Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[fowlman01]

Quote:
A recent thread on the Ameraucana Breeders Club forum indicates some consider the practise of plucking feathers, stubs, or down to simply be prepping an individual for showing, though it's clearly forbidden by the APA as such a serious offence that every bird entered by the exhibitor, if caught, is to be disqualified. I think this may shed some light on why so many Ameraucanas from supposedly good sources sport feathers on their legs.

Steve is correct. Page 34 sec "e" under shanks and toes of the APA SOP is very clear. While some people ..including some judges, view pulling stubs as "grooming" the SOP calls it cheating. When you start "grooming" in this way you are doing the breed a disservice. It is far easier to fake than it is to remedy the problem, so the problem is never corrected. When someone says "it is just a little stub, pull it" it is really more than that.

Walt

 

[Illia]

And speaking of which. . .

Why me??!!!!


First chick hatched out of the day is a Wheaten x Buff, I'm very excited, seems to be a very nice one telling by the beard/muffs too, then, . . . I notice it has feathered shanks.

I'm hoping this is only going to pop up in a small percentage and is recessive or something, because I really, really hope to never see this trait again, and sheesh, this is my first time getting such. I've hatched Wheaten x Buffs before from the same parents and didn't get feathered shanks, and I know this chick isn't an accidental mutt because my only feather-shanked boys are a Blue Wheaten Marans who's never gotten loose in his life and a Marans x Polish who's homozygous for Brown-Red, thus, the chick would have to be black and brown in color if it were his.


Anyone wanna make my day better by saying I've got two parents carrying one copy of a recessive trait?

Or maybe just one parent carrying a copy of a dominant trait, and I can avoid this by choosing the best clean legged offspring?

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Any speculation as to what is in your birds is just really only that..speculation. You could go many breeding seasons and not see what the birds are really carrying. I had feathers show up on the shanks of a white leghorn pullet this year. I have a closed flock and trust me no birds are jumping fences here. In 30 years I have never seen feathers on the legs of these birds and here it is. These are not sparse feathers either, these are a row of feathers on each shank. I will try to find the pics that I took with my phone.

Walt

 

[chicken stalker]

HOLY CRAP!!! Vogue magazine just called to borrow one of my hens for a photo shoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
It sounds like a really random thing that won't likely pop up very often if you only use the clean legged ones. I would just keep hatching and see what kind of numbers you get.

Anybody seen Denise?

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
That's awesome! And odd at the same time!

 

[Illia]

Yep, still waiting on more to hatch. I do hope it's just a random thing or a recessive thing.


But, yeah, these aren't sparse or anything - They're about as feathered as a Wheaten Marans. (a good row, not heavy, but a moderate amount in a single row) I'll get photos tonight, and see how the rest of the chicks hatch out.



Vogue magazine eh? What hens do they want to borrow?

 

[chicken stalker]

They are doing a country gift giving theme. They were originally going to use a chicken from NYC and just wanted to mention my website, until I mentioned I have lavenders.

 

[jeremy]

Vogue? chicken stalker do tell us the details!

ETA: Just read the above post. Congrats!

 

[Tailfeathers]

Quote:
A recent thread on the Ameraucana Breeders Club forum indicates some consider the practise of plucking feathers, stubs, or down to simply be prepping an individual for showing, though it's clearly forbidden by the APA as such a serious offence that every bird entered by the exhibitor, if caught, is to be disqualified. I think this may shed some light on why so many Ameraucanas from supposedly good sources sport feathers on their legs.

Steve is correct. Page 34 sec "e" under shanks and toes of the APA SOP is very clear. While some people ..including some judges, view pulling stubs as "grooming" the SOP calls it cheating. When you start "grooming" in this way you are doing the breed a disservice. It is far easier to fake than it is to remedy the problem, so the problem is never corrected. When someone says "it is just a little stub, pull it" it is really more than that.

Walt

Just wanted to pop in quickly and say I agree with Steve and Walt. Most Ameraucanas I've seen have had "feather-legs" vice "stubs". This is easily detectable as a chick and they should be culled. I don't have a problem if someone wants to sell the chicks but the Buyer should be informed that it is a DQ, that the birds should not be shown nor should they really even be bred - except for the one possibility of being bred for a backyard personal flock of mixed egg layers.

I hatched out over 150 WBS chicks this year and none of them had feather-legs. I haven't seen any feather-legged chicks in the last 3 years. I did have one cross-beak chick this year and not sure what happened there.

God Bless,