Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[msv92]

Thank you for the information. I am new to this so every bit helps

 

[cafrhe]

Can anyone explain to me how I ended up with a hatch of 5 chicks with yellow toes from parents who look standard? I have 3 hens--2 blue and 1 black. I have 1 black rooster. The chicks just hatched under a broody and I finally got a good look at them. From brief glimpses it looked like we got 2 blues and 3 blacks. The blacks have white/yellow bottoms with white/yellow wing tips and all chicks have yellow toes.

The hens had been in a pen with a barred rock rooster before being separated out at least 2 months ago. I dont think there has been any flock hopping. But a gate between the the 2 pens was left open briefly one day--I dont think the BR could have mated the hens because he was getting the tar kicked out of him by the Am roo when I found them.

We have 8 more eggs to hatch because we discovered the other ladies were managing to lay in with the broody, so we have a staggered hatch in the incubator. We are also going to do another hatch to see if we have a real problem.

They should not have any yellow at all, should they?


Our black rooster



Blue hen



current breeders as chicks (pullets)

 

[pips&peeps]

Yellow skin is recessive, so the cock bird and one or more of the hens carries it. There is someone out of AZ that has had this issue with the BBS varieties they are selling and someone in CO with whites that also has this issue.

 

[cafrhe]

Does this mean I dont have to panic? My daughter is in 4H and wants to sell chicks. But she wants to breed and sell pure AMs not EEs. Would these chicks still be considered AMs?

We have realized since buying the females that the breeder we got them from is not really trying to breed to standard, they have pure bred adults and just sell all chicks. The male comes from a breeder who shows his stock and I have been told is very good.

Thanks!

 

[junebuggena]

They might be pure, but if they are consistently producing chicks that don't meet standard, they should not be used for breeding.
When showing for 4H, the quality of bird does not matter. They are judging the handler, not the animal. I've seen Easter Eggers shown as Ameraucana and Barred Rocks entered as Silver Laced Wyandottes; and they still won the class.

 

[cafrhe]

That is what got my daughter started lol--seeing EEs shown as Ameraucanas at the shows. She was quite offended, lol! Plus at her club they told her AMs were a backyard breed and couldnt be show as purebreds...because they weren't. She is out to have nice standard birds to show. She has already done a presentation to the club about the differences. Our first AMs were EEs which is how we learned the difference. I am disappointed for her that we really tried to get real AMs this time and we have yellow footed chicks. She is a serious girl who likes to do things 'right'.

 

[jerryse]

Can anyone explain to me how I ended up with a hatch of 5 chicks with yellow toes from parents who look standard? I have 3 hens--2 blue and 1 black. I have 1 black rooster. The chicks just hatched under a broody and I finally got a good look at them. From brief glimpses it looked like we got 2 blues and 3 blacks. The blacks have white/yellow bottoms with white/yellow wing tips and all chicks have yellow toes.

The hens had been in a pen with a barred rock rooster before being separated out at least 2 months ago. I dont think there has been any flock hopping. But a gate between the the 2 pens was left open briefly one day--I dont think the BR could have mated the hens because he was getting the tar kicked out of him by the Am roo when I found them.

We have 8 more eggs to hatch because we discovered the other ladies were managing to lay in with the broody, so we have a staggered hatch in the incubator. We are also going to do another hatch to see if we have a real problem.

They should not have any yellow at all, should they?


Our black rooster



Blue hen



current breeders as chicks (pullets)

There is another possible explanation . Blacks are often based on extended black . The wing tips and chest are white at hatch and toes are often yellow or pale looking . Black extends to cover these areas . Toes included . Since you do not say how old they are it is hard to say for sure . If they still have some white feathers then the toes have not had time to change color .

 

[cafrhe]

I think they hatched Wed and Thurs. So brand new.

Thank you all for the information and genetic explanations.

 

[MrsBachbach]

There is another possible explanation . Blacks are often based on extended black . The wing tips and chest are white at hatch and toes are often yellow or pale looking . Black extends to cover these areas . Toes included . Since you do not say how old they are it is hard to say for sure . If they still have some white feathers then the toes have not had time to change color .

When you say the wing tips and chest are white at hatch, do you mean really white or do the ones that have the creamy yellow or not pure white down also qualify as white? I have seen some with a whiter appearance in down and others with a creamy tint. I've seen those little chicks with the one or two white primaries also. So this means E not ER? I ask because it would be nice to know. I rarely see a chick hatch out all black (although it has happened) and I think I have read that those are considered ER. I was just wondering if this is how you determine what they carry.

 

[jerryse]

When you say the wing tips and chest are white at hatch, do you mean really white or do the ones that have the creamy yellow or not pure white down also qualify as white? I have seen some with a whiter appearance in down and others with a creamy tint. I've seen those little chicks with the one or two white primaries also. So this means E not ER? I ask because it would be nice to know. I rarely see a chick hatch out all black (although it has happened) and I think I have read that those are considered ER. I was just wondering if this is how you determine what they carry.

Yes this is how you can tell them apart . Creamy yellow to almost white down is what I was referring to .