Ameraucana Projects Thread

[Manningjw]

My mixed/Barred Ameraucanas are laying lots of blue eggs now. Here are some pictures of them all grown up in front of my U of A blue cockerel.

 

[Opendoorfarm]

Hi! I have just finished reading this thread...took me 4 days...I am interested in the genetics, but have no pure bred any things. Here is my rooster...
I don't know anything about him except that he is supposed to be an EE, was given to us last spring, don't even know how old he is. While we were away last summer we had our hatchery black australorp go broody and hatch out 6 eggs. Never saw 2 of the chicks, snake got them right away. The four that were left, 2 are black and lay green/olive eggs, the other 2 met the same fate with the snake. One was slightly lighter than black and the other was silverfish with a reddish spot on his back. So, our daughter,12, studied a bit of genetics in school and wants to hatch out some eggs from our white leghorn to see if she can get blue eggs, our black sex-linked because she is so friendly and a brownish EE hen. All are hatchery.
So, my questions, any ideas what we might get and, since we only have the one rooster, what would be the issues if we then hatched eggs from the ones we plan to hatch this spring. Obviously not going for any show stuff or anything, more concerned about health issues. Appreciate any advise, thanks!

He's stunning! We had an EE rooster years ago that looked very similar was such a gentleman. I want another just like him with the green tail feathers.

 

[chicklover 1998]

Quote:
You won't really know what egg color he carries until his offspring lay but they will most likely have a pea comb like him and surprisingly low amount of red bleed through on the shoulder my roo has a lot so not going to use his offspring for anything other than egg production.

 

[carolinasculpture]

You won't really know what egg color he carries until his offspring lay but they will most likely have a pea comb like him and surprisingly low amount of red bleed through on the shoulder my roo has a lot so not going to use his offspring for anything other than egg production.

We did hatch out 2 of his daughters. They both lay olive eggs. Their mom was a hatchery black australorp.
We plan to hatch out more when one of our hens decides to go broody. Any males we hatch out could be up for grabs. I can post pics if/when they are sold enough to sex.

 

[chicklover 1998]

then he carries at least a blue egg gene maybe the brown gene too, he def. carries the blue gene because his daughters lay olive because mom was a brown carrier.

 

[Manningjw]

then he carries at least a blue egg gene maybe the brown gene too, he def. carries the blue gene because his daughters lay olive because mom was a brown carrier.

Yep the blue egg gene is certain. There are a LOT of brown egg genes, the likelihood that he has one or more is pretty darn high. Olive eggs from a Black Australorp cross which in my experience have laid medium to light brown eggs, I bet he has a few brown egg genes.

 

[Manningjw]

Hi! I have just finished reading this thread...took me 4 days...I am interested in the genetics, but have no pure bred any things. Here is my rooster...
I don't know anything about him except that he is supposed to be an EE, was given to us last spring, don't even know how old he is. While we were away last summer we had our hatchery black australorp go broody and hatch out 6 eggs. Never saw 2 of the chicks, snake got them right away. The four that were left, 2 are black and lay green/olive eggs, the other 2 met the same fate with the snake. One was slightly lighter than black and the other was silverfish with a reddish spot on his back. So, our daughter,12, studied a bit of genetics in school and wants to hatch out some eggs from our white leghorn to see if she can get blue eggs, our black sex-linked because she is so friendly and a brownish EE hen. All are hatchery.
So, my questions, any ideas what we might get and, since we only have the one rooster, what would be the issues if we then hatched eggs from the ones we plan to hatch this spring. Obviously not going for any show stuff or anything, more concerned about health issues. Appreciate any advise, thanks!

I certainly agree there is no more risk in any of those crosses than any other in terms of health issues. Genetic diversity is a good thing.

I personally like the crosses to the White Leghorn and the BSL hens. White Leghorns if I remember right might have genes that suppress certain brown egg shell genes. You very well could get blue or nearly blue shells from this cross. The Black Sex Link I like because you are likely to get nice productive Olive Eggers. Some of my most prolific egg layers were daughters of my Red Sex Link hen crosses to a blue egg shell gene rooster. You can use these crosses to see if your rooster have brown egg genes which he most likely does. You can also test to see if he is homozygous for Blue gene and Pea comb genes and even if he isn't you will know whether or not his single pea comb/blue egg gene is linked. All very useful information to determine future breeding! The Plumage color on the white Leghorn cross will most likely be White with spots of black. The BSL cross could be any plumage color, you could get some really beautiful birds.

Your daughter could learn a lot about Punnet squares and basic Mendelian genetics with these crosses, I think it's GREAT to encourage this kind of stuff in kids. I love science in particular biology and I wish my parents had gotten me into this at a younger age. I probably would have changed my profession if they had. You can also study his bearding genes with these crosses! Another cool thing you can test for is if you get color sex linked hens from your White Leghorn. If your leghorn carries the Barring gene and your rooster has dark colored legs - the Boys likely will hatch out with yellow or white skin legs and little to no black leakage in feathers while the girls hatch out with dark skinned legs are obvious black splotches in feathers. This could also be very useful to know!

 

[carolinasculpture]

I certainly agree there is no more risk in any of those crosses than any other in terms of health issues. Genetic diversity is a good thing.

I personally like the crosses to the White Leghorn and the BSL hens. White Leghorns if I remember right might have genes that suppress certain brown egg shell genes. You very well could get blue or nearly blue shells from this cross. The Black Sex Link I like because you are likely to get nice productive Olive Eggers. Some of my most prolific egg layers were daughters of my Red Sex Link hen crosses to a blue egg shell gene rooster. You can use these crosses to see if your rooster have brown egg genes which he most likely does. You can also test to see if he is homozygous for Blue gene and Pea comb genes and even if he isn't you will know whether or not his single pea comb/blue egg gene is linked. All very useful information to determine future breeding! The Plumage color on the white Leghorn cross will most likely be White with spots of black. The BSL cross could be any plumage color, you could get some really beautiful birds.

Your daughter could learn a lot about Punnet squares and basic Mendelian genetics with these crosses, I think it's GREAT to encourage this kind of stuff in kids. I love science in particular biology and I wish my parents had gotten me into this at a younger age. I probably would have changed my profession if they had. You can also study his bearding genes with these crosses! Another cool thing you can test for is if you get color sex linked hens from your White Leghorn. If your leghorn carries the Barring gene and your rooster has dark colored legs - the Boys likely will hatch out with yellow or white skin legs and little to no black leakage in feathers while the girls hatch out with dark skinned legs are obvious black splotches in feathers. This could also be very useful to know!

How cool! Thank you! And, yes, she is interested in the Punnet Squares! I am SO excited to see what hatches out. Can't wait for a broody! Usually I am dreading the broody...not this year!

 

[Manningjw]

How cool! Thank you! And, yes, she is interested in the Punnet Squares! I am SO excited to see what hatches out. Can't wait for a broody! Usually I am dreading the broody...not this year!

Good luck with your hatches! Post pictures of the resulting off spring when you get them! You might also check out the Olive Eggers thread or the EE braggers thread.

I also get frustrated by my broody hens but sometimes they are just so valuable for doing the work for you!

 

[AuntNomi]

I am wondering if my Barred Rock hen and my blue Ameraucana breed will the chicks be barred? Can anyone tell me how this will work out? thanks