

Ok This might be a silly question..... What is NPIP Certified and why is it important?

NPIP stands for National Poultry Improvement Plan and they test all flocks that join for AI/Pullorum Salmonella... some do MS/MG but not all... most states require those tests for shipping of eggs and live birds by either being NPIP or by a state vet...

NPIP is a good concept, but poorly executed in my opinion... way to many things they don't test for that can give a false sense of security...

Best to research your egg/bird sources and go with ones that have conscientious breeding and biosecurity practices...

 

[Ravynscroft]

I think the problem lies in the birds being labelled as chicks in the bin as Ameraucanas at Tractor supplies and such. When I first got my EEs they were labelled Araucana . I had done my research and knew what I was getting was EE's and sort of snickered at the label. Not everybody has done that research and a little patience will go a long way in helping educate new folks and helping them determine what their breed actually is. I for one can see this is more of a show thread now and not really a backyard enthusiast thread with a friendly atmosphere. I think I will take my Ameraucanas and move on to friendlier grounds. I do thank the folks on the thread that were patient and kind worded about my pullets.

This thread is for all who love and appreciate Ameraucanas... in all their forms... many of us have never shown, and may never will... please don't judge an entire thread on a single post... this thread has come a long way in the last year, I've seen it... not all will always agree or ever agree, but I think we can have those discussions without it becoming personal... please feel free to post your gorgeous pullets and ask for advice/opinions anytime...

I understand your frustration. I see that a lot and it can, seemingly, distract from the point of this thread. However, having said that, I also know how frustrating it is to buy what you think are Ameraucanas, only to learn - here and other places - that what you've paid hard-earned bucks for is not what you thought, hoped, prayed, they would be. I've been there and I know many of the folks that have been breeding Ameraucanas for years, have been there, too. So, where do you go when you want to figure out what you've got? To a site like this, and to a thread like this, where, hopefully, someone will give you the rundown on what you've actually got. It's just part of what this thread, and so many sites on Facebook, are here for. There are quite a few very experienced breeders here, most of whom are ready and willing to express their opinion on what you have - mostly without flames. And there are a lot of new folks coming into this breed that want to learn, study, and be mentored by those experienced breeders. Let's face it - while a picture may be worth a thousand words, not even a thousand words can fully described what you've got in your coops like a picture can. So, let the pics be posted and let the education continue.

Couldn't agree more, Susan... very well said...

 

[Ravynscroft]

Self Blue Ameraucana chick...