White Bantams

[Mike Gilbert]

Rande Buske brought me the last of his White Ameraucana bantams today.   He has been raising them over 30 years, and was one of the early recipients of the Ameraucana Lifetime Achievement Award.   There is one 2015 cock bird and nine hens, all but one of them hatched in 2015.    I only plan to keep two or three of the hens, so there is the cock and six or seven hens available.   I would be happy to deliver these to our local Coulee Region Poultry Club show on June 4th for interested buyer(s).   They will go for $10 per bird.  That is a bargain for anyone interested in the bantam whites.  BTW, Randy is selling his home so will have no place to keep the chickens any more.  We had a nice three hour visit today reminiscing about old times.   He also brought me the late Bernard Kellogg's collection of ABA yearbooks and APA & ABA Standards.   The oldest is one dated 1886 titled the Standard of Excellence.   Many of these are 70 - 80 - 90 years old.   Bernard had stipulated they are not to be sold.   But they could be donated for awards, raffles, etc.   I realize most of you probably never heard of Bernard Kellogg, but he was our club's first historian and an enthusiastic booster of the Ameraucana bantam. 

[John W Blehm]

Maybe some of the books could be donated to a silent auction at our National Meet, in October.  This may be the best place to and way to keep them in the hands of fanciers while boosting the club's treasury.  There would be plenty of time to promote it. 

[Gina Neta]

Mike - I am interested in the white bantams.  I will buy what's left please.  I love white birds!!!  Thanks Mike - this is a great opportunity. 

[Mike Gilbert]

Hi Gina,
I thought you might be interested.   You may not want all the females available because I think I spotted one or two with real dark eye color.   But you are welcome to take whatever you like.  Even a trio or quad would give you a real good start.  I believe Randy did say they are not vaccinated for anything, but they all appear healthy, and they are quarantined from the rest of my flock in individual show cages.  One laid an egg this afternoon and the color is good. 

Mike

[Gina Neta]

I will definitely take a quad Mike.  I will quarantine them as well, and plan on vaccinating again this summer now that hatching is complete.  Looking forward to seeing everyone in a couple weeks!  I really missed this show last year.  How do the numbers look so far?  It can be hard to find birds old enough and in good condition this time of year, but I'm bringing a few anyway. 

[Suki]

Oh what a pity I'm not going to Coulee.  Oh well, another time another dollar.  As for the books, wouldn't they be better used for the current historian's purposes than for sale?

Sue

[Mike Gilbert]

Oh what a pity I'm not going to Coulee.  Oh well, another time another dollar.  As for the books, wouldn't they be better used for the current historian's purposes than for sale?Sue

I don't believe we have an historian currently.    But the books don't deal with Ameraucana, just standard-bred poultry in general.   Old Standards, yearbooks, and the like from the APA and ABA.

[Suki]

Oh what a pity I'm not going to Coulee.  Oh well, another time another dollar.  As for the books, wouldn't they be better used for the current historian's purposes than for sale?Sue

I don't believe we have an historian currently.    But the books don't deal with Ameraucana, just standard-bred poultry in general.   Old Standards, yearbooks, and the like from the APA and ABA.

That I understood but obviously Mr Kellogg thought that those books had some revelance to his current work, no?  Perhaps as seeing the Ameraucana the epitome of the American bird, and used those books to buttress his points?  Or did he just like the history of poultry in general?

[John W Blehm]

Bernie's first love when it came to poultry was Naked Necks, I believe.  It was many years ago, but I remember seeing an upstairs bedroom dedicated to the Hen on a Nest collection and the live Naked Necks in the cellar.

[Mike Gilbert]

The antique glass hen-on-a-nest collection is up for sale.  Somewhere between 500 and 600 pieces, and many of them quite rare and valuable.   Randy Buske inherited the collection from Bernard, and he is the one looking for a buyer.    I'm thinking about $12,500 would take the entire set - or make Randy an offer.   Opportunities like this are very rare.   If we had the room in our house I would buy them myself, but we don't.