Ameraucana colour

[LongRanch]

Hi everyone, my girl is out of two Ameraucanas (according to the breeder). I'm guessing that she was one of the "forbidden" colour crosses, because she isn't a recognized colour (unless this is a mutation)? The breeder must not be experienced because she told me she was blue. When I disagreed she told me "well she has some splash in her." Hmm. Obviously she is not a blue splash either. Anyways, I bought her because she was pretty and I wanted some blue eggs. We named her Cinnamon because it looks like she is dusted in it.

She has black, blue, and brown spots. I'm just curious what colours her parents would have been to create this colour pattern?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Interesting coloring, know why you wanted her, she is pretty. I'm no expert but it's almost like a blue splash but not quite, interesting to see what those with more experience have to say. What color eggs are you getting out of her?

 

[LongRanch]

Thanks! I'm getting nice big blue eggs from her. They never vary in colour, always the same shade of blue.

 

[LongRanch]

The lighting doesn't really give it justice. This makes it look kinda greeny.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I can see "blue", pictures don't show the true color. She is an Ameraucana

 

[FlyWheel]

Even if she wasn't Ameraucana she would still be beautiful! I would certainly be proud to own her.

 

[junebuggena]

She might be both Lavender and Splash.

 

[Wappoke]

Hi everyone, my girl is out of two Ameraucanas (according to the breeder). I'm guessing that she was one of the "forbidden" colour crosses, because she isn't a recognized colour (unless this is a mutation)? The breeder must not be experienced because she told me she was blue. When I disagreed she told me "well she has some splash in her." Hmm. Obviously she is not a blue splash either. Anyways, I bought her because she was pretty and I wanted some blue eggs. We named her Cinnamon because it looks like she is dusted in it.

She has black, blue, and brown spots. I'm just curious what colours her parents would have been to create this colour pattern?

The blue gene can vary in how it expresses itself. Some birds are dark blue while others are a light blue. In your case, the hen is a light blue color. With respect to the red, the hen's cells are not producing enough black pigment. Some of the melanocytes are also making red pigments that are appearing in the feathers. In order for the hen to be a blue phenotype, she must also be a genetically black chicken. For some reason, red pigments are being produced and are incorporated into her feathers. The red pigment usually shows on the head and hackles of a hybrid- but it appears that your hen has the expression distributed over her body. I used the term hybrid because she is most likely not purebred for the genes that make a black chicken. That is not a bad thing and does not make her any less of an ameraucana.

It could be that she is a wheaten heterozygote at the extended black locus and also hybrid for a eumelanizing gene. That would explain the decreased production of black pigments producing the light color.

 

[LongRanch]

Thanks -- it would be interesting to breed her one day and see what she produces. She's interesting and I'd love some more like her. When I get my computer back from the shop I'll try and post some photos of her next to my blue and my lavender.