being shipped from NY tomorrow. I have been waiting for my Beautiful Silver Ameracauna since Christmas but we were both to afraid with the ice storms and never ending snow they kept having. I have a almost 1 yr old trio out of John Blehm lines coming. Hope they make it by Tuesday and not Wednesday. I will be pulling my hair out
Their coming, their coming!!!!!
sneak preview Just look at that Roo!!!
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=435082
Oh Donna, they are so beautiful.
They're so pretty Donna, no wonder you're so excited!
Very exciting! What a great addition to your flock!
Just beautiful!I have a question about shipping live adult birds,how do they do it?do they come in the postal mail or ups>Do they come in boxes?And what keeps them safe from being thrown around or the cold or heat?Just wondering.
Well, thank you, Donna! Now I know what color my hen is:)
Does anyone know if there's a place to find pictures of Ameracauna chicks by color, and what the chick colors become? I know it's only a guide, but I'll be looking at chicks next week, and can't remember what Eagle looked like as a baby. Other than that she must have looked like an eagle *G*.
Ameraucana chicks may turn out a very different color as adults. The whites will be white but I had a black chick that ended up light red. If they look blue they will probably end up bluish; the chipmunks will usually be brown/red. But, no, there is no guide.
Adult chickens are shipped by mail in strong cardboard boxes shaped like little houses, sometimes subdivided on the inside so each has a separate room - depending on the size of the chichen.
Thnaks I wondered how they done that,I have never ordered live birds only eggs.
Horizon Boxes or Boxes for birds are the only ones approved by the P.O. for live bird shipments and there are weight limits for each size box. You are not supposed to ship when temps are above 85 degrees on either end. Also I would reccomend shipping when temps are below freezing except for ducks. They go in the temp controlled compartment of the air plane. I use zip tie and put a little container of a juicy fruit for moisture and grow gel but most people throw in dry food or scratch. They need the moisture more than food because sometimes it takes 2 days as express no longer gaurantees 1 day and you can't file a claim until after 3 days. If I ship I always give vitamin water and extra fruits & veggies the day before and more right before I put them in the boxes the day of shipping to get them as hydrated as I can before their trip
The ones shipped to me had diced apples, tomatoes, etc for hydration, they did fine.
http://poultry2.tripod.com/id3.html Here are some pictures of approved boxes.
The baby chicks I bought from ideal came in a tiny box, because their body heat keeps them warm during shipping. It was so cute!
Guess I've had five different shipments of birds come to me, and there was not a single problem with shipping. The boxes are marked LIVE BIRDS, the shippers put your your phone number on the box. The post office will call you as soon as they get them in, usually early in the morning, like 6:30 am to let you know your birds have arrived. They let me in the back door, and I sign for them.
I had asked a lot of questions about what happens to the birds. It seems they are always either in a plane, truck or sorting building, so they are not being exposed to extreme temps outdoors.
As far as temps go, I would say whatever temps the birds are usually safe at, would be fine for shipping. HOT summer days would be the worst time, in my opinion. Most chickens do fine in cold weather.
Mine were all shipped priority mail, $60, which takes around 3 days in transit. Express, overnight, is much more expensive.
Heck Donna, I can go a week without shaving and look like that...and I clean up my own poo...LOL...Handsome they are...Hay
Wow, DonnaB, you've actually shipped them out.
I won't ship chicks though until they are 4 weeks old. Eating well, strong, and healthy. Also not in a chick box. Chick box pretty much gaurantees they won't arrive for 3 days. I had that happen with some 4 week olds I bought. I let the P.O. have it big time. They see chick box think day old chicks and say well we have 3 days to get them there alive!!!
Here is a link for info on chick colors.. These are purebred, so they will be true to color. A hatchery bird or EE will not breed true to color.. they are wild and beautiful colors!!
http://www.ameraucana.org/scrapbook.html
Thanks ZZ. I know it's no guarantee, I'm just looking for a general clue. I have four two week old "muttlets" now, and they are changing fast. Even too who appeared identical as hatched are now wildly different. They started as grayish yellow with tiny grey spots on the top of their heads, one is now peach/gray, one black and white. Of course, I expect that to change....
I book marked the page ZZ in case Ameracauna consume me as bad as the Araucana do.
If they are not purebred Catmad, you will not be able to predict their final color.. that's what I love the most about EEs.. Kinda like Seramas.. they change so much it's a treat to watch them mature! I love the wild colors.. I don't really go for the "standard" colors all that much.. Not to take anything away from them.. they are beautiful.. it's just that a tricolor spangled messy color is my fav. :) I have never seen any chicken that matured identical to it's sibling.. Gotta take pics every week to keep up with em! :)
"Gotta take pics every week to keep up with em! :)"
Their Momma won't let me! She stands in front of them in the only spot that's light enough to get a decent shot. She shall b e foiled, soon. I'm cleaning the shed, and it will eventually be the home of my brooder, and there'll be a nice home for them until they're ready to join The Flock.
Meanwhile I do find that they have The Power. I am entranced each time I let my eyes stray in their direction. I have to remember not to look, I lose too much time under their tiny little spell....
I totally understand.. My new lil Serama baby is in a place that is hard to photo.. and he has 2 moms! I haven't got a chance for a picture of him yet..
took a few pics yesterday
ZZ tell me what you think about them. I don't know anything about Ameracaunas. You won't hurt my feelings. All I know is John Blehm is supposed to be one of the top breeders in the country
one of the hens
I think they are awesome, and what a history on these birds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ameraucana Can't wait to see the eggs.
Donna, yours look just like these silvers I saw on a website about John blehm. http://chickhatchery.com/PhotosBantams_files/silver%20Ameraucana%20bantams.jpg
You and Zz are getting to me. Today I feel that I MUST HAVE some blue eggs soon.
This message was edited Mar 17, 2011 8:25 PM
WOW!! I am biased, cause that's where my lavenders originated.. (John Blehm) That silver roo is amazing! You hit paydirt.. :) They are awesome.. I hope all goes good for the lil love trio.. wow..
so floppy comb is good?? on the Roo
It doesn't look floppy in the pic.. It doesn't look like a straight comb.. I don't know how much he would be marked for a slightly large comb.. How old is he? That is something that would affect size.. He looks mature for sure..
Are you going to show him? Even buying from the best breeder in the country doesn't guarantee a perfect bird unless you paid a huge price and even then, a breeder will never sell his very best.
not showing but may sell some chicks pr when I hatch to get rid of extra roo's. They are just at 1 yr old now