Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Olive Oil]

So these are the first Ameracauna's I've ever had. I would love some feedback! The smaller 5 are 5 weeks old. The larger of the black ones is about 8 weeks. Any ideas on sex on any of them? Also I was told that the lighter 3 were wheaten. 2 of them seem blue wheaten to me. Is that just a stage they go through and the color will change? I like the color, just so curious to learn more about them. Can't wait until they grow up! Also, feel free to comment on their looks, whether or not they meet certain standards etc. I won't bite!

I only know the wheaten. seems like you have 2 girls and 1 boy. the top one is definitely a regular wheaten. the roo (middle) is blue and the last one looks like a blue wheaten. usually when they hatch the blues are grey and the wheatens yellow.

Thanks. The wheaten/blue wheatens were all yellow when hatched. The blue was blue, the blacks black with a little yellow.

Breeding Q: If I breed 2 blue wheatens or a wheaten to a blue wheaton, will the chicks be blue wheaten, some blue, some wheaten? Also, the blue was from a group of blues, blacks, and splashes. I was told that the chicks would hatch out as one of the 3 but that there was no way to tell until they hatched. So, if I bred the blue to the wheaten or blue wheaten, how would those chicks look? Would they just look like mutts and not fit into any of the color categories for Ameracaunas? Thanks for reading!

 

[dstokely]

Thanks. The wheaten/blue wheatens were all yellow when hatched. The blue was blue, the blacks black with a little yellow.

Breeding Q: If I breed 2 blue wheatens or a wheaten to a blue wheaton, will the chicks be blue wheaten, some blue, some wheaten? Also, the blue was from a group of blues, blacks, and splashes. I was told that the chicks would hatch out as one of the 3 but that there was no way to tell until they hatched. So, if I bred the blue to the wheaten or blue wheaten, how would those chicks look? Would they just look like mutts and not fit into any of the color categories for Ameracaunas? Thanks for reading!

I believe this question was asked previously here. The answer was that the wheaten/blue wheaten/splash wheaten were of one "family" of colors and they could be bread together. When I ordered mine, I was told that there was no way to tell which was which when they were a day old, so I could possibly get any of the wheaten variety. From what I understand, the blues that come from the BBS variety are of a different "family" or breeding. If you breed them to the wheaten variety, you will have EEs as they will not breed true.

I am not an expert. I have had my Ameraucanas since last spring and I am just referencing a previous posting. Good luck with your AMs. I am looking forward to having my own babies this spring which unfortunately will not include any blue wheatens as my BW roo is off color.

 

[tigercreek]

Thanks. The wheaten/blue wheatens were all yellow when hatched. The blue was blue, the blacks black with a little yellow.

Breeding Q: If I breed 2 blue wheatens or a wheaten to a blue wheaton, will the chicks be blue wheaten, some blue, some wheaten? Also, the blue was from a group of blues, blacks, and splashes. I was told that the chicks would hatch out as one of the 3 but that there was no way to tell until they hatched. So, if I bred the blue to the wheaten or blue wheaten, how would those chicks look? Would they just look like mutts and not fit into any of the color categories for Ameracaunas? Thanks for reading!

You should not breed the blue to a wheaten....A blue is a different variety than a wheaten, not the same as a blue wheaten....you are correct, they would be mutts...

 

[OnceInaBlueMoon]

I ordered 15 and luckily only 5 were roos.  Unfortunately, 3 are blue roos, then 1 lavendar and the one off colored blue wheaten.  He is beautiful, but he's red where he should be blue, so no blue wheatens for me.  I wish I had a black roo but that was not in the cards either.  I will take some pictures when the weather gets better.  Right now, my two splash hens look like they have been wallowing in red clay.  I let them free range for 2-3 hours a day and pray Mr Hawk does not fly by.  I am going to work with the lavendars but I may eventualy just go to the Blue, Black & splash because it is easier.  I am not sure I want to keep 3-4 different flocks.  I have my brown layers as well and the Blue Wheaten is the king over them, two EEs and the one Blue Wheaten hen.  The other guys are in the bachelor pen.  I will soon move my Ameraucana hens in with the Am roos and start my breeding program....which will still be pretty restricted.

And, lastly.....GO VOLS!

Go Vols! Our Blue Wheaten roo is the king of the castle as well. He is stout! I have a few black French copper marans, and sadly, we had a crow fly over our fenced in area that we use for the chickens and he got one of them. I did not realize how much of a predator the crows can be. Our biggest predators havd been dogs previously. We had to fence in a large area using cattle panels to keep them safe.

I am looking forward to incubating eggs. I am going to set some in the incubator next week and see how they do!

 

[dstokely]

Go Vols!

Our Blue Wheaten roo is the king of the castle as well. He is stout! I have a few black French copper marans, and sadly, we had a crow fly over our fenced in area that we use for the chickens and he got one of them. I did not realize how much of a predator the crows can be. Our biggest predators havd been dogs previously. We had to fence in a large area using cattle panels to keep them safe.

I am looking forward to incubating eggs. I am going to set some in the incubator next week and see how they do!

A crow???? Are you sure it was not a hawk? I have crows around mine quite frequently and I do not have netting over the top. I have liked the crows as they can sometimes chase away a hawk. I will have to check that out.

I have had all my hens with the off color Blue Wheaten, so I cannot incubate before February. I want to give them four weeks to get that guy out of their system. I have to enclose the other half of a shed before I can start the separation. I don't know which I will do first...the bbs or the lavs. I don't want to incubate them together because I don't want to mix up the bbs blacks with the splits from the lav/black breeding. My husband may kill me over all my chickens.....and horses.....and dogs.....and kitties.

Sure was a great game today.

 

[birdman55]

if you want a certain trait ...u should use your male with that trait and it will be passed on to its offspring of whatever you breed it with and you have to keep breeding it back with the offspring to get a certain trait that you want to keep appearing...its difficult to explain...but for example my chickens I don't separate and I have many types...well the roosters I kept were a white ee and a barred rock...well the barred rock was the head rooster and most of the chickens came out with the main trait as the barred rock....black and white feathers and yellow feet....but you can tell out of the eight that he bread with that were ee cause they had a beard....but with the attributes of the barred rock...so you can make a chicken however you would like it to look but it will take many generations....

 

[OnceInaBlueMoon]

A crow????  Are you sure it was not a hawk? I have crows around mine quite frequently and I do not have netting over the top.  I have liked the crows as they can sometimes chase away a hawk.  I will have to check that out.

I have had all my hens with the off color Blue Wheaten, so I cannot incubate before February.  I want to give them four weeks to get that guy out of their system.  I have to enclose the other half of a shed before I can start the separation.  I don't know which I will do first...the bbs or the lavs.  I don't want to incubate them together because I don't want to mix up the bbs blacks with the splits from the lav/black breeding.  My husband may kill me over all my chickens.....and horses.....and dogs.....and kitties.

Sure was a great game today.

Hahaha Blame it on my lack of coffee, but I meant to say hawk, not crow. Lol!!! I'm right there with you! We just added a new puppy to our little farm. My husband purchased bees this past summer to begin the process of harvesting local honey. These days I am trying to talk him into a few Nigerian dwarf goats and a few pigs. Lol!

So did you just request an assortment when you placed your order with Paul?

I would love to purchase some lavenders from you if your breeding program goes well and I am ever near your area!

The game was great today! I am a huge fan of Butch Jones!

 

[dstokely]

Hahaha Blame it on my lack of coffee, but I meant to say hawk, not crow. Lol!!!

I'm right there with you! We just added a new puppy to our little farm. My husband purchased bees this past summer to begin the process of harvesting local honey. These days I am trying to talk him into a few Nigerian dwarf goats and a few pigs. Lol!

So did you just request an assortment when you placed your order with Paul?

I would love to purchase some lavenders from you if your breeding program goes well and I am ever near your area!

The game was great today! I am a huge fan of Butch Jones!

I picked out what I wanted from Paul. I knew I wanted the BBS. I thought the blue would be my favorites, but the splash are. I picked two BW and two Lavs just to see what I thought about them. I really like both and I am very disappointed about the BW roo; that he is not the right color and cannot breed BWs. When I get my lav babies, I will share pictures. This may be a drawn out process since I just have the two, so I will be using blacks to get splits then breed back. That will take at least a year. I may just buy some more lavs to speed up the process and will also improve my gene pool.

I so wanted dwarf Nigerians....with blue eyes. But I have decided that I have too many other animals. I rescued 4 horses, so I am up to 7. All my dogs are rescues, but I am at 4 now, down from 10. Kitties(2) are rescue. Would love to have bees, but have a fear of being stung as I was stung by a swarm of bumblebees as a child. I have to find a new source for my honey as my honey suppliers retired and I don't do store honey.

I retired from the corporate world 7 years ago, left W. TN and moved to the mountains where we had bought a farm. We have cattle too, but I have always loved chickens. Not knowing any better, I got my first "AMs" from a hatchery two years ago. I have two EE's left from that group and after reading and researching, I bought the real ones from Paul last year. I would like to get some from John Blehm, but I think you have to order 25. I have my flock of brown egg layers too, so that would have me over chickened. He has silver which I also covet. Chicken math, chicken math.

 

[tigercreek]

I would like to get some from John Blehm, but I think you have to order 25. I have my flock of brown egg layers too, so that would have me over chickened. He has silver which I also covet. Chicken math, chicken math.

I have an order of silvers coming from John in March....we will have to do a chick swap next summer.....

 

[dstokely]

I would like to get some from John Blehm, but I think you have to order 25. I have my flock of brown egg layers too, so that would have me over chickened. He has silver which I also covet. Chicken math, chicken math.

I have an order of silvers coming from John in March....we will have to do a chick swap next summer.....

I am envious! What might you want to swap for? Just thinking, you know!