All this year, I’ve been growing out my new Ameraucana breeding stock, and they have turned out so nice! I am beyond thrilled!
Splash Pullet
In case you’re unfamiliar, the Ameraucana is a relatively new breed of chicken, having only been accepted by the American Poultry Association in 1984. They have quickly gained popularity, however, and are bred in a number of color varieties. We breed blacks, blues (which are both APA approved) and also splash. This last variety is a fun change from the more run-of-the-mill color schemes among chickens (see a picture of one of our splash pullets, right). Our original stock came from the show-stopper lines of Paul and Angela Smith in Texas.
Here at Storybook Farm, we raise four breeds of Large Fowl. By far, our favorites for personality, egg color, and overall cuteness are the Ameraucanas! They are not large birds as compared to our Light Sussex and Marans, but they are quick, bright, and funny. I love their feathery muffs that half hide their faces, while their expressive eyes peek out at you and twinkle merrily. Ours are curious, but shy. I have known people to make real pets of them, however, with a little effort–and a fair number of treats!
Three Beautiful Boys: Black, Splash, Blue
Ameraucanas are layers of large, blue eggs–the color of robin’s eggs! Their feather colors are beautiful: the blacks have a deep green sheen. The blues have delicate lacing on their feathers. The splash are a funky mixture of black and white. If it’s a fun factor you’re after, you’ve come to the right place with Ameraucanas!
We managed to raise three beautiful boys this year. Our black cock, especially, is large and lovely, but the other two are great as well. Because we have one of each, we can mix and match with our four blue hens and two splash hens to get all three color combinations. In case you’ve never learned this before, the “blue” gene is actually acting to dilute black coloration in feathers are achieved by breeding differing colors together. Chicks inherit one of a pair of genes from each parent. The combinations that result give the following colors in chickens:
When there is no blue gene present in the pair, any black markings will be normally colored (i.e. they will appear black)
When there is one blue gene present in the pair, any feathers that would have been black on the bird will be diluted to blue (which can appear as anything from a slate gray to a darker, colonial blue color).
When there are two blue genes present in the pair, any black will be diluted to (blue splashed) white. This variety is called “splash.”
We are so looking forward to being able to offer hatching eggs and day-old chicks from these parents in the coming 2019 hatching season! First, we have to brave the cold, but we are praying that they’ll all come through just fine, and we’ll have lots of beautiful babies to share come spring! If you’d like to reserve chicks for 2019, please email us today.
This is post #2 of 2 in a series on keeping chickens with children.
Post #1 focused on the research you should do, and decisions that you as the adult should come to, before you introduce the idea of a chicken-keeping project to your child. If you take the time to narrow down options, and identify your goals for this adventure, you have more options and a greater chance of success.
1. From the list you’ve narrowed down, help your child to choose his breed(s).
He might want to specialize in one breed if he’s thinking of breeding and showing in the future, but most kids will want an assortment of breeds when starting out. This gives a rainbow egg basket, and variety in the hens’ appearances. There’s always time to specialize later if you become interested in breeding more seriously.
2. From your earlier research, with your child, choose your breeder.
There are large hatcheries that provide (how to put this?) basic chicks inexpensively. (Read a good article on this here.) These chicks would not be exhibition quality and, more importantly, as the article states, large hatchery chicks tend to be weaker, watered down versions of the terrific birds of yesteryear. Large hatcheries usually allow random breeding (many roosters among many hens in large poultry houses), whereas those who breed heritage birds for exhibition or simply to improve their breeds use selective mating. The difference here is similar to buying a puppy from a pet store vs. a breeder. Generally, the rule is you get what you pay for with chicks. I wrote a whole blog post on this, if you want even more food for thought.
In case you’re wondering: I put this step here because involving your child in this decision gives him experience in cost/benefit choices that we all make in the adult world. However, you may want to narrow down his choices ahead of involving him, so as to not get his hopes pinned on one gorgeous picture that a hatchery happens to post. After you make this choice together, you’ll need to read details about how to order chicks from your breeder (all are different) and when to expect them after you do. But — before you order — read on!
3. Purchase (or build with your child) a coop for your chicks well ahead of their arrival.
Some people start chicks in a simple brooder — it can be a box or baby’s wading pool with a light for heat, food, water, and shavings that starts in your house, but quite quickly you want to move the chicks to their permanent coop.
Note well, please: chicks produce dust after about a week or two that can be dangerous to humans, especially if it gets into food. Always keep chicks in the house for as short a time as possible, and don’t brood them in your kitchen ever.
There are as many plans for making coops as there are people keeping chickens. In this post, I talk about the best coop I’ve ever worked with, and sell plans for it here. In this post, I talk about general features to look for in any coop plans. Check them out, discuss their features with your child, and be sure to get that coop (and all needed equipment, like food, water, and feeders/waterers, as well as grit, perches, etc.) in place before ordering any chicks or hatching eggs! (If you plan to hatch eggs, you’ll need an incubator as well!)
4. Now you can order your peeps (or hatching eggs)!
Again, I’m not a fan of starting with hatching eggs as a beginner, but if that’s your choice, then order hatching eggs at this point. Otherwise, order your peeps and start talking with your child about feeding and watering practices.
As stated above, you and your child can both access online communities where you can learn about rearing chicks. We, at Storybook Farm, sell four different breeds of large fowl, heritage chickens. All of them are excellent choices as dual purpose, gentle, friendly birds. (They are grandchild tested, so we know for sure! 🤗 ) If you are interested in learning about our French Copper Marans, our Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks, our Light Sussex, or our Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas, click here.
This article should get you started. Do you have any questions? Feel free to post comments and I’ll do my best to answer. Good luck!
I birthed, raised, and homeschooled six kids: three boys and three girls. I’m nearing my 60th birthday (April of 2018, and yes, it’s surreal, thanks for asking), and I’m blessed with 10 grandchildren who visit us often. All of my grandchildren love doing farm chores, but our most avid young farmer is probably my two-year-old sweetie, named Torri.
Torri & Grandpa check for eggs
If Grandpa gets his boots on in the morning, Torri scrambles to find her “farm boots” — which her mom says she had better remember to pack when she comes, or else Torri will go out barefoot!
Grandpa and Torri feed the calves their grain, and make quick work of mucking the horses’ stall before beginning the real joy of the morning: feeding the chickens!
Because we use small Family Coops in a clan mating program, we have lots of small feed and water bowls at just Torri’s height. She truly can help with the chores! With just a little help from Grandpa, two-year-old Torri can open the nesting box and look for eggs, she can pull the cord to open the pop door, and she can feed and water the chickens. Because our Family Coops are designed as they are, she does much of this work herself, and comes out clean after doing so! (Read more about this here.)
Torri (and our other grandchildren) have also enjoyed helping with incubating eggs. They love to watch me candle eggs. They are fascinated to see chicks hatch (aren’t we all?). I have shared hatches with my grandchildren via FaceTime: you can see grandson Hector watching the chick hatch all the way from Maryland in this picture to the right!
And of course they all love to hold the fluffy darling chicks as soon as they are dry enough to do so. One task we set them is to watch the smallest chicks –usually the last to hatch — as we put them into the brooder. They make sure that the older chicks don’t peck or heckle younger ones.
Some of my older grandchildren have become quite adept at catching adolescent chickens when it’s time to move them to bigger pens as they grow out. They are not afraid to hold the flapping birds and help us to clip their primary wing feathers so that they’ll be safe in uncovered garden pens.
All this to say: generally speaking, children and chickens are natural together.
I know that my grandchildren come by a love of the farm honestly. It’s in their blood, and nurture! I always loved animals, and our family enjoyed a huge variety of pets growing up. To list a few, we had: salt water fish/corals, chinchillas, a ferret, white rats, a guinea pig, horses, an octopus, parakeets, and dogs.
Being a homeschooler, I was always on the lookout for projects that my young children could do. I wanted ones that would bring a sense of independence, hands-on learning, and delight in nature (and nature’s God). Book learning is necessary, but I always felt that my kids should also have as close a connection with what I called “the elements” as possible. For this reason, for instance, we chose to heat our home with wood when we could, took our kids to zoos and nature centers, and (of course) had all those pets.
Kids Should Consider Keeping Chickens
Raising, breeding, and even showing chickens are all well within the realm of a young child’s abilities. Most of the work can be done by them independent of hands-on adult supervision. Thirty years ago, when my kids were born, the backyard chicken movement hadn’t gotten underway. Our suburbs didn’t allow us to keep chickens, much less our HOAs. So, I never even considered chicken farming as a project for my homeschooled kids.
But, today I sure would! Things have changed. The movement towards buying food that’s fresh and local, and as organic as possible, has led to chicken advocates across America lobbying successfully for the ability to keep small flocks in backyards. Chickens are easy to keep, hardy, and inexpensive to buy. Like all pets, they need housing, food, and attention.
So, here are 10 reasons to consider encouraging (and financing) your child’s chicken project:
Chickens are the right size. Whether your child chooses bantams (miniature chickens) or large fowl breeds, chicks are certainly not intimidating when you purchase them as babies, and they tend to grow up to be very tame. Kids can handle adult chickens all on their own, usually without intimidation.
Chicks are adorable, and then they grow up to be beautiful birds. Aesthetically, chicks are as cute as puppies, and you don’t have to housebreak them. Kids have a huge variety of breeds to choose from when starting out, which is part of the fun. They can choose heritage breeds, and help save them from extinction. This is meaningful, but perhaps they’ll choose more exotic breeds for their amazing plumage. It’s up to them. 🤔
Forget the parakeets! Chickens are far more hardy and handleable! Chickens will eat treats from a child’s hand, sit on her lap (with training) and follow her around the yard. Chicken antics and expressions are funny and endearing. Chickens are great pets by any standards!
For those with allergies to furry pets (like some of my grandchildren) birds can offer an great alternative. And chickens are great birds to choose (see #3). Chicks are cheap, and their housing can be as reasonable as any other pet. (Older children can assist in building a chicken coop as well, which is a great hands-on project itself!
The life cycle of a chicken — especially egg formation/laying and then hatching eggs — is fascinating and brings great glory to the Creator God. You can study chickens and be amazed at how they propagate and grow.
If your ordinances permit a rooster, your child can breed chickens. He can learn about genetics, and become an astute observer of breed traits, good and bad, in the birds he breeds. He can raise better and better birds each year. Ordinances may limit the number of birds you can keep, but if you are in a rural setting, you don’t need a lot of space to dedicate to breeding chickens, and it’s easier than breeding puppies!
Possibly, there is no cheaper or easier animal to show. If your child likes to compete, she can enter her chickens in shows large and small, near and far. This is a great experience for many young people, offering honest feedback on your child’s efforts. Most counties have a 4-H office, or YFA where you can learn more about showing.
Torri feeding chickens
Don’t forget the eggs! The same satisfaction that a gardener experiences is felt when your child, day after day, goes out to the coop to harvest eggs for his family’s consumption. Different breeds lay different colored eggs. Your child might want to choose breeds that yield a rainbow egg basket.
As with all pets, keeping chickens will teach your child to be consistent and responsible. Chicken pens do not need to be stinky or difficult to clean. There are methods of bedding and there are coop designs that minimize the work and unpleasantness of tending chickens. Most birds can be tended only morning and evening, so those in traditional schools can keep chickens just as well as can homeschoolers.
Going all out, your child could dabble in a home business. She can sell table eggs (in your neighborhood, or at a local farmers market). If a rooster is allowed, she can sell hatching eggs and/or day-old baby chicks! This last one will need adult help and supervision, because there are permits and car trips involved, but the child can do much of this home business on his or her own!
Do you have questions or comments related to this topic? Feel encouraged to comment below if so!
When there is no blue gene present in the pair, any black markings will be normally colored (i.e. they will appear black)
Torri (and our other grandchildren) have also enjoyed helping with incubating eggs. They love to watch me candle eggs. They are fascinated to see chicks hatch (aren’t we all?). I have shared hatches with my grandchildren via FaceTime: you can see grandson Hector watching the chick hatch all the way from Maryland in this picture to the right!