Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[ChickenLeg]

They aren't, but they lay more often than my ameraucanas.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

Does anyone know if the Ameraucana's sold by ideal are actually true Ameraucanas or EEs? I ordered one from them and haven't gotten her yet to post pics. Thanks!

I found their breed description, and just from that I believe not. The color is discribed as 'multi-colored' and they disclose at the end that they are also know as Easter Eggers.

 

[flynntheduck]

Ok that's what I thought. I'm not worried just want to know what to expect thanks!

 

[MrsBachbach]

My 6-month old Ameraucanas are just starting to lay.  Two of five pullets have given me eggs.  One little blue has given me three small eggs (38/39 grams) in the past four days.  There must have some brown-egg layers behind her because her eggs are quite green--I would put them at about C12 on the chart. 

The other pullet has laid one larger paler but bluer egg, 51 grams and D3 on the chart.

Will the green egg layer get more blue, or will she always lay a green egg?  Will the pale blue get deeper?  I know they fade after they've laid a few eggs, but the blue is paler than I expected for a first egg.

The group of 12 silly 6-month-old pullets and cockerels are playing 'King of the Castle' in a grove of live oak, each trying to out do each other.  They are flying/climbing/jumping up to about 15 feet, stomping around on top of the parrot cages, crowing away with their pathetic raspy crows.  Some land very hard coming down.  It seems one of the newly laying pullets must have had a hard landing as the egg was forming--it was fractured all around but had healed.  I hope it didn't cause any internal problems--she has only laid the one egg a few days ago.

How do you breed for really deep blue eggs with no yellow in them?  Do you just only breed from hens that lay good-colored eggs and cock birds that hatched from good-colored eggs?  Can you feed to get good blue?  I know that one of my hens started laying a very richly colored egg, but was laying 5 or 6 a week for months and months.  By the time she stopped and  went broody, the eggs were so light you couldn't tell they were blue unless you put them on a white piece of paper.

It's possible that the brown deposit will get lighter as the season goes on and the egg will look better in color, but, she can't get rid of that gene and her eggs will always look that color especially early in the laying season.
As far as the blue, not likely to get deeper, just paler.

Yellow? Do you mean no brown in them or green tint? I've yet to see what I consider a really blue egg. I've seen some nice turquoise colors or some pale blue colors, but not any deep blue eggs. Yes, you should try to just hatch the best colored eggs and keep roosters from the best colored eggs. That usually means inbreeding and that hasn't worked out very well for me. Ended up with hardly any hatching and some small chicks. You may have a different experience though.

I hear ya! I have one that lays such a pale color that I have to put it beside a true white egg just to convince myself it isn't white.

It's a long haul to make all the needed improvements because perfect birds are hard to find. Heck, they may not even exist all things considered.

 

[HenHacienda]

Hi all I'm looking for some pure Silver ameraucana pullets or hatching eggs. To pair with my roos. Please PM me thanks!

 

[jajeanpierre]

It's possible that the brown deposit will get lighter as the season goes on and the egg will look better in color, but, she can't get rid of that gene and her eggs will always look that color especially early in the laying season.
As far as the blue, not likely to get deeper, just paler.

Yellow? Do you mean no brown in them or green tint? I've yet to see what I consider a really blue egg. I've seen some nice turquoise colors or some pale blue colors, but not any deep blue eggs. Yes, you should try to just hatch the best colored eggs and keep roosters from the best colored eggs. That usually means inbreeding and that hasn't worked out very well for me. Ended up with hardly any hatching and some small chicks. You may have a different experience though.

I hear ya! I have one that lays such a pale color that I have to put it beside a true white egg just to convince myself it isn't white.

It's a long haul to make all the needed improvements because perfect birds are hard to find. Heck, they may not even exist all things considered.

I meant the green tint, not the wash of brown on top when I talked about yellow. I'm pretty new to chickens and haven't had many laying Ameraucanas so haven't seen many Ameraucana eggs. I wondered if that greenish tinge could be bred out. I did notice that the dozens and dozens of hatching Cream Legbar eggs I saw for sale at a poultry show all had varying degrees of that greenish cast to them.

I've also seen a few pictures of eggs that must have been photo shopped to be so blue. I just don't know what a "good" blue really looks like. Yes, I have the ABC color chart, but they all look like green to me--which I guess gives me a big clue as to what can and can't be accomplished.

What color on the ABC color chart is the most desired?

I'll try to get a photo of the two eggs together whenever they decide to give me some more eggs and put them beside the color chart (for color reference since everyone's computer screen is different).

Thanks for your replay, Mrs. BachBach.

 

[Schroeder]

The egg coloration is a hard thing to describe. It seems that what some people see as greenish, others see at bluish. I often scold my wife when she refers to a green egg that I see as a perfect blue! Also, the type of lighting has a great deal to do with the tone. We all are working on many aspects of Ameraucanas to get that perfect bird, and then to develop consistency in the traits passed to the offspring. For those who exhibit their birds, there are many aspects we all are working on that will help us produce a show winner, and the quality of the egg color typically takes a back seat. There are those who raise pure bred Ameraucanas that focus heavily on egg coloration. Their birds may be less likely to win a show, but they might win the ABC egg competition. I have many other things to work on with my birds before I can get down to using only the best colored eggs from hens crossed with cock birds who were hatched from the prettiest blue eggs. With that said, I very rarely have a hen that produces eggs that lean heavily towards the green spectrum. I would rule her out of future breeding projects if the eggs are too bad.

If the egg color is your only concern, some easter eggers will produce exceptional color and quantity. Also, I haven't had personal experience with what some call Super Blue Egg Layers, but I would like to see some of those eggs. These might be, for example, a cross between an Ameraucana and a Leghorn.

Incidentally, I have been a member of the Ameraucana Breeders Club for 5 years, and one of my very first posts on that forum was questioning the greenish tone of some of the eggs.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I meant the green tint, not the wash of brown on top when I talked about yellow.  I'm pretty new to chickens and haven't had many laying Ameraucanas so haven't seen many Ameraucana eggs.  I wondered if that greenish tinge could be bred out.  I did notice that the dozens and dozens of hatching Cream Legbar eggs I saw for sale at a poultry show all had varying degrees of that greenish cast to them.

I've also seen a few pictures of eggs that must have been photo shopped to be so blue.  I just don't know what a "good" blue really looks like.  Yes, I have the ABC color chart, but they all look like green to me--which I guess gives me a big clue as to what can and can't be accomplished.


What color on the ABC color chart is the most desired?

I'll try to get a photo of the two eggs together whenever they decide to give me some more eggs and put them beside the color chart (for color reference since everyone's computer screen is different).

Thanks for your replay, Mrs. BachBach.

I have been led to understand the greenish tint is because of the presence of a brown egg gene. Maybe a brown egg layer used in the breeds infancy to create the breed? Maybe a cross to one somewhere down the line? Maybe the pale blue eggs have some white in the background? Some on here more knowledgeable about that than me.
Lighting as opposed to photoshopping is the more likely explaination on those beautiful blues you see. I have a few greenish egg layers in my flock, some pale blue layers and one turquoise layer that I am trying like crazy to get some decent chicks from. No sucess breeding her back to her father. I think it's her because he does fine with others. So, I've been using him alot because he has good egg color genes. He's a real nice looking blue to boot.
The blue color is in there. I've seen eggs where the hen has deposited a ring of blue on the egg. And it is blue. So, I guess it is all about how concentrated the amount is that is deposited when forming the egg. If you want to see what the egg color really is, crack an egg open, then peel back the white membrane inside the egg. There is the initial color.
As others have mentioned, blue is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[MrsBachbach]

The egg coloration is a hard thing to describe.  It seems that what some people see as greenish, others see at bluish. I often scold my wife when she refers to a green egg that I see as a perfect blue!   Also, the type of lighting has a great deal to do with the tone. We all are working on many aspects of Ameraucanas to get that perfect bird, and then to develop consistency in the traits passed to the offspring.  For those who exhibit their birds, there are many aspects we all are working on  that will help us produce a show winner, and the quality of the egg color typically takes a back seat.  There are those who raise pure bred Ameraucanas that focus heavily on egg coloration.  Their birds may be less likely to win a show, but they might win the ABC egg competition.  I have many other things to work on with my birds before I can get down to using only the best colored eggs from hens crossed with cock birds who were hatched from the prettiest blue eggs.  With that said, I very rarely have a hen that produces eggs that lean heavily towards the green spectrum.  I would rule her out of future breeding projects if the eggs are too bad.

If the egg color is your only concern, some easter eggers will produce exceptional color and quantity.  Also, I haven't had personal experience with what some call Super Blue Egg Layers, but I would like to see some of those eggs.  These might be, for example, a cross between an Ameraucana and a Leghorn.

Incidentally, I have been a member of the Ameraucana Breeders Club for 5 years, and one of my very first posts on that forum was questioning the greenish tone of some of the eggs.

I remember one member posted a picture of the deepest blue I have ever seen. It was several years ago and she was as shocked by this first egg as everyone else was. I wonder if it continued to lay those pretty blues or if the bird dumped her whole load of blue on that one egg!

 

[dstokely]

I heard the first screechy crow from my Ameraucana roos this morning. I am suspecting it is the Blue Wheaten as he seems to be the most advanced as far as development. They are 20 wks old. Still watching my three black ones. No real roo look yet.