Ameraucana or Not?

[Kafen]

Hi! So the breed of my birds have been called into question, and I’d like to get some more opinions! Since I had seen so many people getting Easter Eggers passed off as Ameraucanas here, I wanted to be extra careful. I purchased a dozen hatching eggs from a lady for $70 (CAD mind you). She told me she has been breeding Ameraucanas for 15 years. The eggs were a beautiful pale blue.

14 weeks after they hatched, here a few pictures of my birds (ignore the black ones, they’re Black Australorps). What do you think?

 

[AltonaAcres]

Ameraucaunas

 

[Kafen]

Here’s the one that’s been throwing people off. I don’t know much about Ameraucana colourings so I’ll defer to someone else’s judgement!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Is the splash one next to the roo in picture 5 one from the same hatch? Looks like she doesn't have muffs.

I think you just have a leaky, ugly cockerel in the brassy one.

 

[Kafen]

Is the splash one next to the roo in picture 5 one from the same hatch? Looks like she doesn't have muffs.

I think you just have a leaky, ugly cockerel in the brassy one.

All from the same batch! Shows how much I know, I thought he was kind of pretty Oh well , doesn’t matter anyway. Both cockerels are dinner!

 

[Mimi13]

I don’t see ALL Ameraucanas. Pretty little Splash. The last pic in post #1, the Splash doesn’t look to have an Ameraucana’s muff/beard...as best I can see from the side.

I know I’ve already said this in the other post, but the longer tail and saddle and hackle “highlights” don’t look right. He is gorgeous though.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

All from the same batch! Shows how much I know, I thought he was kind of pretty Oh well , doesn’t matter anyway. Both cockerels are dinner!

If that hen has no muff definitely some sort of mix a few generations back. Probably far enough back for them to be "purebred" by most official standards but hardly quality birds. Luckily you didn't spend an insane amount on them. I spent $120USD on chicks and shipping for 10 Ameraucana chicks a couple years back and half were DOA and then one of them layed brown eggs! Oof.

 

[Kafen]

I don’t see ALL Ameraucanas. Pretty little Splash. The last pic in post #1, the Splash doesn’t look to have an Ameraucana’s muff/beard...as best I can see from the side.

I know I’ve already said this in the other post, but the longer tail and saddle and hackle “highlights” don’t look right. He is gorgeous though.

Yeah she does seem noticeably smoother. It’s not the best angle though. In any case, I’m not breeding these guys, so I’m not too concerned

 

[Kafen]

If that hen has no muff definitely some sort of mix a few generations back. Probably far enough back for them to be "purebred" by most official standards but hardly quality birds. Luckily you didn't spend an insane amount on them. I spent $120USD on chicks and shipping for 10 Ameraucana chicks a couple years back and half were DOA and then one of them layed brown eggs! Oof.

Oof is right, that’s rough! I guess we’ll be seeing when they start laying!

 

[JedJackson]

The blue cockerel has silver coming in at the saddle and hackle. So he could be just a cross between silver and blue Ameraucanas. However, because one of the splash pullets has no beard or muff, I think there was some mixing going on in their ancestry, somewhere.

Unless you intend to breed show quality birds it really doesn't matter. But if you paid at lot of money for purebreds and didn't get them then it's a matter to take up with the breeder you bought them from.