Interest in Chicks and started birds

[Russ Blair]

Happy New Years everyone,
  I have been getting a lot of interest in eggs, chicks and started birds. I haven’t offered any chicks or eggs in over 3 years mainly due to the postal services poor handling and multiple predator attacks that caused me to rebuild my flocks. I will not being selling hatching eggs (due to the postal service)  but am toying with taking a few orders for bantam chicks and started birds for fall pick up at shows I attend. Unfortunately my large fowl blues still have too many flaws in my opinion to offer them to the public, despite my splash hens surprise placing of Res Ch Ameraucana overall, Res AOSB, BB and BV at our 2023 National Meet. 

 These offerings would be to Ameraucana Alliance members only, due to my small scale operation. Being a small scale operation the only real option I would have for chicks would be an assortment box type of deal. I would take priority in the varieties requested by preference to fill the order but would need a minimum of 20 ordered to fill a box, which I doubt I could do in just one variety. I will be asking $5 per chick, minimum of 20 and maximum of 25 per order (with plenty of extras included to hopefully offset any DOA) plus actual shipping cost.

I am only going to accept a small handful of orders with hopes of them starting to ship sometime around the first of April/May. I could include these varieties I currently raise Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Self Blue/Lavender, Splash and Wheaten. Unfortunately I don’t have enough breeders to offer any Buff or Silver Bantams at this time since I will need to keep any that hatch for future breeding.

All the breeding pens I have set up are the same pens I will be getting all of my show birds from so I am confident in the chicks anyone will receive. There are birds in them that have won BV, BB, Ch AOCCL, Res Ch AOCCL, and even 1 I know of that went on to place Res Ch Bantam and Res Champion Of the entire Show with over 1,700 entries this past summer/fall. Started Young birds will be available this fall if that’s what you want, and what I recommend for anyone wanting a good start, priced according to quality with a range of $20-$100. 

If you want on the list for chicks they will need to be prepaid to be put on the list, young birds I prefer you put them in hand before money is transferred (which is why they are pick up at shows I attend only), feel free to contact me. My phone number is (419) 410-2613 email is slicktree@hotmail.com Oh I can’t promise any of the chicks will be “Show Quality” due to the many variables related to conditioning and rearing of them. I will just say if you doubt the quality of bantam Ameraucana I am offering feel free to check the current exhibitor points I have accumulated, look at the archive winter newsletters for the Meet reports from fall shows of the many wins I have been blessed with starting in 2013, by our Lord and Savior, or I can gladly give plenty of references. Thanks for reading this and God Bless.

[Mike Gilbert]

Russ, if you are planning to come to our spring show in Galesville scheduled for June 1, and if you will still be hatching at that time, I would like to order some bantam Brown Red chicks.  I would take any number up to 15 and could send you a deposit.  That way they would not need to be shipped.  I kept just 3 pullets to breed from this year, and only one of them has been laying. 

[Russ Blair]

I can definitely do that Mike, put you on the list.

[Laurie Ashley]

Please put me down for a variety box (20), preferences for brown red, wheaten/blue wheaten, and fill in with whatever you have on hand I plan to attend the shows up north end of May, beginning of June and could pick up, unless your able to ship earlier in the year, in which case I would gladly pay for express shipping, box expense, etc. just let me know where to send payment.

[Russ Blair]

Sounds good Laurie

[Angela Furton]

If you decide to open up an order for blues from your large fowl, please let me know. I work with Splash and could use some new Blues.

[Jessica Loree]

Please put me down for a variety box (20), preferences for brown red, blue (BBS is ok), Self-Blue and fill in with whatever you have on hand. I plan to attend the northern shows at the end of May, beginning of June and could pick up, unless your able to ship earlier than that, in which case I would gladly pay for express shipping, box expense, etc. just let me know how / where to send payment. 

[Russ Blair]

Put you down Jessica, I should hopefully start sending them out next month, mid April. I will email you with an expected shipping date and then we can adjust if there’s a conflict in your schedule.

[Laurie Ashley]

Would you have grown birds available, after your mink attack I know some varieties are scarce to come by.  We are planning a trip up north for the holidays to see family up there

[Russ Blair]

I just delivered a few trios and pairs but may have something in the barn yet. Let me look after Aaron Ault picks his up tomorrow