Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[pips&peeps]

I was just going to say the offspring would be black, but you beat me to it ChickNmamma......

 

[jajeanpierre]

I think you monitor tint is off because on my screen they legs look slate.

My monitor tint isn't off. Compare the legs to the green of the plants they are standing among.

 

[Penny Hen]

If they are not a standard color and are not a true project they are considered ee's.

Well that may be what is the standard rule is. I still think it isn't accurate by scientific genetics. The genetic description of a hatchery EE and a non-project cross of two show quality Ameraucans are not the same. I just don't believe in calling an almond a peanut.

 

[Penny Hen]

While they are pretty birds you were misinformed about their parentage. Black x Wheaten will never give those colors. All children from that crossing will be Black. Genetics tell me this. Check the soles of their feet - they look green skinned on my monitor too - if they are yellow then they are crossed to another breed, and more than once.

The classification of EEs to color crossed AMs is from the Ameraucana Breeders - if you seriously want to breed Ameraucanas please follow their rules. Color projects are called EEs until they return to the AM form and breed true 50% of the time, by serious breeders who want to improve the Breed, not by people who just let all color birds run together and call the results "purebred" to raise the price. Once you cross colors you mess up the genetics of colors for all future generations, doing more damage to the breed than helping it. That is why it is frowned upon and why they are called EEs. At least they don't base their breed designation on the egg color - Marans are not Marans unless they lay a certain dark shade of egg. Purebred bird to purebred bird can result in a "not-Marans". I don't agree that the hatchery mixed birds should also be called EEs - but that's what they do here on this forum so I follow those rules too. I call those Americanas outside of this forum. Perhaps calling them AM EEs for the color crossed "purebred" birds would be a compromise? And the hatchery birds Hatchery EEs?

Look on the ABC website and you can find people who ship day-old chicks. I purchased my Lavender AMs from John Blehm. Some people also have AM hatching eggs here on BYC so you can purchase eggs and incubate them. Make sure to view the parent birds and ask questions about their goals for improving their breeding stock, if they have none I would not purchase them.

P.S. - there is NO SUCH THING AS SHOW QUALITY CHICKS! I am very sorry, but that is a pet peeve of mine. Show quality parent stock, yes - but you may have to raise 100 chicks from that stock to get one Show Quality bird - and you won't know that until they are old enough to show. People who advertise Show Quality Eggs or Show Quality Chicks are doing it to raise the expectations and the prices of their offerings. Show Quality is ONLY after the bird has been shown - AND WON. Otherwise it is breeder quality (if no defects) until shown.

Thank you for the clarification on the chicks. Yes you are right. These chicks are from show parents. The breeder may even be a member here. I know her through her ads in Craig's List. I considered buying from her but I am sort of hung on having Blue Wheatens and she only does Blacks. One of the reasons I brought her up is that Nashville isn't too far to drive from middle Alabama. I like your suggestion about using AM EE's. It is a much more accurate description of what they are. And yes you want to try not to mix all the colors up because it makes it unpredictable what you get and sometimes it takes breeding 1000+ birds to get some of the colors separated. You certainly don't want to undo that work once it is done

 

[johnderosa1]

If they are not a standard color and are not a true project they are considered ee's.

Jean, your patience is truly remarkable, especially in light of the typical reaction you get from those who don't seem to appreciate being told the truth.

 

[speckledhen]

I am not here to talk about what anyone thinks my birds are or are not. I posted the pictures so you all could see the birds I have, but not so they could be critiqued or my intelligence about the breed questioned. I came here to get help in finding a breeder that I can get show quality chicks and hatching eggs from. I saw the birds that the breeder has that produced my two birds and they are all true ameraconas, just not the variety that I want. I do not have contact with the lady who bred them as she has moved. She shows her birds. Now with that said I would like some help finding pure birds. I am not interested in breeding the two I have for the outside world. I am looking for blue, blue wheaton, wheaton, lavender. My favorite is the blue wheaton but I like the others just as well too. If anyone can help me get started with one of these varieties I would greatly appreciate it.

Then if your intent is to post a Want to Buy ad, that is what you should do, in the Classified section. This is the breeds section. Want Ads often are lost in the Breeds section.

 

[abmaddox1981]

I got 3 ameracuana chicks from a breeder in West Georgia. All were supposed to be pullets. 2 roos! He's a pretty boy though!

 

[KiwiLand]

I did not have good luck there so I thought I would come here and ask people who are here for this breed. I am not realy getting a very warm welcome here. Surely there are pople on this forum that are interested in helping pople get started in the breed they have a passion for.I have tried to get this from feds stores and other sources that don't realy know what a true ameraucana is and kept getting frustrated. I thought coming here I would find people willing to help me find good birds. I felt like here I could chat with pople who know what the breed realy is and not send me to breeders who have ees or mixed breeds that happen to lay blue eggs.

 

[Penny Hen]

I was just going to say the offspring would be black, but you beat me to it ChickNmamma......

Yep I tried every way I could to hide a gene under the black at Kippen Jungle calculator and I couldn't do it in one generation. I had to cross a uniblack with a Colombian gene to a wheaten and then take the gold necked birchen hen offspring and cross it to a Wheaten roo to get the Black patterned Gold incomplete Colombian. Maybe the lady (the seller) was just simplifying the story since she knew they would not be shown and it really didn't matter.

 

[my sunwolf]

Oz is a little different. He is over there hatching eggs and lives close to the disaster. ( look for the thread getting the flock out there i think?)Id say as these things go getting him eggs would be as close as one could get to personally helping.

Not at all to disparage your very valid point. Dh and I were just talking about this last night after hearing a story about how logistically challanging it is to get to some of these islands.

x2 Oz is a major BYC poster and has a great story, so that's not a problem, but it is definitely difficult to find an organization, however reputable, that will actually get goods and help to people on the ground rather than pocketing to pay for their administration.