Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[pips&peeps]

Could you provide more details? So I'd have a split cockerel that I'd put over the pure Silver hens. What then? Would I continue to take the offspring back to the pure Silvers or interbreed? Once I "get back the color" will I always have the potential for unwanted coloration in future generations or should they breed fairly pure therafter? Thanks.

Yep, you would continue to breed the offspring back to the hens and try to get the color back. This year will be my fourth generation of this project. I did not breed back to the parent stock, I bred the offspring together because it turned out that the cock bird I had purchased was carrying the yellow skin gene.

My birds are almost back to type. Once you get there, there won't be unwanted blacks popping out if you pick the birds that have the best silver coloration to continue with.

I will say that I am having the most difficulties getting the cock coloration better. I didn't keep any of my cockerels last year. So, I am looking for new stock from anyone that may have good sized birds. Alot of the silvers are very small.

As a side note, I sell all my cull pullets from this cross as blue egg laying ee's.

 

[lualshannon]

I questioned this very thing a few pages back on this thread. I received a lot of comments on the matter. Basically, anything that doesn't conform to the standard of perfection regardless of parentage is considered an EE. It still doesn't make sense to me, but that is the SOP for Ameraucanas. My questioning of the SOP was not well received by other subscribers on this thread. It seems even breeders of Ameraucanas are having trouble agreeing on this subject. They told me at the end of the day you can call your birds whatever you want, but this is not the forum to discuss such things. I know there are other threads out there in which you can discuss this matter in greater detail. There are some project threads for Ameraucanas and numerous EE threads. One of the most popular is this one :

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/273489/the-ee-braggers-thread/10090#post_10606777

Or you can just read a few pages further back on the thread. I think they prefer to discuss genetics and breeding of Ameraucanas that meet the SOP not the SOP itself. It was all rather confusing for me too. I highly recommend asking this question on a different thread. I didn't have time to read the entire thread but I guess this question comes up a lot.

Thank you very much for your kind response, and mentioning the other thread which would be best for me to bring up my question. I am sorry to hear about the adverse reaction to your similar question in this thread; how sad!. I will take your advice, join the other thread to get answers to my questions, which will hopefully help me to be able to purchase true Ameraucana birds.
I wish you a lovely day!

 

[checoukan]

Well, I guess I could do that, I have a very nice, and large black cock bird. He is penned with the black hens. Guess I could take him out and put him with the silver hens, get a bunch to work with, while still breeding pure black, Better get some more legbands for split babies.

 

[lualshannon]

Originally Posted by lualshannon
"if they have ABC., accepted colors, they are Ameraucana, and if they are any other color, they are EE. I am having difficulty understanding how they can be classified as different breeds if they are the progeny of the same parents?"

It is a complicatedly simple thing and as hard of a learning curve as it is... I spent the time to learn it.
I still have a lot more to learn, especially now that I have chosen the color(s) I wish to concentrate on. But I finally "get it".
Thank you to those of you I frustrated with it, who guided me and helped me learn. I DO appreciate it very much!

Still looking for Silvers

Chris

How nice that you have found mentors to learn from. I will make sure to search and get as much information as I can before making any purchases.

I strongly encourage you to visit www.ameraucana.org for everything you want to know about Ameraucanas.

Chickens don't inherit breed status by birth. They have to look a certain way in order to qualify and depending on the breed, lay a certain coloured egg. If they don't meet the breed's description, they don't qualify, regardless of who their parents are.

Thank you for the web address.

 

[Fyremare]

Youd could breed your silver girls to a black cockerel to improve their size. It will take several generations to get back the color though.

You could just do this with one of your girls and get a cockerel to use.

Yep, you would continue to breed the offspring back to the hens and try to get the color back. This year will be my fourth generation of this project. I did not breed back to the parent stock, I bred the offspring together because it turned out that the cock bird I had purchased was carrying the yellow skin gene.

My birds are almost back to type. Once you get there, there won't be unwanted blacks popping out if you pick the birds that have the best silver coloration to continue with.

I will say that I am having the most difficulties getting the cock coloration better. I didn't keep any of my cockerels last year. So, I am looking for new stock from anyone that may have good sized birds. Alot of the silvers are very small.

As a side note, I sell all my cull pullets from this cross as blue egg laying ee's.

Good luck on finding some more silvers, I too am looking as I lost my silver cock, and now have three lonely silver hens. My birds are from the same breeding as yours. I love my silvers, and as soon as I find a male, will be breeding and showing them again. But, for now will work on my blacks. They are special too!!!

Could you provide more details? So I'd have a split cockerel that I'd put over the pure Silver hens. What then? Would I continue to take the offspring back to the pure Silvers or interbreed? Once I "get back the color" will I always have the potential for unwanted coloration in future generations or should they breed fairly pure therafter? Thanks.

Ok I couldn't get these quotes in the order I was hoping for, but long story short... It will be my first attempt at breeding for "real" LOL! I played with mixes last year because I had no purebred hens and roos of the same breed and color of anything.
Am really happy with the birds I have, including their size. I haven't weighed them, but maybe someday I will and see how close they are to the SOP. I already feel like I might be asking for a little trouble breeding this trio because I don't know how closely related they are. Hopefully the first few sets of chicks will help determine that. I have three black hens, only one of which I would consider breeding so no black roo.
There isn't the space or the resources to keep enough birds to cross them out to another color. I will leave that to you guys that have more knowledge and more space!
This spring is only year three with chickens and year two with a roo and brooding chicks. I still feel "wet behind the ears" so to speak.
So the hunt continues for quality purebred Silvers, while I wait for the two girls to begin laying. They never did last year, but their combs are reddening up and they are now in a good size breeding pen with their roo.
I'm sure I will have more questions (and photos) as things progress and am counting on you all for some help along the way.
For now, I be hunting!

Chris

 

[Reyvaughn]

Single Bearded Gene Testing...

Jean, I put my rooster over my Delawares to test his beard/muff genes. I hatched 4 chicks, one is a pure Ameraucana and the other three are not. Only one of the three Delaware crossed chicks is clean faced. What does that mean for my boy?

- Steers clear of the EE/Am topic -

 

[pips&peeps]

That means he is only carrying one copy of the beard and muff gene.

ETA: If one or more of your females is the same, you will get clean faced chicks.

 

[Reyvaughn]

That means he is only carrying one copy of the beard and muff gene.

ETA:  If one or more of your females is the same, you will get clean faced chicks.

I thought if he had a single beard/muff gene I'd get more clean faced babies with clean faced moms? Doesn't matter. It's a shame because he has nice color, decent type (a bit light framed) and a nice comb. Oh well. As is life. I have his replacement, but I wanted to make sure he was the issue. I have a decent wheaten to replace him until Paul's chicks get here and grow out. I will replace his single beard/muff gene daughters as I get double pullets to replace them with. I think I have 5 girls with double beard/muff genes and the other 8 of my Ams are single gened.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Single Bearded Gene Testing...

Jean, I put my rooster over my Delawares to test his beard/muff genes. I hatched 4 chicks, one is a pure Ameraucana and the other three are not. Only one of the three Delaware crossed chicks is clean faced. What does that mean for my boy?

- Steers clear of the EE/Am topic -

I like the last comment.
But still the question. What to call a non standard Ameraucana. Easter egger?
I only ask this because there seem to be many different answers amongst Ameraucana breeders.
It only feeds the hatchery and unknowing breeder fire.
Imo it needs to be figured out and said once and for all.
This can only help the breed.

I know you are all tired of talking about it. However it is still comes up and that is not a good thing.
so All non standards are Easter Eggers correct? Jean?
are projects are easter eggers until a standard is met accepted?

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I'm about 10 pages behind so I won't elaborate on the above except to say that it is simply not true to say that any "Ameraucana" that does not meet the Standard is an EE. I've written extensively on this before on here and it is sad to see this misinformation continues to be promulgated. I've said before but it bears repeating, that sort of misinformation is exactly why at least one of the "Old Timers" told me he doesn't come to BYC and to always take anything said on here with a grain of salt.

Maybe somebody has already addressed this but if not I sure hope folks will take note.

God Bless,

just one of many examples I have seen.
I would like to see everyone on the same page.
easter egger or non standard.
maybe I am in the minority.