Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[saltandpepper2]

So my "splash" aneraucanas might not be splash...To me, they're more like a super duper light blue. Their body is light silver, which a lavender covered head.. They have the odd lavender colored feather in their tails and wings, but really not much. What do you think?

 

[RangeChicks]

Well, it is still hard to tell, but I'm still thinking male. It could be a male with a small pea comb. Some lines are like that. Very slow to develop. In these pics, maybe it's just the lighting, but even one of the blues has darker looking feathers on it's back and wings that makes me wonder if it might possibly be male(the one near your pink sandal in the pic). Tail doesn't look too female on it either. Blue males will start putting in darker feathering on their backs (saddle area) and wings and that forms their black cape. You say they are about 14 wks old, so at that age, if they are male, they should be starting to grow in their saddle and hackle feathers. These will have narrow pointy like ends instead of the rounded feather end like a female. So, pick those birds up and start parting feathers on their back towards the tail area. That's where you would find saddle feathers starting to grow in.

The darker blue one was so dark at hatching that for a week or so we thought it was black. Then it began to lighten up & we discovered it was really a very dark blue. Don't know if that makes a difference or not.

 

[RangeChicks]

Like to see a pic of that roo in the back he looks very nice from this view.

So you mean the dark blue one? We are seriously hoping it is a pullet. S/he is my personal favorite. Love the darkness of the blue. S/he was so dark at hatching that it wasn't until feathers began to come in that we were convinced s/he was blue. I will get more pictures of them when the sun comes through the fog later this morning.

 

[PapaChaz]

I can't help but wonder why, if a hatchery wants to advertise and sell "blue" ameraucana chicks, why don't they just breed a splash and a black? They obviously have breeding stock to choose from....


Seems like just another way for a company to get away with misrepresenting their product

 

[RangeChicks]

Pictures of the black chick in question. The feathers are all ruffled up because of me and the wind.


Saddle Feathers:





Another head shot:




Full back shot showing hackles & saddle:




Hackle area:





Fingers still crossed

 

[RangeChicks]

And now for the blue in question:

Saddle feathers:





Hackle area:







Whole body:



More finger crossing

 

[RangeChicks]

And for good measure, the other blue that there seems to be some consensus on that it is a pullet.

 

[RangeChicks]

Like to see a pic of that roo in the back he looks very nice from this view.

Here are more pictures of him/her. If it is a roo, he will be available.

 

[Ravynscroft]

And for good measure, the other blue that there seems to be some consensus on that it is a pullet.

I think your black is a roo, the dark blue is a pullet and the light blue is the only one I am not sure about. If one of the blues *might* be a roo, I would suspect the lighter blue over the darker blue.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Pictures of the black chick in question. The feathers are all ruffled up because of me and the wind.


Saddle Feathers:





Another head shot:




Full back shot showing hackles & saddle:




Hackle area:





Fingers still crossed

Well, looking for pointy feathers in a picture is something I can't do. You have to lift the top feathers and look underneath near the skin all around in that area for feathers coming in.