Once In a Blue Moon Farmstead

11/01/2025

Seeing a few eggs from my Ameraucana and my project pens. ❄️ 🪺

10/01/2025

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Do all the good you can, and make as little fuss about it as possible. -Charles Dickens
Artwork: Brenda Dorsey
Via Garden of Bright Images

08/01/2025

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New for 2025! Thank you for supporting the ABC!

08/01/2025

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JOIN THE AMERAUCANA BREEDERS CLUB FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $250 VISA GIFT CARD!

Dues start at $10 per year!

New members of the club are automatically entered into our new member prize drawing that will take place at our 2025 ABC national meet. You do not have to be present to win! New members of the club also receive a 90 page book that contains keys to successfully breeding Ameraucana chickens!

The purpose of the Ameraucana Breeders Club is to encourage the continued improvement of Ameraucana bantams and large fowl through breeding, exhibition and dissemination of relevant information.

Members of the ABC receive quarterly newsletters, forum access, are eligible to earn exhibitor points and can qualify to receive rosettes. Members can also list their hatching eggs, chicks and adult birds for sale in our Breeder Directory!

To join, click the following link!

http://www.ameraucanabreedersclub.org/membership.html

08/01/2025

Diane Jacky is working hard on the large fowl splash Ameraucana portraits for the APA Standard. ☀️🙂
So exciting! Thanks Diane!

08/01/2025

Does anyone else get excited about freshly cleaned nest boxes or just me? 😁 🧼

06/01/2025

One disqualification for the Ameraucana breed that you can easily assess for is yellow skin.

An Ameraucana should have white skin.

To check the skin color of your Ameraucana, take a look at the footpads. They should be white.

An example photo of white vs yellow skin is included below.

06/01/2025

I found three eggs in my self blue nest boxes today. 🙂

05/01/2025

Happy Sunday! 🙏🏻

02/01/2025

Thankful for the rays of sunshine my poultry hobby has brought into my life. One of those rays of ☀️ is our Western DD for the ABC, Lacie. My husband entered a new role at work today and she created a set of homemade chopsticks (Halloween themed of course because that’s his fav holiday) in memory of our first date.

I gifted them to him when he got home from work as a reminder to remember our roots.

Thanks Lacie!!! 🥰

02/01/2025

Another day, another egg. 🥳🪺

02/01/2025

My birds are starting to check out the nest boxes and I found an egg in a pen today. 🪺

Happy New Year everyone!

It’s going to be a good one. ☀️

31/12/2024

😁

28/12/2024

The new year is upon us!

An important upcoming task for individuals that are breeding to Standard will be to narrow down their Ameraucana and to set up breeding pens. Breeders that have a good line of Ameraucana hope for roughly 50% of chicks to be breeding quality and 10-25% to be show quality at sexual maturity.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the idea of narrowing your Ameraucana down, and wondering how to get started?

First, you should consider the disqualifications for the Ameraucana breed.

The two disqualifications for Ameraucana are:

1. Yellow skin
2. Lack of muffs/beard

Also, you should review general disqualifications and defects for poultry.

The next areas you need to take into consideration are:

1. Type
2. Weight
3. Plumage color requirements

Type is worth two thirds on the scale of points, and there are presently ten approved color varieties for the Ameraucana breed. An affordable postal scale can be purchased to weigh your Ameraucana in order to compare them with the standard weight requirements.

After reviewing the weight, type and plumage color requirements for Ameraucana, are there additional attributes that are worth considering?

Yes.

Attributes such as egg color, egg production, feather width, body width, vigor, and temperament should also be taken into consideration.

Before making a final decision about which Ameraucana to put in a breeding pen, have a mentor you trust look over your Ameraucana and give you feedback. It is also worthwhile to exhibit your Ameraucana under a licensed poultry judge.

Breeding poultry is much like any other endeavor. Your results are generally in direct proportion to the effort you put in.

28/12/2024

Last weekend of organizing birds here. 🙌🏻

If you haven’t done so already, now is a good time to set goals for your breeding season.

Cheers to 2025.

23/12/2024

Setting up more breeding pens today. Entering year 4 with bantam black Ameraucana. Fun hobby!

22/12/2024

A puddle of wheaten and blue wheaten. 😁