Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[DnDFarm]

His black feathers now cover this, but this was the leakage visible at about 6 months. This is also the rooster in my avatar

 

[speckledhen]

Ok, did a 5 day candle of my Sunday set, and it's confirmed. I have a gorgeous black rooster that is 0% fertile in 75 degree weather. The splash is still 95%, and the girls all came from the same batch, so it's not the girls. I've wasted space in the incubator for the last time. I have a gorgeous black rooster that won't reproduce. Now I have a dilemma, and 3 options:
1. Leave the black with those girls and wait 6 more months until I can replace him with a blue from the splash pen, basically ruining my whole year with 4 laying hens.
2. Put those light blue and splash hens in with the splash rooster, and get more chicks, but take the chance of diluting those blues even further.
3. Take my blue rooster with the leakage, put him with the light blues, and hope he produces a non-leaky black to replace him this year.

Trimming feathers is not an option for me. I'm not manscaping a bird just to see if it will work when his brother is 95%. He's getting on the girls, I've seen it. He's either infertile, or has horrible aim. He won't reproduce, so he has to go. It's a shame, because he's the closest to SOP I have.

My blue rooster is gorgeous. He's the biggest, most well shaped rooster of the 3. He was the alpha before the pen split, and is currently in an OE pen with BCM culls. For those of you that don't know, my issue with him was leaky shoulder feathers, and that's why he was put in the OE pen.

Someone once told me to build the barn before I paint it. Do I put this big blue in with the girls, keep all the cockerels and grow them out to see who leaks and who doesn't, then hopefully get a non-leaky blue or black to take his place? If I do that, am I compromising the females by breeding carriers? What would you guys do?

I would not breed him or you'll keep fighting it. It will carry. And it may get really weird, too. This male came from a gorgeous black male with leakage when bred to a female who came from the same line (as you know, the females don't usually show it like the males do).

 

[DnDFarm]

I would not breed him or you'll keep fighting it. It will carry. And it may get really weird, too. This male came from a gorgeous black male with leakage when bred to a female who came from the same line (as you know, the females don't usually show it like the males do).

I'm just torn. I need a black rooster to fit my breeding plan, and I can't get one from the splash. I don't want to bring in any outside blood until I learn what I'm working with. I have several chicks growing out right now, two blues that I'm sure are roosters, but they won't be ready for breeding for 6 more months, then it will be another 6 months at least before I can hopefully grow out a replacement black. I'm fine with waiting that long, but I want my other 4 laying hens producing chicks as well. If I put them with the splash rooster, I will get a ton of splash chicks that sell well, but I don't want to risk over diluting my blues and splash

 

[junebuggena]

I'm just torn. I need a black rooster to fit my breeding plan, and I can't get one from the splash. I don't want to bring in any outside blood until I learn what I'm working with. I have several chicks growing out right now, two blues that I'm sure are roosters, but they won't be ready for breeding for 6 more months, then it will be another 6 months at least before I can hopefully grow out a replacement black. I'm fine with waiting that long, but I want my other 4 laying hens producing chicks as well. If I put them with the splash rooster, I will get a ton of splash chicks that sell well, but I don't want to risk over diluting my blues and splash

Use your Splash this year. Keep the best blue cockerel that he produces for next year's breeding. Then pick the best black cockerel that the Blue son produces. It will take more time, but at least you won't be continuing that leakage.

 

[jerryse]

Hi guys I am hoping somebody can help me uncover a mystery, Im pretty new at this chicken things and I have three Ameraucana chicks all headed into the week three(ish), the ugly phase of loosing feathers. I noticed however that two of my birds have very little tail feathers, one of whom I have to check constantly for pasty butt has no feathers around the vent at all and is literally sporting one single tail feather, and is pretty much bald. Is this normal? I thought by now all the chicks would have tail feathers coming in and only one does. Anybody every encounter this?


Also is it normal for their feet to change color? I have one who went from gold/yellow chick feet into a slate grey color very quickly.

Those with very small tails are cockerels . Know as the tail feather sexing method . Pullets tails grow faster .

 

[Opendoorfarm]

His black feathers now cover this, but this was the leakage visible at about 6 months. This is also the rooster in my avatar

Someone had a beautiful black AM rooster on Craigslist last week in upstate SC listings.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm just torn. I need a black rooster to fit my breeding plan, and I can't get one from the splash. I don't want to bring in any outside blood until I learn what I'm working with. I have several chicks growing out right now, two blues that I'm sure are roosters, but they won't be ready for breeding for 6 more months, then it will be another 6 months at least before I can hopefully grow out a replacement black. I'm fine with waiting that long, but I want my other 4 laying hens producing chicks as well. If I put them with the splash rooster, I will get a ton of splash chicks that sell well, but I don't want to risk over diluting my blues and splash

It is hard when that's all you have to work with but just know what you may end up with. That one I posted was the extreme, not many are as bad as he was.

 

[DnDFarm]

Use your Splash this year. Keep the best blue cockerel that he produces for next year's breeding. Then pick the best black cockerel that the Blue son produces. It will take more time, but at least you won't be continuing that leakage.

Thanks JB, I was hoping you would chime in. I'm growing some of his blues out right now, and he is throwing some really nice blues with those black hens. My splash is really dark, so maybe he won't lighten them too much. On the bright side, the splash are very popular and I would get a lot of those

 

[DnDFarm]

It is hard when that's all you have to work with but just know what you may end up with. That one I posted was the extreme, not many are as bad as he was.

I have lost a year before with poorly bred BCM. I know that shortcuts aren't the way to go, I guess I was just hoping one of you guys would have a magic solution

 

[DnDFarm]

Someone had a beautiful black AM rooster on Craigslist last week in upstate SC listings.

I appreciate that, but this is my first year breeding these birds and they are pure Smith. I'm not ready to bring in any outside blood yet