Yeah, still running that Old Hens Retirement Home & Hospice, just no more Ameraucanas now, sadly. At this moment in time, I have two Barred Rock hens who are 9 years old and still laying this year, a couple hens and a rooster who are 8 1/2 and one who is 7 years old, the rest are younger, all hatchery stock. I miss my true Ameraucanas, great hens.
So funny this video "popped" up on my feed. I watched it when you first uploaded it, but now here I am watching again. We were just at TSC, on Saturday getting my sister dog food, and I overheard an older gentleman there asking the store manager if and when they would be getting Ameraucanas in, because he used to get them from the coop, 22 miles south, which is actually 2 miles from our house. The store manager continued on to say, no we don't do ameraucanas, but we do get in EE, which are better than Ameraucanas! I so wanted to put my two sense in, and also tell the man that I raise and sell exhibition Line BBS Ameraucanas, Then the manager said they sell the EE's straight run because They are rare, but that he could sell the man pullets, because he flips them upside down in the palm of his hand, and the pullets are to lazy to flip themselves back up. I was laughing to myself over that one. Some of these people are crazy with the way they come off with stuff!
Was wonderful to hear your commentary I have 10 Americana hens that are 8 months old in Colorado during the winter and I'm averaging 6 to 9 eggs a day I have eight Blues and two black hens
Your birds are so healthy. Love seeing them. Another thing I have seen people/hatcherys use is Americana which is always EEs. I like and have both in our flock.
99.9% of all hatchery "Ameraucanas" or their "Ameraucana/Araucana" birds are EEs. Meyer is now selling Blue Ameraucanas separately from EEs, at least, but others are still ignoring breeder pleas to stop misadvertising.
Chickens have a potential to live up to 20 years, believe it or not; most rarely do. I've known of a 17 yr old hen, not mine. Well protected or not, hatchery birds rarely make it to 10 years old. Breeder stock has better longevity, generally. Even good care cannot overcome bad genetics. Thanks for watching!
your girls are so beautiful!!!!!🤩❤️ Really thankful for this video. I'm pretty ticked if I paid for an Ameraucana and got an easter egger. Just because I expect honesty from a hatchery. 🤨 I will say, my "Ameraucanas" are really sweet birds. They are inquisitive!😆 Spunky! So much personality. My Brahmas are lovers, they want to be held and my Cochins are quiet and very independent. Laid back! And when they run, I laugh. Their waddle is hilarious!😆👏🏻 I absolutely love my chicken babies. But there should be some honesty and integrity with the hatcheries. My Ameraucanas were not cheap! Lets see what color eggs they end up hatching. 😏
Thank you very informative video!!I've raised and been around chickens all my life and had many different breeds last yr I bought some chicks at the auction labeled Easter egger pullets well I got one rooster and 7 hens when they started laying I started incubating the eggs as well as had a broody hen that set a clutch the birds I bought 4 came out black and the other 3 were mixed colors when the eggs hatched I had a lot that looked like barred rocks and whites and so many different color patterns I was curious as to why this was I wasn't sure if because they were a mixed breed they were reverting or what thank you for clearing that up for me.absoluty love my Easter eggers I have 47 chicks I hatched this yr and have some beautiful color patterns I never know what the chicks are gona look like very interesting breed for sure
Yes ma'am I've always had buffs and black Australorps and barred rocks all kinda look the same I really love these birds.eish they would let share pics on here I had some absolutely beautiful birds out of this springs hatch
I got 6 chicks a while ago 2 lavender orpington 2 brahma and what i thought after talking to the lady who sold them to me( because of the tuft cute face) were suppose to be cochin turned out to be 2 black easter eggers one gave me a light beige almost pink colored eggs and the other a nice green/blue colored eggs both of them gave me 1 egg a day it was a nice suprise .i think they are easter eggers because of the one laying that beige colored egg not ameraucana has a few had suggested
Slate legs are the standard for Ameraucana leg color, a dark wash over white skin. If they are greenish, that means it's a dark wash over yellow legs, meaning not a proper Ameraucana. What you describe seems to be a proper slate leg.
No, not necessarily, though I did have an Ameraucana hen years ago whose shells were never hatchable due to their fragility. She ate a lot of oyster shell, but I guess her body did not process her Vit D and Calcium well. Most of our blue eggs here now with this current group are strong as iron, but they're all just two years old. I have a mix of blue layers and green layers, though they are all considered Easter Eggers, not true Ameraucanas. I can't really recall much about my true Ameraucana hens' eggs other than that one I mentioned in the beginning. Most lived to be 11-14 years old and quit laying years before they passed away.
@@rootsrocksfeathers1975Me and brother have noticed thinner eggs since we have Ameraucana type of they are real blue, the Easter Eggers shells seem fine, just put some in the incubator blue, brown and green I will take note of hatch rate for each color.
Same. If he starts limping , I make him go inside and rest in his pen. Leg stuff takes forever to heal. I can't keep him away from his hens entirely to do it. I'm afraid he'd become depressed. Or his behavior would change for the worse. Had that happen once in the past.
I just lost a 14 year old Ameraucana hen and an 11 year old Belgian D'Anver rooster to old age, never ill in their lives. I still have an Easter Egger who is also 14, from a breeder who was trying to create a new Ameraucana color, as well as a Barred Plymouth Rock hen from an old pure line who is 11 years old. Most of my chickens live past 10 years old. Chickens have the potential to live 20 years, though they rarely do. I had a Barred Rock hen who lived to be 13 years old and she produced eggs every single year until the last year of her life, the only year she skipped. They may not produce all those years, but they certainly can live that long (provided they are from good genetic lines, not hatchery stock, generally). I have hatchery Easter Eggers this year for the first time ever and I do not expect that those hens will live as long as the ones in previous years. Hatchery stock rarely lives as long as the non-hatchery stock.
@@rootsrocksfeathers1975 Wow that’s incredible. You obviously provide a very happy safe home. 😊 My current easter eggers slowed down laying partly because of winter but even as the weather improved it was hit and miss. But then my neighbors ended up with a rooster, and it seems when he started crowing, all 3 hens layed every day 🤣
@@Cathy_MidwestHome_Hens After losing most all my original hatchery flock to reproductive malfunctions and consulting a PhD in poultry science as they dropped one by one, he told me that I should get my stock from better sources. I took it to heart and began hatching eggs from breeders of quality stock. That changed everything. All the good care in the world cannot make up for sucky genetics! And I have fed the same good feed for almost 17 years now, Tucker Milling Show Flock (formerly Super Lay 22) which still contains animal protein(ETA: Not anymore, had to switch to another of their feeds for animal protein), plus they free range on a rotating basis. Haha, the neighbor's rooster was a "call to lay".
They do now carry some true Ameraucanas, wouldn't call them "show" Ameraucanas, but they are the real deal, I understand. That's a fairly new development. I have six of their Easter Eggers and at least a couple of those could pass for true Ameraucanas other than their egg color being green. It's good that some hatcheries are finally seeing the light and offering both separately!
@@rootsrocksfeathers1975 I also have Ameraucanas purchased from Cackle Hatchery. They've been developing their line since 2015. There are about nine different breeds which lay various degrees of blueish eggs. The darkest coming from the Black Ameraucana line. Note that their line of Ameraucanas have a genetic cross-beak defect that shows up 1 out of 100 chicks. I ordered the Blue Egger Female Surplus package and bought an additional 4 Black Americaunas. The hatchery gave me two additional chicks. I drove down to pick them up. Point is, I was unlucky enough to get a severe cross-beak defective chick. I will eventually have to terminate it at some point. Amercaunas lay around 180 to 200 eggs per year. Not a breed you'd want for egg production. The sexing rate is somewhere around 75 to 80 percent accurate. I use to breed Black Copper Marans until our barn burned down. I have a total of 16 live chicks I bought in early April and all are still healthy. I expect a couple will not make it, but that's part of raising chickens. I am hoping to breed Black Ameraucanas for the darkest blue eggs as I had been doing with my previous Black Copper Marans line until their demise several years ago.
Only if you want the eggs to be fertilized so you can hatch chicks, though I do like roosters to watch out for the hens if they free range out of the pen, personally. But, no, they aren't necessary unless you plan to hatch eggs.
old retirement and hospice!! that was priceless. But I am so glad you were able to care for them until they are gone.
Yeah, still running that Old Hens Retirement Home & Hospice, just no more Ameraucanas now, sadly. At this moment in time, I have two Barred Rock hens who are 9 years old and still laying this year, a couple hens and a rooster who are 8 1/2 and one who is 7 years old, the rest are younger, all hatchery stock. I miss my true Ameraucanas, great hens.
So funny this video "popped" up on my feed. I watched it when you first uploaded it, but now here I am watching again. We were just at TSC, on Saturday getting my sister dog food, and I overheard an older gentleman there asking the store manager if and when they would be getting Ameraucanas in, because he used to get them from the coop, 22 miles south, which is actually 2 miles from our house. The store manager continued on to say, no we don't do ameraucanas, but we do get in EE, which are better than Ameraucanas! I so wanted to put my two sense in, and also tell the man that I raise and sell exhibition Line BBS Ameraucanas, Then the manager said they sell the EE's straight run because They are rare, but that he could sell the man pullets, because he flips them upside down in the palm of his hand, and the pullets are to lazy to flip themselves back up. I was laughing to myself over that one. Some of these people are crazy with the way they come off with stuff!
Hahaha, misinformation at the feed store! Hear that ALL the time! Crazy stuff, for sure.
This is the first video I saw on this channel. 💞Love this channel
Thank you for being here!
Was wonderful to hear your commentary I have 10 Americana hens that are 8 months old in Colorado during the winter and I'm averaging 6 to 9 eggs a day I have eight Blues and two black hens
Your birds are so healthy. Love seeing them. Another thing I have seen people/hatcherys use is Americana which is always EEs. I like and have both in our flock.
99.9% of all hatchery "Ameraucanas" or their "Ameraucana/Araucana" birds are EEs. Meyer is now selling Blue Ameraucanas separately from EEs, at least, but others are still ignoring breeder pleas to stop misadvertising.
I didn’t know chickens can live that long!They must be well protected 😊
Chickens have a potential to live up to 20 years, believe it or not; most rarely do. I've known of a 17 yr old hen, not mine. Well protected or not, hatchery birds rarely make it to 10 years old. Breeder stock has better longevity, generally. Even good care cannot overcome bad genetics. Thanks for watching!
I really enjoyed your video, you are wonderful!
Glad it was informative. Appreciate the comment!
your girls are so beautiful!!!!!🤩❤️ Really thankful for this video. I'm pretty ticked if I paid for an Ameraucana and got an easter egger. Just because I expect honesty from a hatchery. 🤨 I will say, my "Ameraucanas" are really sweet birds. They are inquisitive!😆 Spunky! So much personality. My Brahmas are lovers, they want to be held and my Cochins are quiet and very independent. Laid back! And when they run, I laugh. Their waddle is hilarious!😆👏🏻 I absolutely love my chicken babies. But there should be some honesty and integrity with the hatcheries. My Ameraucanas were not cheap! Lets see what color eggs they end up hatching. 😏
They are full of personality, that's for sure! Sorry, I missed your comment. Notifications are just hit and miss.
Murray McMurray has the absolute best reputation of any hatchery I've ever used. You can be sure of what they tell you. Try the best. Forget the rest!
Thank you very informative video!!I've raised and been around chickens all my life and had many different breeds last yr I bought some chicks at the auction labeled Easter egger pullets well I got one rooster and 7 hens when they started laying I started incubating the eggs as well as had a broody hen that set a clutch the birds I bought 4 came out black and the other 3 were mixed colors when the eggs hatched I had a lot that looked like barred rocks and whites and so many different color patterns I was curious as to why this was I wasn't sure if because they were a mixed breed they were reverting or what thank you for clearing that up for me.absoluty love my Easter eggers I have 47 chicks I hatched this yr and have some beautiful color patterns I never know what the chicks are gona look like very interesting breed for sure
Sure is fun, isn't it? I'm glad you found the video helpful.
Yes ma'am I've always had buffs and black Australorps and barred rocks all kinda look the same I really love these birds.eish they would let share pics on here I had some absolutely beautiful birds out of this springs hatch
I got 6 chicks a while ago 2 lavender orpington 2 brahma and what i thought after talking to the lady who sold them to me( because of the tuft cute face) were suppose to be cochin turned out to be 2 black easter eggers one gave me a light beige almost pink colored eggs and the other a nice green/blue colored eggs both of them gave me 1 egg a day it was a nice suprise .i think they are easter eggers because of the one laying that beige colored egg not ameraucana has a few had suggested
Sounds like you may have a Salmon Faverolle, a French breed. Google it.
I wondered what is the difference.
What if they have blue gray legs ?
Slate legs are the standard for Ameraucana leg color, a dark wash over white skin. If they are greenish, that means it's a dark wash over yellow legs, meaning not a proper Ameraucana. What you describe seems to be a proper slate leg.
Does it seem like your real blue eggs have a thinner shell than other eggs?
No, not necessarily, though I did have an Ameraucana hen years ago whose shells were never hatchable due to their fragility. She ate a lot of oyster shell, but I guess her body did not process her Vit D and Calcium well. Most of our blue eggs here now with this current group are strong as iron, but they're all just two years old. I have a mix of blue layers and green layers, though they are all considered Easter Eggers, not true Ameraucanas. I can't really recall much about my true Ameraucana hens' eggs other than that one I mentioned in the beginning. Most lived to be 11-14 years old and quit laying years before they passed away.
@@rootsrocksfeathers1975 Thanks!
@@rootsrocksfeathers1975Me and brother have noticed thinner eggs since we have Ameraucana type of they are real blue, the Easter Eggers shells seem fine, just put some in the incubator blue, brown and green I will take note of hatch rate for each color.
How is Hector and his leg?
Same. If he starts limping , I make him go inside and rest in his pen. Leg stuff takes forever to heal. I can't keep him away from his hens entirely to do it. I'm afraid he'd become depressed. Or his behavior would change for the worse. Had that happen once in the past.
Awee time to get some new girls! They're beautiful.
10.5 years old chicken???? Life span of Easter Egger is apparently 5-8. Laying for around 3 years
I just lost a 14 year old Ameraucana hen and an 11 year old Belgian D'Anver rooster to old age, never ill in their lives. I still have an Easter Egger who is also 14, from a breeder who was trying to create a new Ameraucana color, as well as a Barred Plymouth Rock hen from an old pure line who is 11 years old. Most of my chickens live past 10 years old. Chickens have the potential to live 20 years, though they rarely do. I had a Barred Rock hen who lived to be 13 years old and she produced eggs every single year until the last year of her life, the only year she skipped. They may not produce all those years, but they certainly can live that long (provided they are from good genetic lines, not hatchery stock, generally). I have hatchery Easter Eggers this year for the first time ever and I do not expect that those hens will live as long as the ones in previous years. Hatchery stock rarely lives as long as the non-hatchery stock.
@@rootsrocksfeathers1975 Wow that’s incredible. You obviously provide a very happy safe home. 😊 My current easter eggers slowed down laying partly because of winter but even as the weather improved it was hit and miss. But then my neighbors ended up with a rooster, and it seems when he started crowing, all 3 hens layed every day 🤣
@@Cathy_MidwestHome_Hens After losing most all my original hatchery flock to reproductive malfunctions and consulting a PhD in poultry science as they dropped one by one, he told me that I should get my stock from better sources. I took it to heart and began hatching eggs from breeders of quality stock. That changed everything. All the good care in the world cannot make up for sucky genetics! And I have fed the same good feed for almost 17 years now, Tucker Milling Show Flock (formerly Super Lay 22) which still contains animal protein(ETA: Not anymore, had to switch to another of their feeds for animal protein), plus they free range on a rotating basis. Haha, the neighbor's rooster was a "call to lay".
@@rootsrocksfeathers1975 ^^ This.
I love seeing your girl's and I'm also glad the devil didn't win🙌🙌 and your still uploading 🙏
Cackle hatchery has show ameraucanas
They do now carry some true Ameraucanas, wouldn't call them "show" Ameraucanas, but they are the real deal, I understand. That's a fairly new development. I have six of their Easter Eggers and at least a couple of those could pass for true Ameraucanas other than their egg color being green. It's good that some hatcheries are finally seeing the light and offering both separately!
@@rootsrocksfeathers1975 I also have Ameraucanas purchased from Cackle Hatchery. They've been developing their line since 2015. There are about nine different breeds which lay various degrees of blueish eggs. The darkest coming from the Black Ameraucana line. Note that their line of Ameraucanas have a genetic cross-beak defect that shows up 1 out of 100 chicks. I ordered the Blue Egger Female Surplus package and bought an additional 4 Black Americaunas. The hatchery gave me two additional chicks. I drove down to pick them up. Point is, I was unlucky enough to get a severe cross-beak defective chick. I will eventually have to terminate it at some point. Amercaunas lay around 180 to 200 eggs per year. Not a breed you'd want for egg production. The sexing rate is somewhere around 75 to 80 percent accurate. I use to breed Black Copper Marans until our barn burned down. I have a total of 16 live chicks I bought in early April and all are still healthy. I expect a couple will not make it, but that's part of raising chickens. I am hoping to breed Black Ameraucanas for the darkest blue eggs as I had been doing with my previous Black Copper Marans line until their demise several years ago.
Do ya need the rooster?
Only if you want the eggs to be fertilized so you can hatch chicks, though I do like roosters to watch out for the hens if they free range out of the pen, personally. But, no, they aren't necessary unless you plan to hatch eggs.