Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[MrsBachbach]

I have a question. I have a blue wheaten Aneraucana pair (full blooded from originally great bloodlines) I got the pair and the hen wasn't laying yet but now she's laying and they are TAN not blue. I've hatched about 7 chicks from them and will see if the pullets will lay blue but right now any I sell I'm going to have to advertise that they did hatch out tan eggs so we don't know if they will lay blue. Has anyone ever had this happen? Do you think they will most likely lay blue? Again this a FULL blooded pair. Not Easter Eggers. I've purchased from this fellow multiple times over the years and always had great beautiful birds who lay blue.

I had one. My first breeding pair I bought, also from well known lines. Didn't keep them long though. After talking with the breeder, he was surprised to hear the news because he thought he had got rid of his problem when he got rid of the girls laying the tan eggs. However, I guess he forgot it takes two to tango and he did not pull any of his roosters. That's how his problem showed up again with me.
So, your offspring will likely at best, lay olive eggs. That's if your rooster gives them a blue gene. If any of the offspring also lay a tan egg then you can be sure your rooster is not carrying two blue egg genes, just one. You need to replace your girl because she will just keep giving all her offspring brown egg genes. You may need to replace the rooster also if any tan eggs show up in the offspring. That would mean he also carries at least one brown egg gene and that is how you end up with hens laying tan eggs instead of blue somewhere down the road. Unfortunately, it takes about two years to find out what a rooster is carrying (raising him and his offspring to lay), if you ever do. I imagine you have to raise quite a few of his offspring to find out if the wrong gene exists. That is how these things pop up.

 

[Sylvester017]

I think I know who you got them from, as I've spoken with a gentleman who had one of his hens lay tan eggs (in the NC/SC area). And in this case, I don't believe it is the breeder's fault actually. I think it was just the perfect storm of genetics and hidden genes from who knows how many generations ago are popping up. People need to remember that Ameraucanas were bred from EEs, and thus have unpredictable genetic backgrounds. While chances of issues decrease over time, with recessive genes there's always a chance they are still lingering.
Either way, I wouldn't use a brown egg layer in a breeding program. You could do test hatches with the rooster to see if he has the blue egg gene, but that'd take a long time to raise up the chicks to POL.

Thank you for more eloquently and further defining the tan egg problem.

I had one. My first breeding pair I bought, also from well known lines. Didn't keep them long though. After talking with the breeder, he was surprised to hear the news because he thought he had got rid of his problem when he got rid of the girls laying the tan eggs. However, I guess he forgot it takes two to tango and he did not pull any of his roosters. That's how his problem showed up again with me.
So, your offspring will likely at best, lay olive eggs. That's if your rooster gives them a blue gene. If any of the offspring also lay a tan egg then you can be sure your rooster is not carrying two blue egg genes, just one. You need to replace your girl because she will just keep giving all her offspring brown egg genes. You may need to replace the rooster also if any tan eggs show up in the offspring. That would mean he also carries at least one brown egg gene and that is how you end up with hens laying tan eggs instead of blue somewhere down the road. Unfortunately, it takes about two years to find out what a rooster is carrying (raising him and his offspring to lay), if you ever do. I imagine you have to raise quite a few of his offspring to find out if the wrong gene exists. That is how these things pop up.

Wow, the genetics about breeding is precisely why I won't breed and why I appreciate those who do! It's no wonder why breeders can be hard to find who will give up stock after years of breeding and culling and refining their projects. This is a serious hobby!

 

[Larkspur88]

Thanks for the input! I only hatched because I can't for the life of me find anymore and this said breeder is not raising birds much anymore due to health and so I didn't have an option of anymore hens. I'll still sell them but I'll be sure to tell anyone they have a very high probability of not paying blue and would recommend just using them as layers for eggs for eating vs. raising chicks. Im keeping any pullets that hatch out or most of them anyway to see what they end up laying, but looks like I will have to get some more birds from different stock...if I can find some.

I did hatch a batch of beautiful Easter eggers. I'll probably raise a "mostly blue egg laying flick) and advertise them all as EE.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Thank you for more eloquently and further defining the tan egg problem.

Wow, the genetics about breeding is precisely why I won't breed and why I appreciate those who do!  It's no wonder why breeders can be hard to find who will give up stock after years of breeding and culling and refining their projects.  This is a serious hobby!

This is the simple to understand part! Simple to understand but hard to carry through because birds have to be replaced after a few years and it's usually the roosters that go.
It is so much more complicated in so many other areas that I don't understand! Genetics is not easy to understand and there is so much to retain makes my head spin. Even those that have a good grip on it don't know everything about their birds. There is so much hidden, it really is a guessing game most of the time.

 

[MrsBachbach]

PapaChaz what kind of waterers do you have in that brooder box? It appears to be coke bottles with what on the end? Does it work well? Does it leak? I have bought the nipple waterers for chickens and tried it out last year on my chicks, even my older birds but they wouldn't take to it, and while the chicks did use them, I felt they were not getting enough water for good health. They constantly hang out near the waterers. Makes me wonder and get concerned in hot weather. I know in one of my older birds pens they just weren't looking good. Constantly at the nipples. I put a bowl of water in there one hot day and they all ran to it and drank like a man stranded in a desert. I pulled the nipple buckets out after that. I'm wondering what that is you have because it doesn't look like the standard nipple waterers.

 

[PapaChaz]

PapaChaz what kind of waterers do you have in that brooder box? It appears to be coke bottles with what on the end? Does it work well? Does it leak?
I have bought the nipple waterers for chickens and tried it out last year on my chicks, even my older birds but they wouldn't take to it, and while the chicks did use them, I felt they were not getting enough water for good health. They constantly hang out near the waterers. Makes me wonder and get concerned in hot weather. I know in one of my older birds pens they just weren't looking good. Constantly at the nipples. I put a bowl of water in there one hot day and they all ran to it and drank like a man stranded in a desert. I pulled the nipple buckets out after that.
I'm wondering what that is you have because it doesn't look like the standard nipple waterers.

yes ma'am, those are coke bottles with the nipples in the cap. I put them in one of the shampoo holder thingies you can stick on the shower wall, LOL. No they don't leak, but I actually didn't like them much because there was no air inlet, I poked a hole in the bottom of the bottle and would put my finger over it while I was filling it up, they seemed to work better after that.

Mine took to the nipples in about 4 or 5 minutes. I know I don't have to tell you this, but all it takes is ONE getting it, then the others will come over to see what's up, LOL

I picked up an empty plastic food grade barrel yesterday, I'll be working on my nipple watering systme in the coop and run later in the week

 

[TattooedMama]

yes ma'am, those are coke bottles with the nipples in the cap. I put them in one of the shampoo holder thingies you can stick on the shower wall, LOL. No they don't leak, but I actually didn't like them much because there was no air inlet, I poked a hole in the bottom of the bottle and would put my finger over it while I was filling it up, they seemed to work better after that.

Mine took to the nipples in about 4 or 5 minutes. I know I don't have to tell you this, but all it takes is ONE getting it, then the others will come over to see what's up, LOL

I picked up an empty plastic food grade barrel yesterday, I'll be working on my nipple watering systme in the coop and run later in the week

I bought 2 bags of the nipples last year and haven't had a chance to make anything and put them to use. Please share when you get your bigger one done. I would love to see how you design it; summer is fast approaching here and we have many 100 degree days so a better watering system is important for me.

 

[MrsBachbach]

yes ma'am, those are coke bottles with the nipples in the cap. I put them in one of the shampoo holder thingies you can stick on the shower wall, LOL. No they don't leak, but I actually didn't like  them much because there was no air inlet, I poked a hole in the bottom of the bottle and would put my finger over it while I was filling it up, they seemed to work better after that.

Mine took to the nipples in about 4 or 5 minutes. I know I don't have to tell you this, but all it takes is ONE getting it, then the others will come over to see what's up, LOL

I picked up an empty plastic food grade barrel yesterday, I'll be working on my nipple watering systme in the coop and run later in the week

I will tell you right now, if you plan on hanging a bucket nipple waterer, try to rig something up so that the bucket doesn't twist and turn when the chickens start pecking on it to try to drink. That was so fustrating to see and I imagine fustrating for the chickens to follow the nipple around to get their drink of water!
Well, I thought you may have had something there other than the nipple waterers. Like I said, mine just seemed thirsty all the time. They used them, but I felt they never did get enough. The way they dove to the regular water bowl when I put it out just told me they were still very very thirsty despite drinking from the nipples regularly.

 

[MrsBachbach]

 I bought 2 bags of the nipples last year and haven't had a chance to make anything and put them to use. Please share when you get your bigger one done. I would love to see how you design it; summer is fast approaching here and we have many 100 degree days so a better watering system is important for me. 

You can make your own using a five gallon bucket. That would hold about four nipples. Like I said, try to rig it up to stay fairly stationary instead of twisting on a rope or chain. The buckets are easier to deal with as far as changing the water, cleaning etc., but you can also make one using pvc piping. Check this one out:

http://www.qcsupply.com/hanging-tube-waterer.html

 

[PapaChaz]

I will tell you right now, if you plan on hanging a bucket nipple waterer, try to rig something up so that the bucket doesn't twist and turn when the chickens start pecking on it to try to drink. That was so fustrating to see and I imagine fustrating for the chickens to follow the nipple around to get their drink of water!
Well, I thought you may have had something there other than the nipple waterers. Like I said, mine just seemed thirsty all the time. They used them, but I felt they never did get enough. The way they dove to the regular water bowl when I put it out just told me they were still very very thirsty despite drinking from the nipples regularly.

I have a 3 gallon bucket hanging now on a piece of chain. There's an S hook stuck through the cattle panel and a piece of porch swing type chain holding it. Doesn't seem to twist at all when they drink from it.

as for going and diving in the fountain waterer, I think that's instinct kicking in, not so much thirst. it's not natural for them to drink from above, so when a puddle forms or anything really, they go to drink from the ground, they're just doin what comes natural.

I've been busy rebuilding my tractor, just about done with it. I will be doing a pvc pipe watering system fed from the 30 gallon barrel I picked up the other day. I will post pics when I'm done with it