Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Pelton.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I have been around chickens all my life. I was introduced to chickens by my Great Grandfather “Mac.” His chickens were tiny little Bantams with no names. They laid lots of eggs and free-range. These little ones would eat anything and care for themselves and their chicks. They were Passionate, Hardy, and Nasty little things. As I grew older, I thought, “That’s what I want, but much larger and sweeter.” I never wanted to “create” a new variety. All I wanted was a healthy, docile, and beautiful chicken. I have owned many different breeds of chickens, but my heart always returned to the Ameraucanas. So that’s the breed I started with.
In March 2008, I purchased two “Ameraucanas.” A Self-Blue Cock and a white hen with a few black spots. The hen was an Easter Egger, but I loved her beard and personality. After hatching almost 200 eggs from that pairing in April 2009, I hatched a white chick with a black spot on her head. So begins my journey, “Peppermint” was that lone chick. Several years later, I had 3 hens with a Polk-a-dotted pattern to find myself a Man for my sexy ladies. My poor girls had so many men those first couple of years they hated when I came home with a new Cockrele. I purchased many different Ameraucana Cockreles, but they need help to recreate the pattern. I also tried using my Leghorns, and nothing worked.
In 2014 I lost my Beloved Peppermint. She fought a good battle, but in the end, she lost. I was devastated by the loss and imagined my time with my Polk-a-dotted birds was over. I still had Dipping & Dotts, but they were almost 3 years old, and I still had no cock that worked to recreate the correct pattern. In late 2014 I purchased a Solid Black Cockrele from Susan Mouw. I now had a Good Man for my Ladies. In 2015 I hatched my first “Perfect” Ermine colored Ameraucana. Her name was Ducky, and she was my first show bird. She traveled all over the US with me. She enjoyed all the attention and became an overnight sensation. It was time to introduce my beloved birds to the world and find a good name for “my chickens.”
In 2017 I started looking more into the Erminette chicken, studying the birds themselves, and speaking to the breeder. At that time, I chose to use the Erminette name for my color pattern even though it had none of the original Erminette bloodlines. The pattern and breeding process were very similar. In 2021 I shortened the name to”Ermin” because many people confused my Ameraucana pattern with the original Breed of Erminette chickens. I don’t enjoy the show circuit, but I love the people I meet and the places I see. I don’t want to leave anyone out or make anyone feel less important, so that I will mention all the breeders on my” Ermine Only Breeder” Facebook breeders [age. I need all my friends and family to know how important you are to me and this project. We have come so far in the last year. If all of you were not standing beside me and encouraging me to keep moving forward, they would still be my yard chickens. These breeders are the lifeblood of this project and mean the world to me. I may have created the Ermine Ameraucana variety, but my friends and family make everything possible.
I am working to get this variety recognized by the American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association. It will take many years and breeders before I can do that, but I’m sure it will happen. The last woman recognized for breeding a new variety was 1896 Nettie Metcalf. Nettie is a resident of Warren, Ohio, and the breed she created is the Beautiful and Stunning Buckeye chicken that is still with us today; she and her Chickens were admitted into the American Poultry Association in 1904. When my variety is recognized, I will be the second woman in history to accomplish this. I’m not in it for the money or fame, but it helps pay my feed bill.
The best thing about raising and breeding these birds is to share them. I donate eggs to the Embryo program the 4-H groups around me run. In 2020 I donated over 300 eggs. That allowed more than 7,500 students to share the joy of hatching chicks. I have received over 200 Thank you letters, notes, and stories from children who would have never experienced this without my chickens. Doing this makes my heart happy and gives me the strength to do more daily.
Quality over Quantity: I would prefer to have 5 good breeders than have 500 birds that I need help keeping track of. I know every Hen/Pullet and Cock/Cockrell in my flock. Every Chicken has a different pattern, and each has a name. Each night I’m able to see, hear and touch my birds. I am aware of changes and can treat each one accordingly. This helps keep the feed bill affordable and my chickens healthy. They will never make me a millionaire, but if I can get people to be as passionate about chickens as I am, then I have done well. I think everyone needs a Polk-a-dotted chicken in their flock.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
My biggest issues are with my Husband. He thinks all we need are 7 chickens. Let’s say I have a lot more than 7 chickens. Each one of my 45 chickens is special. He may not like all my chickens, but he supports me in every way he can. He has helped me build new coops, purchased me a new “Chicken shed,” and even feeds my critters when I am away.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a collector of people. I have spent most of my life in the public eye. I have been a cashier, a receptionist, a teller, a vet technician, and a mom. Mom is the most challenging job I have ever had and the most gratifying.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I can’t wait to see my name in the light. I’m going to be wearing a Crown! I’m going to be Chicken Royalty and proud of it. Can you imagine how fun it will be when I do my next Zoom meeting with kids?
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