Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[freemotion]

We had gone back to this feedstore this past Saturday because the owner was working. I explained to him how rudely I was treated by his employee the last time I had been in. He must have said something to his employee, because when I took my eggs in today, she jumped all over me! Reamed me for going to her boss. She said I should tell her when I have a problem with her, not go to her boss (DH assured me I had done the right thing).

Wow!!! Consider calling the owner and telling him what happened. I know if I owned that store, I would want to know what was going on when I wasn't looking, especially if it was driving customers away. IMHO and "the Golden Rule...."

 

[Farmfresh]

Another breed my mom and I have studied in depth, Aracauna vs. Ameracauna. The true breed is the Aracauna, and the true Aracauna breed in it's true form, is a white tuffed (or non tufted) rumpless bird with blue/slate colored legs. The true Aracauna has no other coloring variation, and the eggs are a true Robin Egg Blue. These chickens are pretty much gone. There are a small handful of them left, but try to get some. Really, try. And I don't mean try to get a wheaten or lavendar or any other color, try to get the white, rumpless tufted with blue/slate legs and bright blue eggs. Most likely, you will get a rumpless tufted bird that lays a bluish green egg. More blue than green, maybe, but not the Robin Egg blue.

Ameracaunas, which there is NO APA standard for, are Mutts!
From what I understand, the local 4-H allow kids to show either *true* Ameracaunas or EE's because there is no APA Standard on them. They cannot judge something if there is no standard to compare it to.

As far as the Araucana is concerned I believe that white WAS the original color, but currently there are several varieties that are accepted by the APA as true Araucanas. http://www.araucana.net/Varieties/APA_Araucana_Varieties.htm

True Araucanas are a VERY difficult breed to raise. The true Araucana has no tail bone at all (rumpless) and ear tufts in addition to the true blue egg. The egg tufts gene is a lethal gene, when two parents are dominant for that gene the resulting embryo dies. Even a single tuft gene results in embryo death in 20% of the offspring. The problems with this gene makes it necessary to have both tufted and non-tufted birds to breed. All of these breeding problems (or challenges if you are that kind of person) is what makes them SO hard to find, especially birds of quality.

The blue egg gene is a dominate gene that blends with other genes. This is why when you breed a brown egg layer to a blue gene carrier the resulting offspring will lay a green or other off color egg instead of either blue or brown. Since the blue egg is very desirable breeders began crossing Araucanas with other breeds to develop a true blue egg layer that did not have all of the genetic problems associated with the Araucana. That is how the Ameraucana was first developed.

While the Ameraucana is a relatively new breed and completely different from the Araucana. The Ameraucana breed is actually a true breed. There IS a APA standard for the standard birds and an American Bantam standard for the bantams of this breed as well. http://www.ameraucana.org/faq.html They are shown as Other Standard Breeds Class which includes: Ameraucanas, Araucanas, Cubalayas, Frizzles, Modern Games, Naked Necks, Old English Games, Phoenix, Saipan, Shamos, Sultans, Yokohamas

I agree the VAST majority of birds out there are really mutt birds.

I know quite a bit about all of this because I have done some poultry judging on a small scale.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

WOW Thank you FF!! I just learned something new!! I'll definitely study more into that! Thank you!

Ok, folks, so I was wrong! LOL There is a standard on Ameracaunas!

 

[Farmfresh]

I hate being a smarty pants - I guess I am just a bigger chicken geek than you are!

Plus I have been involved in showing and raising chickens for about ... oh my... 38 years!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Well, that's fine! That means I can learn a lot from you LOL

I actually had a chickening question for you, but can't seem to remember what it was now. Haunted me all night in my sleep, too

Oh wait, I remember. It seems I read somewhere that the rumpless and tufted Aracaunas of today are from careful breedings back from the Ameracaunas. Any truth to that, that you are aware of?

OK so yesterday I really didn't get the raised bed done, but we did start on it, sorta. We were laying it out, where we have agreed to put it, and DH decided it wasn't big enough for me. He wants to be able to put a seat on the edge so that I can "sit" to do my gardening without having to be low down to the ground, so he wants to add a little height so I won't be bent over working in my garden I guess (Um...does it seem that I am spoiled to you? lol) So he's running down to pick up more lumber this morning to add to the bed...and he's making it 16 ft long instead of 8 foot long by 4 ft wide. I'm excited about the changes he's making to it. Means more planting space! He's even talking about building a second bed this year instead of just one!!

Oh, and yes, Bee, I will take pictures of the whole process from start to finish. Did you really think I wouldn't be taking pics of this??? LOL I'm hoping once we have the gardens out of the way, I can get back to coop building.

 

[BeccaOH]

Hey! That really is a beautiful Welsummer rooster there. I should have kept him.

I'm assuming the feed store you are having trouble with is the one in small town that I have yet to get around to visiting and drive-thru being one in P-town? I like the drive thru's new store arrangement but was frustrated Sat when prices still weren't marked on everything.

Enjoy those Wellys!

He is gorgeous, isn't he? LOL Thank you again so much for picking them up for me! You are such a wonderful friend!!

Not sure what P-Town is? I went to Carrollton. Are you talking about the Drive thru on 250?? I rarely go to that one.

How are your new hens doing? Are they settling in Ok?

My 4 hens are doing okay in their confinement. I haven't seen an egg yet, though. Last night I made a point to hold each one after dusk. The 2 silkies are in with the established flock and spending most of their time inside sitting on a bail of straw. My girls still aren't too friendly with them.

I meant farm store is Scio and Agland drive-thru in New Phila. I've only gotten straw from the place on 250. I haven't done any farm shopping in Carrollton. I do need to check out their auction sometime. Others have recommended it.

I'm glad you are managing to sell off all those chicks.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Hey! That really is a beautiful Welsummer rooster there. I should have kept him.

I'm assuming the feed store you are having trouble with is the one in small town that I have yet to get around to visiting and drive-thru being one in P-town? I like the drive thru's new store arrangement but was frustrated Sat when prices still weren't marked on everything.

Enjoy those Wellys!

He is gorgeous, isn't he? LOL Thank you again so much for picking them up for me! You are such a wonderful friend!!

Not sure what P-Town is? I went to Carrollton. Are you talking about the Drive thru on 250?? I rarely go to that one.

How are your new hens doing? Are they settling in Ok?

My 4 hens are doing okay in their confinement. I haven't seen an egg yet, though. Last night I made a point to hold each one after dusk. The 2 silkies are in with the established flock and spending most of their time inside sitting on a bail of straw. My girls still aren't too friendly with them.

I meant farm store is Scio and Agland drive-thru in New Phila. I've only gotten straw from the place on 250. I haven't done any farm shopping in Carrollton. I do need to check out their auction sometime. Others have recommended it.

I'm glad you are managing to sell off all those chicks.

Oh I used to go to Agland all the time! Maybe I am too picky, but I felt like they lost a certain element when Carol retired (she was the go to person for chicks/chicken related things.) I do stop in there at times when I need something and I know they have it, but it's really out of the way for me unless I'm in New Phila. I love TSC though, and DH tries to keep me out of TSC.....

Carrollton and Cadiz are now my choices for feed dealers. They are going to be opening a new feedstore in Cadiz, too, so Landmark is going to have some more local competition I guess. I'll scope out the new store when they open, but honestly, I'm ready to stick with what I know and where I know I get good service.

I didn't get an egg out of my Wellies yesterday. Just the first morning after you dropped them off. They still don't seem sure of me yet. I'm thinking the new environment is probably going to mess up their cycles for a couple weeks, until they get used to me and the food here.

The silkies should come around soon. They had no clue how to be chickens when I got them, as they had never seen daylight before I brought them here. I think it took them about 2 weeks to adjust to being in a coop with a run, and I had to shove them out in the run on more than one occassion.

I'm looking forward to Tuesday!! I've got my extra camera batteries all charged up for the trip, too

 

[keljonma]

Quail_Antwerp wrote: I didn't get an egg out of my Wellies yesterday. Just the first morning after you dropped them off. They still don't seem sure of me yet. I'm thinking the new environment is probably going to mess up their cycles for a couple weeks, until they get used to me and the food here.

The silkies should come around soon. They had no clue how to be chickens when I got them, as they had never seen daylight before I brought them here. I think it took them about 2 weeks to adjust to being in a coop with a run, and I had to shove them out in the run on more than one occassion.

You are sure right about a change in environment messing up the birds' schedules, QA. Even when we make changes for the better, it seems to throw them for a loop.

One of my friends got some year-old hens that had never been outdoors, they just had the run of a small goat barn. My friend's flock has the run of 5 fenced acres of their farm. So after quarantine was over, and she put them with her flock, the new birds were like shell-shocked. They didn't leave the hen house for a couple weeks and it was another few weeks before they ventured far from it.

 

[Farmfresh]

Well, that's fine! That means I can learn a lot from you LOL

I actually had a chickening question for you, but can't seem to remember what it was now. Haunted me all night in my sleep, too

Oh wait, I remember. It seems I read somewhere that the rumpless and tufted Aracaunas of today are from careful breedings back from the Ameracaunas. Any truth to that, that you are aware of?

The Ameraucana was developed from the Araucana, but true Ameraucanas breed true.

Easter Egger mutts, however are different. I have had rumpless birds from tailed parents of the mutt EEs. I have never had a tufted bird, but I guess that is possible as well. Those old genes are still rattling around somewhere.

I doubt that a "true Araucana" could be weeded back out from the mutt birds however. At least NOT without years of pain. (remember the fatal gene involved) I believe the varieties available in the Araucana breed were developed by selection WITHIN the breed.

Araucanas are an unusual breed with an hard to follow and even unusual past. Some people even claim the blue egg gene itself came from a cross breeding of a chicken with a pheasant! I think we can all study long and hard and still not be able to uncover all of the truth in the history of this breed. I just try to appreciate them for the novelty breed that they are and I appreciate the Ameraucana for the beautiful and useful utility breed that it has been developed to be!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Well, I had a nice long entry typed up to post here, hit a wrong button, and lost it all.

Don't really want to type it all out again, so summary is this...

Had too many interruptions today with the insurance adjuster and unannounced visitors, so didn't get the raised bed done yet. I did manage to coat all the boards with a nice honey color stain, though.

DH just ran off to Lowe's with his dad to get us a Red Haven Peach tree and a Plum. We were at Lowe's last night picking up more top soil and manure, and they had their fruit trees in. We left with one Plum and 2 Blueberry bushes. Got the plum home and read the tag, it needs a pollinator.

We were going to hold off on the Peach tree, but for the last 3 years we have been talking about getting a peach tree or two, and after discussing it tonight, we decided if we didn't get it now, we would never get one. Thankfully it doesn't need a pollinator.

So DH and his dad are at Lowe's getting a second Plum tree and the Red Haven Peach!