“This bird is a winner! Cricket arrived as an active, curious chick at the beginning of April, and nothing has ever slowed her down. She began laying in the Texas summer heat, a pretty, pinkish egg very nearly every day. She’s continued doing so right through the cold winter season. Her eggs are beautifully oval in shape, and they’re heavy.
This hen is quite the liberated lady. She’s made her choice of the five roosters (she likes Shadow, the huge yet gentlemanly Blue Copper Marans) and chases away any other that tries to get near. And she’s confident enough to pull that off.
What a gal!!!”
Wow—Cricket sounds like an absolute superstar! From her unstoppable energy as a chick to her impressive laying consistency through the Texas heat and winter cold, she’s truly one of a kind. We love hearing about her independent spirit and how she’s chosen her favorite rooster—Shadow must be quite the gentleman!
Thank you for sharing her story with us. We’re so happy she’s thriving in your flock, and we appreciate you being a part of the My Pet Chicken family!
“These are 2 of my favorite hens. They started laying right at 23 weeks and that was a December start. They were a sub for a different breed I wanted that was out so I was suspicious, but they are great foragers, smarter than my barred rocks, and have come to be handled pretty well- though I’m not a cuddler- I just want to check their feet. One of them has shown dislike of me taking eggs, but just loudly protests.”
We’re so happy to hear that these hens have become two of your favorites! Starting to lay right at 23 weeks—especially in December—is impressive, and it’s wonderful that they’ve proven to be great foragers and smart additions to your flock. We completely understand the initial hesitation with a substitution, but it’s fantastic that they’ve exceeded your expectations!
It sounds like they have plenty of personality too—vocalizing their opinions about egg collecting just adds to their charm! Thank you for giving them a chance and for sharing your experience. We truly appreciate your support!
“As promised, Nancy and Mitzi are beautiful birds, Nancy is all black and Mitzi is smaller and has a brown/red ring around her neck. They lay nearly every day, one a slightly beige cream color and the other a pink cream color. Their eggs are gradually increasing in size (40-49g right now), but eggs are considerably smaller than my Comets. I can't say a lot for their personalities. Nancy has always been kind of a pain, she rules the flock with an iron fist and will peck the other girls pretty severely. Despite being handled with the other 7 hens since she was a chick, she can't be caught and isn't friendly. She seems to like to push the envelope at bed time, strutting around in the run past dark and sometimes getting shut out by the automatic door. Mitzi is slightly. more docile and doesn't share in her sister's antics, but she's not nearly as sweet as other breads that I have/have had.”
Thank you so much for sharing your detailed review of Nancy and Mitzi! It's wonderful to hear how unique they are, both in appearance and personality. Their beautiful eggs sound like such a lovely addition to your flock, even if they differ from your Comets in size. It’s interesting how Nancy has taken on such a strong leadership role, even if she’s a bit of a handful at times! Mitzi’s calmer demeanor must balance things out a bit. We truly appreciate your observations and are glad they’ve become part of your flock. Thank you for choosing us to help grow your feathered family!
“Our Ameribella is the most skittish chicken we have ever had. We cannot touch her let alone hold her or pet her. She runs screaming if you even try. She was raised the same as our others and most of our other chickens are very friendly. She is 27 weeks and has not laid an egg yet so I cannot comment on laying abilities but disappointed that she hasn't started yet (despite a big red comb and appearing to be ready). On a positive note she is a very pretty bird. Deep black with green/purple sheen. Probably wouldn't purchase this one again.”
Thank you for sharing your feedback about your Ameribella. We’re sorry to hear she hasn’t lived up to your expectations, especially regarding her temperament. Chickens, like humans, can have unique personalities, and while many Ameribellas are friendly and calm, there are always some outliers in any breed. It sounds like she has a strong independent streak! As for her laying, the shorter days of winter often delay egg production, even for hens that appear ready to start. With her red comb and signs of maturity, there’s a good chance she’ll begin laying soon. When she does, her beautiful eggs might win you over yet! We’re glad to hear she adds beauty to your flock with her striking plumage. Thank you for giving her a place in your coop and for sharing your experience with us!
We are so thankful to have been able to bring you happiness with your little one! Thank you for sharing with us how your girl is doing and we hope that we can be your choice when you are ready to build your flock! "Chicken Math" is a REAL THING! LOL! Please let us know any time if you have any questions as we are happy to help!
“An update on our crazy Ameribella, Juniper: We got our first cream egg a week and a half ago! She has not missed a day since. We look forward to her little eggs every morning. After maturing fully, she has a beautiful red comb, and deep black feathers, with a sheen of amethyst purple and emerald green in the sunlight. She has become far more friendly, and approaches me every day to peck at my clothes. She does the submissive squat, and allows pets, though eventually she gets fed up with us. All in all, this chicken was definitely worth it.”
Thank you so much for the wonderful update on Juniper! How exciting to get those lovely cream-colored eggs consistently—it’s always such a treat to have a dependable layer and a friendly one at that! We think they are quite beautiful and we are glad you agree. Thanks for sharing your experience!
“Our Lottie is an awesome bird! A beautiful black bird with a red face, ash colored legs, and a fire like plumage around her neck with an ameraucana-esc beard. She is very inquisitive and always at my heels. Not a big fan of being picked up but becomes very content once settled. She seems to be our flock leader and when our problem child (a marans) bit my arm while treats were being passed out, she immediately bopped her back into place (hasn’t bit since). She really is a wonderful lady, my only complaint is that I have no clue what to expect from her since she’s a custom breed. I received her when others in our order failed to materialize, I am truly racking my brain at what makes up her genetics-not a bad thing but I’d love to know.”
Oh! It sounds like Lottie is definitely the head hen! The Ameribellas are typically very friendly birds and have great personalities. They have shown themselves to be active, curiouis, great foragers and talk about eggs? This chicken breed is expected to lay between 5-6 large cream hued eggs per week! They are beautiful as well with their black feathers with tints of red as well. Of course, if you have any further questions, please let us know. We are happy to help!
“Our Ameribella, Juniper, is quite the character. Since it is a new breed, we were ready to be surprised, but if any of us had visions of this gorgeous bird being a pet, boy were we wrong! Juniper is a bit of a nut. Loves to walk across her flock mates' backs on the roost, just because she can. Eats like a maniac. She absolutely hates us, and refuses to be caught, petted, or even approached, despite our efforts to socialize her from a young age. When we have to catch her to put her back in the pen, she screams like she is being murdered. I have never met a chicken so flighty and adverse to being touched before. She is worth five stars, though, because she totally cracks us up, and is a beautiful young hen. We have a whole flock of generally agreeable chickens, so our crazy little Juniper brings diversity, and lots of laughs.”
Wow! It sounds like Juniper is truly expressing herself! It’s great to hear that, despite her flighty and hyper nature, she's bringing so much joy with her antics. Sounds like she’s keeping you entertained! We're glad she's found a happy home with you and hope that perhaps she will calm down just a tiny bit as she gets older - but not too much - as she is so much fun to have around and does a great job in keeping things interesting!
