CCFF Laying Pullet Sale

Central Coast Feather Fanciers, the local poultry club here in California, is raising chicks for its annual Laying Pullet Fund Raiser. They buy the chicks in January and raise them until they are just about ready to start laying, in late April. They then sell then for $15 each. With eggs around $3 a dozen, it doesn't take long for one of these girls to earn her keep.

This year, CCFF is offering Buff Orpingtons, Ameraucanas, Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Partridge Rocks, Speckled Sussex and Minorcas. All lay brown eggs, except the Ameraucanas, which lay blue and green and the Minorcas, known for large white eggs. The pullets always sell out. It's the club's major money raising activity for the year. Last year, the club was able to puchase new show cages, which have already seen use at the APA National and other local shows.

This picture, by Corllina Breuer, shows a Blue Ameraucana rooster with two hens behind him. Ameraucanas are a modern composite that incorporates the Araucana's interesting egg color -- blue in Araucanas, blue and green in Ameraucanas -- with better utility characteristics. The green color results when the blue gene is combined with a brown egg gene. They have beards and muffs, clearly seen in this picture. Araucanas have ear tufts, which are a disqualification for exhibition Ameraucanas. The APA recognizes eight colors: Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten and White.

The goal this year is to earn enough to purchase an enclosed trailer to store and transport the cages. Having one would make it easier to keep the cages safe and dry, and eliminate unloading them and re-loading them on a trailer.

Sale date hasn't been set yet. The sale is usually held at Templeton Feed & Grain in Templeton, California.