They grow too fast..

And DH now wants a roo! My my how times change.... he even inquired as to their well being today. Coulda knocked me over with a feather!...

Some have grown tails! Some haven't! And....they're not getting friendlier. What do I do? I'm afraid they are going to break when they go to flapping, etc. Some will quietly hop off my hand.

Tomorrow - if it's as warm as today - I'm going to put them in the run and sit in there with them until they accept me.....I hope!

That's Psycho Chick about to step on Rella. Do I have to wait for the combs to tell if they're all pullets? Psycho has the longest, poofiest tail. And it's fanned out kinda?

This message was edited May 16, 2009 7:50 PM

It stays up all the time- does that mean it's not an Americana?

Those little black and yellow ones look like austrolorps, yes, no? Sure are cute what ever they are. Hay

There is one Black Austrolorp, the rest were supposed to be Auracanas but here we - or some here - advised they were Americanas because they all had the tufted cheeks?

PS - Do you think I could add some more with no issues? Some possibly younger ones? Or do I need to make them all the same size/age? I'd like a couple of Silver Wyandotes I saw the other day too....

Here are some sites that talk about Aracaunas and Ameracaunas. My take would be that yours (and mine) are Ameracaunas, as they have tails. Even small tails count:) The "rumpless" birds look like they have no butts at all

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PS013

This next is my favorite Chicken breed info site, and it has pictures that help. Even pictures of chicks and egg colors.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Arau/BRKAraucanas.html

I'd love to find true Aracaunas. I used to live a block from a breeder, but circumstances prevented me from getting any at the time. He did tell me that there are problems with the gene that makes them rumpless, and that it's a lethal gene. IOW, 25% of the chicks die. Maybe I'm better off with the Ameracaunas, wimp that I am:)

HTH

Margo

I must stop misspelling Ameracaunas!!!

Thanks for the links! Going to check them out! I'm just most interested in what they will turn out looking like. The white one (Rella) is a given (I think?) and the Black Australorp (Nicci) of course.


This message was edited May 17, 2009 10:24 AM

Here is another link for Ameraucana info.
http://www.ameraucana.org/history.html

If you got them from a hatchery/feed store.. they are Easter Eggers.

If you want to add to them, do try to keep to the same size. If you get more, chances are they will get along, but just be sure to watch for problems.

They are so cute! I have a blue EE that looked a lot like one of yours when she was little.. She didn't even have blue legs then.. she does now!

Here is a rear shot in with the RIRs.

Jenks, they have really gotten big. Are they all pullets? Psycho chick's tail is very interesting. None of mine have upright tails like that. Do they all have the blue legs? My grey ones had dark legs at first, but now they are mostly yellow. If your DH is serious about a rooster, I probably have one for you if you want. Right now the consensus is 3 or 4 roos out of the 5 chicks I hatched. They are supposed to be BLR Wyandotte, but are probably mutts. Only one looks even remotely blr.

They are all supposed to be pullets but I think that means some small % could be roos? Sexing cannot be 100% at a day old can it? They do all have the bluish tint to their legs, but these are my first ever birds! I don't know. Do all Ameracaunas have blue legs? Your blue one is really gorgeous! The reds too.

Great site! I love the chick pics labled! 2 of mine look like this but with black stripes out the side of the head from the eyes back? : http://www.ameraucana.org/scrapbook_files/silverlf.jpg

And the other is similar to those two, but with a red head rather than the chipmunk striped head. I don't see any pics that looked like she does....or did as a wee chick.

This message was edited May 17, 2009 11:51 AM

Here she is better, I call her Red, she will stay red right?

This is the first time I've had chicks, too. I have no clue if they keep their feather colors. All I know is the gray one with the most red (Johnny5) has lost most of the red. See pic. The darker yellow one (Pern) is now mostly red. The lighter yellow one (Matilda) with black & gray stripes is now mostly white with a little gray in the feathers. The gray ones that had black are now mostly gray. I think that gray color is called blue.

Well... who knows what color she will end up.. one of the best things about an EE is the wild colors they can get.. I never dreamed mine would turn out blue!

If you look at the comb real close, a Roo will have 3 rows.. the pullets just one. In the pic above.. that is how old they were before I found the 3 row comb on one of mine, and he had to go. :( Mine are Feed Store EEs (sold as Aracauna pullets) and I love "Mary" the most of all my chickens.
I don't think you can tell the gender by the tail till they are much older.. You could have when they were about a week old.. but now it's a guess till they get sickle feathers.

According to what I read, there are people who judge based on the vent at one day and that is how you can order all pullets with around a 90% accuracy rate (?) - apparently there are 9 or so different forms of the vent and the roos have some kind of lump under - but CRINGE, it was saying how some chicks get damaged by the people getting trained squeezing too hard? Ack ack.....

Mine are the same ZZ (feed store aracaunas).....except the black one, it's supposed to be a Black Australorp.

ZZ, how old are they in that pic? They look almost full grown. Love the colors.

If I wouldn't have gotten into the Lavender Ameraucanas, I think I would have rather went for EEs with pretty eggs and wild colors.. Mary (blue hen above) is the favored bird of all.. Everyone loves her, (including the roos) I LOVE wild colors and also love blue. I just get weak in the knees for calico.. and I also get a thrill out of blue eggs.. so I would easily be tempted to go with all EEs.. and still might go that way in time. I don't intend to show, so I really don't need "correct" Ameraucanas.

I'm at the point now that I will only keep the layers with the nicest eggs. Mary would top that list right now.. Go figure.. a feed store "Aracauna" So I don't agree with the "downgrading" of calling them EEs.. but that's the current "naming" system.. Mary is also the kindest hen I have...

I can sex chicks without looking at the vent.. they just have to be young enough.. Odds are in your favor that you have pullets.. I only got 1 Roo out of 6 that survived to adulthood. I want him back too.. he is identical to Mary! (see pic above) I intend to have him come back for visitation rights after my big roo is gone.

IMHO... you have the preferred birds when it comes to blue eggers.. :)

Here is the other "Aracauna" when I first got them.. Pic of them grown above..

edited for spelling

This message was edited May 17, 2009 10:28 AM

Yes Beclu, they are almost full grown in that pic. I didn't keep the roo, but the pullet has been laying for a couple of months now. She is the same size basically..

ZZ - I think I have the same carpet as yours in that photo downstairs!

Here are a decent (?) my 2 stripey ones from when they were 1 week (when I got them 2 weeks ago). They're not as light as yours there....

I definitely don't need correct ones either...but are the blue and lavender Ameracaunas not Easter Eggers? I thought all Ameracaunas were Easter Eggers...

Looks like you have all pullets to me.. they look to be two weeks old in that pic...

You'd have to read the whole history page to understand the naming system on Ameraucanas.. They only come in 8 colors (Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten, and White) and breed true to color and have all the "correct" traits of the breed. I doubt you can get pure Ameraucanas from a feed store..

All others, what they call mutts, are EEs.

That's why I don't agree with the naming system.. it's TOO complicated and has too many "gray areas" (being.. a completely correct bird with some of the "wrong" color)
AND what about Lavender? They are not recognized by the APA so are they "mutts" too? What about Splash?

Okay.. LOL You got me started.. LOL Sorry..

It's just very confusing, and I just don't completely agree with it.

What does a splash EE look like? I have a white one with funny colors.. almost calico spots on her. I was thinking today maybe she was a splash but being as new to this as I am I have yet to understand what a splash coloring is. At least I think its a girl... its hard to tell at the 4 week stage.

I think a splash is basically white with dots of black, red or blue.. The color you describe is my favorite of all.. Tri color... I call it Calico too. Anything with a lot of white and brown/black drives me crazy.. LOL That's the whole reason I like EEs!!

Oh please do show a pic.. I'd love to see hesheit.. LOL

I'll try & get a pic of her tomorrow.

Hi Jenks! Sounds like your having fun with your new found friends. I have had no problem mixing birds, like four weeks old with eight weeks old. Just don't get radical with age differences. Even four month olds, with mature adults can be an adventure, and as ZZ's suggested keep an eye out for the first couple of days as the older girls don't much like competition. Enjoy. Haystack


Hey Greykyttyn, just imagine a white, gray, or blue, chicken standing around minding their own business and someone drives by splashing then from a mudpuddle. That's where the term splash comes from. Have a great time with you fast growing babies. Haystack

Thanks Hay!

Thanks ZZ! So add a week onto their age?

I was told they are "large" (the ones that are "Auracanas" that are really Ameracaunas)

But I can't see the brown/red ones' combs yet. The black one and the white one definitely have one comb in the middle..the others do not have any bumpies yet.

Haystack - mud puddle.. i like that! I was thinking more like someone threw paint in her direction.

Jenks - I mixed my 2 month old chicks with my day old chicks with no problem. well almost no problem.. now i can't separate them bc they each cry if they can't find each other. Makes it a bit difficult to put the bigger chicks outside in the coup now that they need to be out there. I can't stand the crying it breaks my heart so I leave them together for now. Otherwise no problems.

Nah, Jenks, I'm not that good.. it was just a guess... You are probably right on the age.

I'm second guessing if that lil black one is a roo.. I think it is.. if it's the same age as the others..

Jenks wrote"I was told they are "large" (the ones that are "Auracanas" that are really Ameracaunas)"

My Ameracaunas seem substantially larger than any of the other standard chicks, which include Turkens and Cochins. I thought it might be that they were so fluffy, but now I don't think so. Last time I had peeps the Turkens grew the fastest, but they're lagging behind this time:)

Doesn't matter to them, apparently, the bantams are holding their own with even the biggest.

That link ZZ posted about Ameracaunas shows a "large fowl" version and a "bantam" version. So I am guessing they come in all sizes and by "large" that meant mine were large fowl? So catmad, yours must also be large fowl?

ZZ - you think Nicci (the black) is a roo? Do they get the center comb first and then side ones? So far, Nicci only has one row of bumpies in the center.

Do you have a recent pic? It's too early to go by the comb. I just keep thinking in that pic above, it's a roo.. Unless it's younger than the others.. See how it doesn't have a tail and the wings are so much shorter than the others? That's what makes me think roo..

It's a different breed, it's a black australorp, so I assumed that's why it was a different size. It is supposed to be the exact same age as the others, they all came in together....I'll take new pics when I get home from work!

I hate to be so wishy washy.. I see that in the other pics it has wings and a tail just like the others.. Just that one baby pic.. I would have bet that was a roo! Not after looking at all the pics though.. Duh.. I got mixed up on all the baby pics.. :)

Nicci won't have the same comb as the others.. She will probably have a "straight" comb.. the others are "pea" combs...

Jenks wrote;"So catmad, yours must also be large fowl?
"

Yup. At least I hope so, I ended up with way too many banties. Not that they aren't wonderful, but the whole point of this was to have eggs to sell. Can't find itty bitty egg cartons...
I had to go to the feed store today. Imagine my surprise when I got home and found that three Black Australorps, and three Light Brahmas had fallen into a box, and been beamed (I guess) into the back of the truck.....

How could that happen??

gigglesnickergiggle

Oh catmad, what great breeds to just appear in your truck. Are they all pullets? How old? Pics please.

I'm certainly hoping they're pullets, but time will tell. It's funny, these are MUCH more well behaved than the first bunch. They ate and drank nicely, and beside the occasional peep, settled in quietly. This morning they were still sleeping when I came up to do breakfast rounds. Yes, I made sure to see that each one was breathing *G*.
The older kids have been rowdy from day one. Well, first borns are notoriously uppity :)

I'm working on pics, having a few camera issues, but should be able to get some this morning.....