I was talking to a old farmer some days ago, and he found it very intresting that so much of the ameraucana standard is based off of color, and that the actual shape, laying ability, health, ect were all secondary traits. I have noticed with a lot of ameraucanas, that they're not as healthy, and I wonder if it is because of this? I have all EEs, the one hen that could pass off as an ameraucana happens to lay brown eggs ( even though both parent carried the blue egg gene) and the other three were feed store ''araucanas'' All these have been healthy, but my experiance with pure, show quality ameraucanas has been horrible. I'm starting to think it is because so many breeders are only breeding for looks, that they forget what is important. Any thoughts on this?
I think you will find this true in all breeds and in all domestic animals which may be bred for showing and winning prizes. Just think of all the dog breeds that now require intervention to survive and reproduce themselves.
I have read the book "Call of the Hen'' by a man named Hogan; google it and you'll find a free online copy. He teaches a method of measuring certain parts of the bird and using those measurements to predict how many eggs a hen laid in her pullet year, and likely how many eggs she will lay as a hen. Also how to use these measurements to select the best birds for breeding. I will be using his methods over the next year or two to work through the group of EE that I have and their offspring. While he was working with Leghorns, the charts also give measurements for dual purpose and meat birds. I'll also be keeping these guidelines in mind as I work through a group of black copper Marans.
My goals for my EE are to have pretty birds that lay lots of pretty eggs. My goal with BCM is to make sure I keep them as the great dual purpose birds they are, as well as decent layers of extra dark eggs.