The Ameraucana Thread: Where everything and anything about the breed can be discussed (APA, Non-Stan

[cottagegarden]

When is an Ameraucana not an Ameraucana?
Having a bird that "looks like an APA color Ameraucana" does not make it thus.
To meet the Breed Standard set forth in 1984 for the Ameraucana the bird must have the following:


COMB: Pea.
BEAK: Curved, horn colored NOT yellow.
FACE: Nearly hidden by muffs.
EYES: Bay(reddish brown).
WATTLES: Small, preferably absent.
EARLOBES: Small and RED.
MUFFS AND BEARD: Full, well-rounded, medium length.
SKIN:White
HEAD: Medium size.
NECK: Well-arched.
HACKLE: Full.
BACK: Medium length.
SADDLE: Medium in length.
TAIL: Well spread, medium length, carried at 45º above horizontal NOT 90º.
WINGS: Fairly large, tips carried above the hock joint.
BREAST: Prominent.
BODY AND STEARN: Body of medium length, stern well-tucked up.
LEGS AND TOES: Slate, bottoms are WHITE, black birds can have black, four toes
Cock………………6½ lbs. Hen……………….5½ lbs.

 

[jerryse]

Did my incubator chores today.Tossed 22 eggs from the LF blue pen.Not 1 fertile.Trimmed the cockerel's vent feathers friday


.Maybe a few fertile in todays setting.That is 22 eggs from 5 pullets in a week not too bad.Nice 2 ouncers of good color.I will add a pic.

 

[cottagegarden]

So if you are talking non-standard Ameraucanas they are still going to have those traits and might have a recessive gene pop up so one of those things would be off. Having a bearded, muffed bird with some type of peaish type comb but lacking red earlobes, white, skin, bay eyes, and proper conformation, etc isnt an Ameraucana. It has to have all the traits that make the breed, and project birds take years to develop because they have to have the traits that make the breed. Here is a visual:
This was a friends cockerel I happened to take a picture of. He is a Blue x Wheaten or Blue Wheaten.
He has all the traits of a Ameraucana except proper coloring. The last two are a LF Black Amer to give you some idea of the correct body type.

:

 

[K Epp]

Thanks for the info...

When we get back from Spring Break I plan on collecting eggs and seeing what I get. The black laced started laying the prettiest blue egg. The DH has promised to get me a breeding pen (half way house for chicks.) built... If my Brown Leghorn wasn't such a good Roo I would get rid of him and that way I would know all my eggs would be fertilized from my EE roos. Its amazing to think of all the possibilities I can get from just 5 chickens.

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

the hens eggs will be from the new rooster 24 hours after his 1st successfully breeding... it takes about that long for the egg that was fertilized the day before to be layed... you just have to make sure it was a successfully breeding just because he is mounting her does not mean he made contact... i normally wait about 3 days...

i agree on the barred bird it genetically is possible...
Quote:

 

[jerryse]

the hens eggs will be from the new rooster 24 hours after his 1st successfully breeding... it takes about that long for the egg that was fertilized the day before to be layed... you just have to make sure it was a successfully breeding just because he is mounting her does not mean he made contact... i normally wait about 3 days...

i agree on the barred bird it genetically is possible...

Yes I have hatched right through a rooster change before.I was wanting to be sure.I have found after 7 days of no rooster fertility drops to zero by 10 days.Some say 3 weeks but that seems too long.

 

[Outrun Acres]

Did my incubator chores today.Tossed 22 eggs from the LF blue pen.Not 1 fertile.Trimmed the cockerel's vent feathers friday


.Maybe a few fertile in todays setting.That is 22 eggs from 5 pullets in a week not too bad.Nice 2 ouncers of good color.I will add a pic.

Oh man. Thats frustrating! How old are the birds in that pen? Have you seen him attempting to breed them?

 

[Outrun Acres]

Thanks for the info...

When we get back from Spring Break I plan on collecting eggs and seeing what I get. The black laced started laying the prettiest blue egg. The DH has promised to get me a breeding pen (half way house for chicks.) built... If my Brown Leghorn wasn't such a good Roo I would get rid of him and that way I would know all my eggs would be fertilized from my EE roos. Its amazing to think of all the possibilities I can get from just 5 chickens.

I agree. Haha, get rid of the leghorn! Just kidding. It will definitely be fun to see what color/egg combinations you get.

 

[Outrun Acres]

So if you are talking non-standard Ameraucanas they are still going to have those traits and might have a recessive gene pop up so one of those things would be off. Having a bearded, muffed bird with some type of peaish type comb but lacking red earlobes, white, skin, bay eyes, and proper conformation, etc isnt an Ameraucana. It has to have all the traits that make the breed, and project birds take years to develop because they have to have the traits that make the breed. Here is a visual:
This was a friends cockerel I happened to take a picture of. He is a Blue x Wheaten or Blue Wheaten.
He has all the traits of a Ameraucana except proper coloring. The last two are a LF Black Amer to give you some idea of the correct body type.

:

Thanks for posting this and your previous post. I love reading the information first and then seeing it after I have mentally digested it. I may have to copy that down and go outside and analyze my birds to see how far off the standard they are.

 

[jerryse]

Oh man. Thats frustrating! How old are the birds in that pen? Have you seen him attempting to breed them?

All under 1 year.Have never seen him mount a hen,He is very docile.He was penned where he could watch others breed.If this does not work a black will have to replace him.