Ameraucana Breeding

[JMeghan]

Hey guys!

So I was wondering about my options here... I can't decide on what to do...
A little information. I don't plan on showing these birds, but I also don't want to disgrace the breed either. I would still like to have Ameraucana's. Just depends on whether or not the colors make the breed... if that makes sense.

I have a blue ameraucana cockerel and he has wheaton leakage on his neck feathers. I was keeping him for my three pullets, one white, one splash and one black.

The breeder said she could send me wheaton eggs if I wanted or more from her BBS flock to compensate for the leakage.

So would it be better to just breed them to the white, splash and black?
Maybe get a few wheaton eggs. I can't decide whether adding the wheaton eggs would be worth it.
Would the leakage slip through with the white, splash and black?
Would they even be accepted as Ameraucana with that leakage?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't plan on showing these birds, but I also don't want to disgrace the breed either. I would still like to have Ameraucana's. Just depends on whether or not the colors make the breed... if that makes sense.

Would they even be accepted as Ameraucana with that leakage?

There has been some discussion on that, especially with Ameraucana but I think the same thing would apply to any other breed like Wyandotte, Rocks, or Sussex. If you read the SOP there are a lot of things that make the breed. Comb, wattles, eye color, leg color, weight, and many others, especially conformation. Then you have the approved colors/patterns. Some people look at it that you just have EE's if you don't have an approved color. Others feel that those different approved colors are just different varieties of the breed. Even if you have an unapproved color but meet the other breed requirements they are still Ameraucana or whatever breed you are talking about.

I don't show so I don't have first-hand knowledge but my understanding is that you can show non-approved colors as Ameraucana. I don't know if you can win a prize with them but if you are trying to get a new color/pattern approved I believe showing them is a requirement. I could be wrong about that but I don't think so.

I once got some Ameraucana from a lady that was working with a consortium to try develop a new color/pattern for Ameraucana. They had the genetics for the new color/pattern in the mix but their first efforts was to get back to the things that define the breed, then they will straighten out the color genetics. She was so pleased that eye color and leg color were getting consistent.

I will mention that breeders that have championship line reject a high percentage of the chicks they hatch as not being championship quality. I've had different breeders say that 80% to 90% of the chicks they hatch don't make the grade. There is a flaw somewhere, not just color.

I think whether or not someone considers your birds with leakage as Ameraucana will depend a lot on who you talk to. It is your hobby, make yourself happy.

 

[Jraba1315]

Hey guys!

So I was wondering about my options here... I can't decide on what to do...
A little information. I don't plan on showing these birds, but I also don't want to disgrace the breed either. I would still like to have Ameraucana's. Just depends on whether or not the colors make the breed... if that makes sense.

I have a blue ameraucana cockerel and he has wheaton leakage on his neck feathers. I was keeping him for my three pullets, one white, one splash and one black.

The breeder said she could send me wheaton eggs if I wanted or more from her BBS flock to compensate for the leakage.

So would it be better to just breed them to the white, splash and black?
Maybe get a few wheaton eggs. I can't decide whether adding the wheaton eggs would be worth it.
Would the leakage slip through with the white, splash and black?
Would they even be accepted as Ameraucana with that leakage?

Do you plan on selling the chicks or are they only for egg purposes. I think that since the blue ameraucana cockerel has wheaton leakage you might as well get the wheaton eggs because the bbs ones would not be pure either. I guess it just depends what you are wanting to do with this.

 

[JMeghan]

Thanks guys! I think I may go with blue wheaton eggs as well and have mixed colors but all Ameraucana.