Welcome to Her Chickies' Questions and Answers!

We are located in Olivehurst, California.

We mainly work with Silkies and Ameraucanas. For our Silkies, we work with Paint, Black, Blue, Splash and Mottled (project variety). For our Ameraucanas, we work with Black, Blue, Splash and Ermine (project variety). To learn more, you can click here.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Silkies and Ameraucanas. Before I started breeding to the Standard of Perfection (SOP), I simply raised chickens for enjoyment. I kept a variety of breeds—most of them hatchery birds bred for production. At that time, I wasn’t breeding or hatching chicks—I was simply enjoying my flock. But every time I visited the feed store, I somehow ended up bringing home more and more “Ameraucanas” and Silkies. What can I say? I’m a sucker for those fluffy cheeks!

While we also offer other breeds (Marans, Eggers, etc.), most of our focus is on Silkies and Ameraucanas. I honestly believe that these two breeds encapsulate two parts of me—the desire for cool chickens and the desire for cute chickens. I can't ever possibly choose one or the other. I love caring for both breeds even in spite of their different needs and wants. They’re genuinely so different from each other. Their personalities are like night and day, and that’s what makes them so fun to have around.

The Standard of Perfection (SOP) is an official guide published by the American Poultry Association (APA) and American Bantam Association (ABA). It outlines the ideal characteristics for each recognized poultry breed, including traits like size, color, feather quality, and body shape. Breeders use the SOP as a reference to maintain and improve their birds, ensuring they meet the highest standards for exhibition and preservation. 

Standard bred birds meet the basic qualifications of their breed and variety according to the Standard of Perfection (SOP) as written by the American Poultry Association (APA) and American Bantam Association (ABA).

It can take a decade of careful, strict breeding practices to transform hatchery birds into show birds.

Breeding to the Standard of Perfection (SOP) is crucial for both improving and preserving a breed. By following the SOP, breeders maintain the breed’s unique characteristics and avoid genetic defects. Without this careful attention, the breed could lose its defining traits over time. Breeding to the SOP is about ensuring the breed not only survives but thrives for future generations.

Not yet. We are not at a point in time where we are comfortable showing our birds for a multitude of reasons, but we follow closely to the Standard of Perfection (SOP) as possible.

We are not NPIP-certified and legally cannot ship outside of California (where we are located). We are only able to ship eggs in our state.

We highly recommend checking our Facebook for the latest availability updates or to purchase items when they are in stock and following us there. We operate on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to customers who pay in advance.

We also do not have set seasons or specific periods for hatching eggs, chicks, or birds, as availability depends on multiple factors such as quality, quantity, and other variables. 

Our policies can be found here.

 I recommend reading the entire policies here to find out more information regarding refunds, replacements and returns. Our policies are different for each product we sell.

Regarding our Ameraucanas:
We have not observed any issues with yellow skin coloring or single combs in our Ameraucana lines. They consistently breed true to their standard characteristics. 

Regarding our Silkies:

• Partridge Coloring: There is a small occurrence of partridge coloring in our lines. We are actively working to eliminate this trait through selective breeding.
• Single Combs: The presence of single combs is a more complex issue due to the genetics of the walnut comb. The walnut comb results from the interaction of rose comb and pea comb genes. However, homozygous rose and pea comb genetics is a lethal combination, meaning embryos with this genetic makeup do not survive. As a result, it is nearly impossible to fully eliminate single comb genetics from any line, as some birds will always carry the single comb gene.
• Less or More Toes: The polydactyly gene can be a bit sporadic. Most of our chicks hatch with correct feet and toes, but there is the chance of hatching chicks that have 4, 6, 7 toes, etc.

F1 (First Filial Generation):

F1 refers to the first-generation offspring from a cross between two distinct parent lines (P1). In our Green and Olive Eggers, F1 offspring result from crossing a blue egger parent (e.g., Ameraucana) with a brown egger parent (e.g., Marans). 

• Green Egger F1: All female F1 Green Eggers will lay shades of green.
• Olive Egger F1: All female F1 Olive Eggers will lay shades of olive.

BC1 (First Backcross Generation):

BC1 refers to the offspring produced by crossing an F1 individual back to one of the original parent lines (P1).

• Olive Egger BC1: Cross between an Olive Egger (F1) and Marans (dark brown egg genetics). Female offspring from this cross can lay shades of olive and brown (walnut, dark olive, olive, etc.).
• Green Egger BC1: Cross between a Green Egger (F1) and Ameraucana (blue egg genetics). Female offspring from this cross can lay shades of green and blue (spring, seafoam, mint, etc.).

Please note: Both Green and Olive Egger pens are separate from another, but respective F1s and BC1s are not separated.

Her Green Eggers are produced by crossing a brown egg layer (below #6 on the egg color chart) with an Ameraucana. Offspring typically lay light green to green eggs.

Her Olive Eggers are produced by crossing a dark brown egg layer (#6 and above on the egg color chart) with an Ameraucana. Offspring typically lay green to dark green eggs. To be considered Olive Eggers, the birds must carry darker egg genetics, ensuring the resulting eggs exhibit the rich, olive tones characteristic of this variety.  However, genetics can be unpredictable, and not every offspring inherits dark egg genetics, as brown pigment in eggs (protoporphyrin) is a polygenic trait. 

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