Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[marchick]

I appreciate that.

It is tough, I would like resistant birds so I don't have to worry again, but the only way to know if they are resistant is to know they carry it and have no symptoms....

My Splash Wheaten boy who had some bad swelling with no bubbles or sneezing seems all better today. He didn't get any antibiotics either, just probiotic chick booster....

Some others seem to be doing a scosh better as well, but I won't hold out too much hope for my Blue Wheaten girl, she seems to be more weak of spirit than the others, my Choc boy seems the same. Only mild eye goops but just standing huddled and sad.....

I don't know how much help I can be! After you get this under control! After you figure things out! If you would like! I am willing to send you free eggs. Once I figure out which roosters to keep and get my pens set up! I have Self Blue, Wheaten/Blue Wheaten and BBS. Just a thought!

 

[Saris]

I don't know how much help I can be! After you get this under control! After you figure things out! If you would like! I am willing to send you free eggs. Once I figure out which roosters to keep and get my pens set up! I have Self Blue, Wheaten/Blue Wheaten and BBS. Just a thought!

You are too kind!!

Since I have some that are recovering without intervention I may try and salvage the flock and breed for resistance, depending of course on what the state vet says and recommends. I don't think I could stomach culling a flock more than once, if I started over and had the same issues down the line.

I think I have some serious flock trimming to do to really focus on my chocolate wheaten project.

I appreciate everyone's kindness and sympathy.

I will keep you all posted.

 

[Sylvester017]

I appreciate that.

It is tough, I would like resistant birds so I don't have to worry again, but the only way to know if they are resistant is to know they carry it and have no symptoms....

My Splash Wheaten boy who had some bad swelling with no bubbles or sneezing seems all better today. He didn't get any antibiotics either, just probiotic chick booster....

Some others seem to be doing a scosh better as well, but I won't hold out too much hope for my Blue Wheaten girl, she seems to be more weak of spirit than the others, my Choc boy seems the same. Only mild eye goops but just standing huddled and sad.....

I do wish the best for your birdies! Our Blue Wheaten girl was in low spirits her last week with us before we had the vet put her down for suspected Marek's - she was gradually getting less mobile and her appetite gone - she was alert but her physical condition didn't cooperate. The vet always gives us a chance to take our birds home for a few days to see if they respond to medication before confirming his diagnosis on them. When we brought her back to him he applied painful nail pressure on her straight leg and she didn't feel a thing. That was our last day with her. Of all the breeds we've had she was our sweetest non-combative kooky jittery jumpy alert cautious wary girl that was very kind to flockmates -- and we miss her. It's always our favorites that seem to go home first

. She was from a show breeder who didn't vaccinate for Marek's and wanted to breed naturally resistant strains but as we see here it's not always a good result. My personal feeling and JMHO is that narrowing a color-breed to stay a purebred color may not give the desired outcome for disease-resistance. I'm no geneticist but mixing colors for more diversity like in Silkie breeding seems to bring out a hardier bird - my Silkies who have been exposed to birds with CRD and Marek's and Cocci are still toodling around the yard 6 yrs later. My breeder stopped raising Ameraucanas. I only purchase breeds that have been vaccinated for Marek's now. Will it stop any of the 5 strains of Marek's or lessen it's effects? Who knows? I just don't want to go through this again if there's a possibility it will save a hen's future -- and there are yet so many other chicken maladies to worry about that there are no cures for. Animals mask their illnesses and discomforts way before we see the outward symptoms so by the time there's an outward manifestation of illness it's often too late. At that point making them comfortable to the end is all we can do. I raised the larger English Budgerigars and it was show breeder consensus not to stress the ill Budgies through blood tests and medical diagnosis because at that point the inevitable will happen and best to leave the little guys in peace when they are feeling so poorly already. Sometimes treatment or antibiotics would help and other times it didn't and we left the birds to figure it out.

Taffy's last day with us. She couldn't walk any more and had lost the will to eat:


Taffy was never a pushy hen and often waited at the back of the line for treats. We trained the hens to respond to their name for treats so that all got an equal share out of their human's hand:

 

[Saris]

I do wish the best for your birdies! Our Blue Wheaten girl was in low spirits her last week with us before we had the vet put her down for suspected Marek's - she was gradually getting less mobile and her appetite gone - she was alert but her physical condition didn't cooperate. The vet always gives us a chance to take our birds home for a few days to see if they respond to medication before confirming his diagnosis on them. When we brought her back to him he applied painful nail pressure on her straight leg and she didn't feel a thing. That was our last day with her. Of all the breeds we've had she was our sweetest non-combative kooky jittery jumpy alert cautious wary girl that was very kind to flockmates -- and we miss her. It's always our favorites that seem to go home first

. She was from a show breeder who didn't vaccinate for Marek's and wanted to breed naturally resistant strains but as we see here it's not always a good result. My personal feeling and JMHO is that narrowing a color-breed to stay a purebred color may not give the desired outcome for disease-resistance. I'm no geneticist but mixing colors for more diversity like in Silkie breeding seems to bring out a hardier bird - my Silkies who have been exposed to birds with CRD and Marek's and Cocci are still toodling around the yard 6 yrs later. My breeder stopped raising Ameraucanas. I only purchase breeds that have been vaccinated for Marek's now. Will it stop any of the 5 strains of Marek's or lessen it's effects? Who knows? I just don't want to go through this again if there's a possibility it will save a hen's future -- and there are yet so many other chicken maladies to worry about that there are no cures for. Animals mask their illnesses and discomforts way before we see the outward symptoms so by the time there's an outward manifestation of illness it's often too late. At that point making them comfortable to the end is all we can do. I raised the larger English Budgerigars and it was show breeder consensus not to stress the ill Budgies through blood tests and medical diagnosis because at that point the inevitable will happen and best to leave the little guys in peace when they are feeling so poorly already. Sometimes treatment or antibiotics would help and other times it didn't and we left the birds to figure it out.

Taffy's last day with us. She couldn't walk any more and had lost the will to eat:


Taffy was never a pushy hen and often waited at the back of the line for treats. We trained the hens to respond to their name for treats so that all got an equal share out of their human's hand:

Taffy was a Beauty. ^_^

My little splash was the smallest of my Wheatens, I think she was just less hardy overall to have succumbed so quickly. She barely had bubbles in her eyes and passed the next day. I loved her the best, which like you said it always seems to be the favorites....

 

[marchick]

I appreciate that.

It is tough, I would like resistant birds so I don't have to worry again, but the only way to know if they are resistant is to know they carry it and have no symptoms....

My Splash Wheaten boy who had some bad swelling with no bubbles or sneezing seems all better today. He didn't get any antibiotics either, just probiotic chick booster....

Some others seem to be doing a scosh better as well, but I won't hold out too much hope for my Blue Wheaten girl, she seems to be more weak of spirit than the others, my Choc boy seems the same. Only mild eye goops but just standing huddled and sad.....

I am Praying they get better soon!

 

[Saris]

I am Praying they get better soon!

Me too. I'm thinking of putting a heat pad in with the illest ones, I hope it'll help them recover.

 

[MrsBachbach]

This is the first time I've raised Ameraucanas from eggs and I must say that these guys are the sweetest little birds in the world! One of my easter eggers is this friendly and the blue wheaten pullet from Susan Mouw is sweet as sweet can be, but these babies take the cake. If I walk into the coop and sit down on my little stool, they peck around under my feet, jump up on me and are just unafraid altogether! Today I gave them a treat of (close your ears) chicken quarters and they loved it. Oh, they'll be five weeks old on Tuesday.

I can't believe this little chick started out nearly as light as the splash.


This one is SO friendly.


One of the lighter blues - I am sure this one is a 'she'


One of the medium shaded blues that had a lot of white markings on the face.


P.S. the scratch on the ground is for the older Ameraucana pullets and cockerel.... they don't pick on the babies, but just in case the little ones want to get away there is a hide-away with entrances just big enough for them to evade the bigger birds.

Fyi, I think the one on your shoulder is a male. Let us know!

 

[Roxbell25]

I am new to BYC and just learning about the different breeds. I'd love to have a few so have been asking around and the two breeds that have been suggested to me for friendliness are the Americauna and the Orpington. I'd like to get eggs, too, of course. So I've just been reading, reading, reading about everyone's experiences.

 

[FridayYet]

I am new to BYC and just learning about the different breeds. I'd love to have a few so have been asking around and the two breeds that have been suggested to me for friendliness are the Americauna and the Orpington. I'd like to get eggs, too, of course. So I've just been reading, reading, reading about everyone's experiences.

Reading and research is great! Welcome to BYC and this thread, tons of great info here.

 

[Saris]

I am new to BYC and just learning about the different breeds. I'd love to have a few so have been asking around and the two breeds that have been suggested to me for friendliness are the Americauna and the Orpington. I'd like to get eggs, too, of course. So I've just been reading, reading, reading about everyone's experiences.

Welcome! I love Ameraucanas! They are great!