The SBEL thread

[La Casa de Pollo]

The big question...what are the eggs like?

The darker smaller ones are wheaten ameraucana, the big lighter blue ones are SBEL

I have never gotten sexed birds based on shanks, I use a Wheaten Ameraucana Roo from an amazing breeder, and have done them twice now expecting this to happen and it hasn't! Is it because I am using Wheaten?

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

SBEL chicks hatching this morning

 

[hotlipshens]

So far, all of mine have been blue wheaten am cock over WLH hens. Some wheatens have darker slate shanks then others. The father of my current cocks had lighter slate and his pullets sex linked took longer to color in.. I can sex at hatch with my current BW boys but I select for dark slate and their moms had it. Works with lots of yellow legged hens...I've used with welsummers and a GLW..
.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Good to know, thanks for the info! I'll watch these as they develop and see if it works this time. Two seasons ago I tried and and they all had light legs even as adults. Maybe this batch will be different, it is a new roo. His legs have some slate, not as much as the black and Blue Am's but some. Crossies

 

[Quail Hollow]

I don't think the seller was creating the SBELs-I think she had a flock of SBELs that she was breeding to SBELs and selling the eggs.
Do Ameraucanas come in a barred pattern?

 

[hotlipshens]

Wheatens arent slate at hatch unlike most blue, black and lavs. I try to keep the ones who turn slate the youngest and those are always the darkest. BBS and lavs have an E alelle which complicates matters - makes the shanks black unrelated to the slate sex linked gene so I wouldnt try to use slate to sex link crosses from them. I also have a silver rooster this year and am anxiously awaiting darn pullets to start laying to hatch crosses from him...his silver am chicks have been hatching light slate to start. Will attach pics I think will help...lav am then silver am new hatch then sex links legs

 

[hotlipshens]

the only barred ams are project colors...I bought a lav cuckoo am chick but technically, the color makes the chick an EE...CL are barred though

 

[gladahmae]

If she was using a LH over CCL hens you could MAYBE have sexlinks and that could explain the barring. Were the eggs you bought white or blue?

 

[Quail Hollow]

They were very light blue...and large, like a leghorn's eggs

 

[Little Wing]

These chicks are 7 days old and you can see the slate legs on the pullet. Self Blue AM over WL.