MATT HEMMER TRANSFERS FLOCK TO HOOVER HATCHERY
April 10,2024
We are pleased to report that after much reflection and new seasons that transition individual lives, Matt Hemmer has transferred his flock to Hoover Hatchery. Over the past few years Matt has had an excellent working relationship with members of the Hoover Hatchery team, making this transition an easier choice. We are excited to see Hoover Hatchery carry on the excellent work Matt began, and we look forward to the Erminette becoming a standard choice for flock owners with the support and infrastructure Hoover Hatchery provides.
April 10,2024
We are pleased to report that after much reflection and new seasons that transition individual lives, Matt Hemmer has transferred his flock to Hoover Hatchery. Over the past few years Matt has had an excellent working relationship with members of the Hoover Hatchery team, making this transition an easier choice. We are excited to see Hoover Hatchery carry on the excellent work Matt began, and we look forward to the Erminette becoming a standard choice for flock owners with the support and infrastructure Hoover Hatchery provides.
CACKLE HATCHERY SELLS ERMINETTE AMERAUCANAS
April 9, 2024
New for the 2024 hatching season, Cackle Hatchery is selling Erminette Ameraucanas in limited numbers. While these are Erminette colored Ameraucanas and not Erminettes as defined by our breed standard, we are excited to help champion other breeds incorporating the Erminette color pattern as an additional pattern to their breeds. These are beautiful birds and we are eager to see how Cackle Hatchery develops their breeding flock. Hopefully they will prove popular!
The picture below is from the website of Cackle Hatchery
April 9, 2024
New for the 2024 hatching season, Cackle Hatchery is selling Erminette Ameraucanas in limited numbers. While these are Erminette colored Ameraucanas and not Erminettes as defined by our breed standard, we are excited to help champion other breeds incorporating the Erminette color pattern as an additional pattern to their breeds. These are beautiful birds and we are eager to see how Cackle Hatchery develops their breeding flock. Hopefully they will prove popular!
The picture below is from the website of Cackle Hatchery
We are excited to announce that THE AMERICAN ERMINETTE by Curt Burroughs has been published and is now available for sale.
With 144 pages and over 150 photos, The American Erminette is the most extensive publication ever produced regarding the Erminette breed of chickens. Author Curtis Burroughs has compiled a remarkable recollection of the breed's forgotten history including photographs of some of the originators as well as historical drawings and photographs of the various founding bloodlines. Also included are chapters highlighting modern history and the incredible rescue story, breed census, the Erminette Standard, utility qualities, genetics, notes on Erminette type, Rose Comb Erminettes , Red Erminettes, and more. Whether you are just getting started with Erminettes, a seasoned breeder, or a poultry enthusiast this book is an invaluable tool which will help you sharpen you skills, improve your flock, and deepen your historical understanding of poultry breeding in the United States. |
1.13.21
Below are recent photos of our male Fernando and the best pullet I have ever raised. At seven months of age she weighed 6.25 lbs and is the largest, and tallest, Erminette female I have seen to date. It is hard to tell in the photo, but she towers over all the other hens in the coop, even the large three year old hens.
My first Erminettes six years ago were too upright and disproportionate in their appearance. In fact, they were so upright in carriage that the males often walked in a marching fashion. Unfortunately, too many birds today (particularly males) are still expressing this fault.
In a lot of the older photos from a few years ago one will see in the males that there legs are almost directly aligned under their heads which threw off their balance. I was fortunate this year to have a cross which produced level bodied birds whose legs are aligned under their backs instead of their heads.
The pullet below is not yet named (she really should be by now), but this pullet has a style that makes her fun to look at, not to mention she's a beast in size and full of personality. I am especially looking forward to the offspring out of these two. Regarding the pullet, I would like to see a bit more length of body and more solid black feathers and no white feathers with streaks of black in them.
Below are recent photos of our male Fernando and the best pullet I have ever raised. At seven months of age she weighed 6.25 lbs and is the largest, and tallest, Erminette female I have seen to date. It is hard to tell in the photo, but she towers over all the other hens in the coop, even the large three year old hens.
My first Erminettes six years ago were too upright and disproportionate in their appearance. In fact, they were so upright in carriage that the males often walked in a marching fashion. Unfortunately, too many birds today (particularly males) are still expressing this fault.
In a lot of the older photos from a few years ago one will see in the males that there legs are almost directly aligned under their heads which threw off their balance. I was fortunate this year to have a cross which produced level bodied birds whose legs are aligned under their backs instead of their heads.
The pullet below is not yet named (she really should be by now), but this pullet has a style that makes her fun to look at, not to mention she's a beast in size and full of personality. I am especially looking forward to the offspring out of these two. Regarding the pullet, I would like to see a bit more length of body and more solid black feathers and no white feathers with streaks of black in them.
Some more photos. It should be noted that the pictures above, below, from the 21st and 16th of November were all taken by our eight year old daughter. I think she is better at it than I am!
Below are three pics of the large pullet from above. In the middle picture you can see the pullet next to one of my larger hens. It helps to give a visual of how enormous this pullet really is.
Below are three pics of the large pullet from above. In the middle picture you can see the pullet next to one of my larger hens. It helps to give a visual of how enormous this pullet really is.
11.21.20
Normally I don't update this soon, however, I met with Matt Hemmer and brought home two new pullets. The hope is to breed these two young ladies to my young male Fernando and raise up a couple of good males to send back to Matt in Kansas. The pic to the left has the two new pullets in the front with a younger gal I raised behind them. The pic on the right is the better of the two pullets (the same younger gal is in the background). This one has great promise of crossing well with Fernando. The rest of the pics are of the flock to enjoy.
Normally I don't update this soon, however, I met with Matt Hemmer and brought home two new pullets. The hope is to breed these two young ladies to my young male Fernando and raise up a couple of good males to send back to Matt in Kansas. The pic to the left has the two new pullets in the front with a younger gal I raised behind them. The pic on the right is the better of the two pullets (the same younger gal is in the background). This one has great promise of crossing well with Fernando. The rest of the pics are of the flock to enjoy.
11.16.20
Took a few pictures yesterday and today of the young male I raised up as my breeding male for next year. He is currently six months old and has put on some nice growth. The children named him Fernando. To the right is his mother, Duchess. She is one of my favorite hens in all the Erminettes I've seen, and I think her son is quite exceptional. He is just as level in his backline and will possess the depth of body as Duchess has once he is matured.
Took a few pictures yesterday and today of the young male I raised up as my breeding male for next year. He is currently six months old and has put on some nice growth. The children named him Fernando. To the right is his mother, Duchess. She is one of my favorite hens in all the Erminettes I've seen, and I think her son is quite exceptional. He is just as level in his backline and will possess the depth of body as Duchess has once he is matured.
Here are some more photos of Fernando. He was the largest male I raised this year and I am very excited to see how his offspring develop once the next breeding season commences. These White Erminettes really remind me of the way White Plymouth Rocks looked in the 1940's and 1950's. The main differences are that the the Erminette males are not aggressive like Plymouth Rock males are, and Erminettes lay more eggs than the Rocks of that time period.
And here are some photos of Fernando with his ladies.
8.9.20
Below are some photos of this year's offspring. They are showing some real potential. The best young male I hatched out was solid white so I will be using him as my new breeding male. We live in town, so we are only allowed to keep back one male. We usually keep our males until a young one is hatched which is an improvement to the old male and then we replace the old male.
My best birds this year all happened to be white, so we will have a nice group of white birds. You will see in the photos how long the pullets are from head to tail. I have always selected longer birds as they seemed to grow up to be the best layers. I was reading through an old Wyandotte book from the 1920's and the author was discussing the 'new' fad of rounding the Wyandotte. He stated, 'If the current fad of rounding out the edges of our Wyandottes continues, the Wyandotte will not longer be valuable for the practical keeper.' He noted that the longer the bird was the greater the opportunity for egg production. This principle seems to be true when dealing with Erminettes.
Below are some photos of this year's offspring. They are showing some real potential. The best young male I hatched out was solid white so I will be using him as my new breeding male. We live in town, so we are only allowed to keep back one male. We usually keep our males until a young one is hatched which is an improvement to the old male and then we replace the old male.
My best birds this year all happened to be white, so we will have a nice group of white birds. You will see in the photos how long the pullets are from head to tail. I have always selected longer birds as they seemed to grow up to be the best layers. I was reading through an old Wyandotte book from the 1920's and the author was discussing the 'new' fad of rounding the Wyandotte. He stated, 'If the current fad of rounding out the edges of our Wyandottes continues, the Wyandotte will not longer be valuable for the practical keeper.' He noted that the longer the bird was the greater the opportunity for egg production. This principle seems to be true when dealing with Erminettes.
Some photos of our first batch of chicks born the end of March 2020. A nice group of chicks. We usually hatch out a few hundred chicks and then cull them out to the best 10 pullets and a male if we can find one better than our flock male.
An update on the Rose Comb Erminette project. The project has been slowly coming along. It has been hard to get the right black to white ratio. I am still getting too much black on the plumage, legs, and beaks. But slowly things are getting better. I only keep back a few of the best each year and slowly, progress is being made.
The Rose Comb Erminettes lay much darker eggs than the Singe Comb Erminettes. You can see in the photo below a comparison of the two types. On the left the Rose Comb, on the right the Single Comb.
The Rose Comb Erminettes lay much darker eggs than the Singe Comb Erminettes. You can see in the photo below a comparison of the two types. On the left the Rose Comb, on the right the Single Comb.
My favorite hen named Duchess. She is such a pleasant hen with all the characteristics one would want in a hen. Gentle, highly productive, large bodied, produces pullets of her great type and function, and this year she went broody and is raising a clutch of chicks. She is very protective of her chicks, but so gentle with the children that they can come up and handle the chicks without the slightest protest from Duchess. What more could one ask for?
And this is what Erminettes do best!
3.26.20
Here is a short update on a project I have been working on for some time - a rose comb Erminette. Below is a side by side photo of a single comb pullet from three years ago with a rose comb pullet hatched last summer. I think the comparison shows how close to type I am getting with the rose combs. This rose comb pullet has good type, good size, and lays a nice warm brown egg. She has slightly more black on her than is desired, but hopefully the next generation will show improvement on that. I have three rose comb pullets that I saved back from last year and this is the best of the three. I will update on progress as the hatches from this year develop. Our first rose combed chicks for the year were hatched a week and a half ago and are showing good promise. Time will tell if they make the grade or not.
Here is a short update on a project I have been working on for some time - a rose comb Erminette. Below is a side by side photo of a single comb pullet from three years ago with a rose comb pullet hatched last summer. I think the comparison shows how close to type I am getting with the rose combs. This rose comb pullet has good type, good size, and lays a nice warm brown egg. She has slightly more black on her than is desired, but hopefully the next generation will show improvement on that. I have three rose comb pullets that I saved back from last year and this is the best of the three. I will update on progress as the hatches from this year develop. Our first rose combed chicks for the year were hatched a week and a half ago and are showing good promise. Time will tell if they make the grade or not.
Here are some more photos of the flock, including a few with the rosecomb Erminettes. The rooster is a young yearling male from last year.
Every now and then an Erminette will mature with pearl eyes. The hen on the left has pearl eyes, the hen on the right has the common bay colored eyes. I have had three hens now in the five years mature with pearl eyes. So this trait is not very common considering I have hatched out over a thousand chicks. In the first group of Erminettes I acquired, I received a hen with pearl eyes at maturity and I have always made a point to keep at least one hen with these eyes. I pen breed them to make sure I keep offspring out of them to try to keep the trait around so as not to loose it. So far I haven't had a male mature with pearl eyes. A few people who got chicks from me have had hens develop pearl eyes, but so far no males. I don't know of any other breeder who is purposely maintaining this trait in their flocks.
And a few more pictures to enjoy.
6.15.19
We had a second hen, Skip, go broody on us. She hatched out 13 chicks today. All are happy and healthy. Skip and No Name have been very easy broody hens for us. Neither have been aggressive on us and even let the children come and hold the chicks without complaint. Broody hens I've had in the past would have torn our hands and arms up! I do have a couple of Erminette hens that would be very aggressive if they ever go broody as they are angry hens when they are laying eggs. But they have been the exception to the rule so far. Most hens just let you come and take the eggs and don't make a sound.
Here is a pic of Skip and her brood, a pic of one of her chicks with a black 'collar', and a pic of the rooster and a few hens up close to the house.
We had a second hen, Skip, go broody on us. She hatched out 13 chicks today. All are happy and healthy. Skip and No Name have been very easy broody hens for us. Neither have been aggressive on us and even let the children come and hold the chicks without complaint. Broody hens I've had in the past would have torn our hands and arms up! I do have a couple of Erminette hens that would be very aggressive if they ever go broody as they are angry hens when they are laying eggs. But they have been the exception to the rule so far. Most hens just let you come and take the eggs and don't make a sound.
Here is a pic of Skip and her brood, a pic of one of her chicks with a black 'collar', and a pic of the rooster and a few hens up close to the house.
6.11.19
Here are some pictures of our chicken coop. We have had some people ask how our coop stays so clean. Every time during decent weather when the coop needs to be cleaned out, I will spray down the walls with a spray hose. The water washes all the dust and cobwebs out and is absorbed by the bedding and manure below. Then I scoop everything out and it minimizes the dustiness of cleaning out the coop.
This process has worked out really well for us and keeps our coop smelling fresh like wood chips.
Here are some pictures of our chicken coop. We have had some people ask how our coop stays so clean. Every time during decent weather when the coop needs to be cleaned out, I will spray down the walls with a spray hose. The water washes all the dust and cobwebs out and is absorbed by the bedding and manure below. Then I scoop everything out and it minimizes the dustiness of cleaning out the coop.
This process has worked out really well for us and keeps our coop smelling fresh like wood chips.
6.3.19
Some updated photos of No Name and her chicks. They are growing well. Also, some pictures of part of the flock out grazing in the morning.
Some updated photos of No Name and her chicks. They are growing well. Also, some pictures of part of the flock out grazing in the morning.
5.26.19
A short update of my book I am writing on the Erminette. Currently the manuscript is 143 pages long. It is still a work in progress as there is much to discuss regarding our current breeding progress and we are still learning more and more about the breed. Regarding the history of the breed, I have been able to locate photos of breeders from the late 1800's- the 1930's as well as a rare photo of a rose combed Erminette from the 1920's. I think the historical section is especially interesting.
A work of this magnitude was certainly more than I expected, however it has been a wonderful experience for me. I still have a couple more chapters I want to complete as well as some more photos of the birds. There are lots of photos already, but more is always merrier.
A short update of my book I am writing on the Erminette. Currently the manuscript is 143 pages long. It is still a work in progress as there is much to discuss regarding our current breeding progress and we are still learning more and more about the breed. Regarding the history of the breed, I have been able to locate photos of breeders from the late 1800's- the 1930's as well as a rare photo of a rose combed Erminette from the 1920's. I think the historical section is especially interesting.
A work of this magnitude was certainly more than I expected, however it has been a wonderful experience for me. I still have a couple more chapters I want to complete as well as some more photos of the birds. There are lots of photos already, but more is always merrier.
5.24.19
We hatched out 10 more chicks from the incubator three days ago. This hatch produced 3 solid black, 5 Erminette, and 1 solid which chicks. These are the results of some pen breeding that I did so I am excited to see how they develop. We have a nice little group here. We put them under our broody hen No Name who hatched out chicks last week. She how has 20 chicks to tend to and is very happy, and very full. We introduced the chicks to her lastnight after she had settled down for the night. All were right as rain this morning when I went out to check on them.
We hatched out 10 more chicks from the incubator three days ago. This hatch produced 3 solid black, 5 Erminette, and 1 solid which chicks. These are the results of some pen breeding that I did so I am excited to see how they develop. We have a nice little group here. We put them under our broody hen No Name who hatched out chicks last week. She how has 20 chicks to tend to and is very happy, and very full. We introduced the chicks to her lastnight after she had settled down for the night. All were right as rain this morning when I went out to check on them.
5.15.19
For the past two days our broody hen No Name has been brooding over her chicks as they were hatching. This morning she was going in and out of the nest to get the chicks to join her. We had 11 of the 12 eggs hatch. No Name is EXTREMELY docile and will not peck at any of us. We can put our hands under her and hold the chicks and she just clucks. We have other hens that would not be so kind if they ever go broody. An interesting side note, this is the first documented Erminette to hatch a clutch of chicks in 80 years! The last recorded account of an Erminette hatching chicks was in 1939. Hopefully this is a start of an exciting chapter in Erminette breeding.
For the past two days our broody hen No Name has been brooding over her chicks as they were hatching. This morning she was going in and out of the nest to get the chicks to join her. We had 11 of the 12 eggs hatch. No Name is EXTREMELY docile and will not peck at any of us. We can put our hands under her and hold the chicks and she just clucks. We have other hens that would not be so kind if they ever go broody. An interesting side note, this is the first documented Erminette to hatch a clutch of chicks in 80 years! The last recorded account of an Erminette hatching chicks was in 1939. Hopefully this is a start of an exciting chapter in Erminette breeding.
4.24.19
We had our first broody hen after four years of raising Erminettes. Her name is No Name, and she is a yearling hen. She was flirting with going broody for the past seven days and finally decided to go all in. I moved her lastnight into a nice quiet area where she can carry out her 'confinement' in peace. She seemed hesitant at first of her new quarters (even though I moved her at night) but she was hunkered down real nice when I came to check on her this morning.
We had our first broody hen after four years of raising Erminettes. Her name is No Name, and she is a yearling hen. She was flirting with going broody for the past seven days and finally decided to go all in. I moved her lastnight into a nice quiet area where she can carry out her 'confinement' in peace. She seemed hesitant at first of her new quarters (even though I moved her at night) but she was hunkered down real nice when I came to check on her this morning.
On the left is a nice yearling hen we call Skip and the middle and right pics are both of Duchess. She's one of my favorite hens. Extremely prolific at laying and she has a nice, deep, capacious, plump conformation.
Below left is a pic of Lily. Lily is three years old and a daughter of our original male Tyke (who was once the only correctly colored male with correct skin color in the world). In the right photo is Durham, a son of Tyke, with Lily and Polly. Polly is a half sister to Lily, she's also three years old and again, is fathered by Tyke.
And last but not least, a pic of another young son of Tyke named Whitehawk and a pic of some of the other ladies.
4.21.19
Update on the chicks from the January 16th post. We retained three pullets from this hatch and found homes for the rest. These three are coming along nicely and putting on good size and weight. This stage always looks so scraggly, but you can see the type working its way out. Next to them is one of our children's favorite hens Lady. She has such personality and is so tame. She is solid white with three solid black feathers. However, she isn't large enough to use for breeding and her egg size is medium and quite white. So, she will live out her days as a layer for the family. She's just too sweet to move on!
Update on the chicks from the January 16th post. We retained three pullets from this hatch and found homes for the rest. These three are coming along nicely and putting on good size and weight. This stage always looks so scraggly, but you can see the type working its way out. Next to them is one of our children's favorite hens Lady. She has such personality and is so tame. She is solid white with three solid black feathers. However, she isn't large enough to use for breeding and her egg size is medium and quite white. So, she will live out her days as a layer for the family. She's just too sweet to move on!
3.5.19
Eggs, eggs, and more eggs! The hens are in high gear and we are enjoying our breakfasts with lots of eggs. We like that the eggs have different shades to them even if we wish they were on the darker side. We also like the shape and size as they fill out the size large egg cartons nicely.
Eggs, eggs, and more eggs! The hens are in high gear and we are enjoying our breakfasts with lots of eggs. We like that the eggs have different shades to them even if we wish they were on the darker side. We also like the shape and size as they fill out the size large egg cartons nicely.
1.16.19
Here are some pictures of a clutch that hatched out in mid December. They are really cute when they hatch. Such large puff balls. The Erminette colored chicks with the solid whites and solid blacks make each hatch unique.
Here are some pictures of a clutch that hatched out in mid December. They are really cute when they hatch. Such large puff balls. The Erminette colored chicks with the solid whites and solid blacks make each hatch unique.
Here are the same chicks at a month old. I only kept back a few of the chicks to grow out. There is one solid black chick that is a month and a half old with this group. He is noticeably bigger. They were growing so fast we had to move them out of their brooder area and into a makeshift spot in the garage. Definitely not doing this again next year. I will not be hatching out chicks in December or January!
Happy New Year! I took some pictures yesterday 12.31.18 and thought I would share them. Below are two pictures of a cockbird named Durham. The left picture was taken when he was 6 months old, the right picture when he was 9.5 months old. What a difference 3.5 months makes! Looks can be deceptive as he now weighs 9.75 lbs. It will be fun to see what his mature weight will end up being.
Here are some beautifully unique eggs I am getting from by breeding pens. Two hens lay very spotted eggs, and the second picture shows the range from almost white to dark warm brown.
And a couple more photos of Durham showing off his left side.....