Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Chicken5555]

Question: If the sheen of several feathers on a black Ameraucana is not green, but instead striped with green and purple, is that considered leakage? Please educate me. Thanks.

 

[samouw]

Question: If the sheen of several feathers on a black Ameraucana is not green, but instead striped with green and purple, is that considered leakage? Please educate me. Thanks.

No, that is not leakage. It can indicate poor feather quality, however. If they are going through a molt, then I'd wait to see how they molt out.

 

[samouw]

At the suggestion of our friendly moderators, I have started a new thread in the Breeding, Exhibition...thread for serious discussion about Ameraucanas.

Although I will be away from the computer, starting Monday, for at least a week, maybe longer, I thought this might be a good time to start the thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...uding-project-colors-such-as-splash-self-blue

 

[Selsley]

Actually false. Hatchery sourced Easter Eggers don't have any Araucana or Ameraucana blood in them. They are what the Araucana and Ameraucana breeds we have now, were bred from. They just haven't been bred to any sort of standard.

only the araucana layed blue eggs, if all these araucana EEs and americana dont have any araucana blood in them, where did the blue egg gene come from?

 

[junebuggena]

only the araucana layed blue eggs, if all these araucana EEs and americana dont have any araucana blood in them, where did the blue egg gene come from?

You have to remember, the Araucana breed, in America, that we know, was not even in existence until the 1970s. Up until then, all blue/green layers were called Araucana. There was no Araucana, Ameraucana, Easter Egger distinctions made, they were all called Araucana, regardless of their physical features. And they were not a proper breed, even in South America. They mostly were what is considered Easter Eggers today. It's the Araucana and Ameraucana that have Easter Egger in them, not the other way around.

 

[Chicken5555]

As of 2:15 today the eggs are a full 18 days. They ae now a little over 3 hours into the nineteenth day. This morning one of the eggs had rolled over toward another egg. An hour later it was back in it's spot. They have been twitching all day!

ETA: In just a few very, very long days from now there will be tiny Ameraucanas in the incubator!

 

[FridayYet]

Although now, tons of people are using Ameraucana, Araucana, and even Cream Legbars to make mixed breeds that are also called Easter Eggers.

I know around here they are just as plentiful as the ones form hatcheries, It also wouldn't surprise me if some hatcheries haven't mixed their breeds now so their Easter Eggers are different than the strains they had 40 years ago.

 

[junebuggena]

Although now, tons of people are using Ameraucana, Araucana, and even Cream Legbars to make mixed breeds that are also called Easter Eggers.

I know around here they are just as plentiful as the ones form hatcheries, It also wouldn't surprise me if some hatcheries haven't mixed their breeds now so their Easter Eggers are different than the strains they had 40 years ago.

You have to remember, the birds weren't even 'pure' in South America. They were already heavily crossbred with European breeds by the time fanciers in the U.S. discovered them.
The the Ameraucana, Araucana, and Legbar crosses make up a very small percentage of Easter Eggers. The vast majority are hatchery sourced birds.

 

[Chicken5555]

only the araucana layed blue eggs, if all these araucana EEs and americana dont have any araucana blood in them, where did the blue egg gene come from?

Once upon a time there were two kinds of wild chickens on opposite sides of an South American country. One had no tail and the other laid blue eggs. Explorers were fascinated by these creatures! One science minded explorer brought a few samples of each type of chicken to America to create a hybrid - all of the resulting birds carried one or two copies of the blue egg gene. Their feathers were all different colors. Some had tails, some did not. The name Araucana was born and news papers spread the word and everyone wanted the amazing Araucana for it's Easter Eggs!

At some point, a group of breeders decided that they should perfect their Araucanas, so after several years of breeding the standard of perfection was created for the Araucana chicken. But there were some breeders who were very disgruntled that their tailed version of the Araucana was not accepted. They decided to work hard to get their variation approved, and after several more years and a few votes, the name Ameraucana was born. You can imaging their glee when their version of the Araucana (which was quite different at this point and well deserving of a different name) was accepted.

Now, hatcheries and such refused to stop calling their Easter Egg laying chickens "Araucana". Some even started calling theirs "Ameraucana" for whatever reason. But whatever the hatcheries call their birds, they are simply the unworked descendants of the original mixed stock that was used to create the breeds that are true Ameraucanas and truly Araucanas.



Edited by Staff

 

[FowlStuff]

I know that at least one commercial hatchery is now using Ameraucanas to improve their line of Easter Eggers, even though both APA "Standard" Araucanas and Ameraucanas were originally created using Easter Eggers (mutts, that were also referred to as "Araucanas" a few decades ago).

Dick Orr wrote The Early History of the Ameraucana Breed and Club, in 1989 and made a few minor corrections to it last year.http://ameraucanaalliance.org/DnLd/Early History by Richard Orr.pdf

Mike Gilbert wrote HISTORY OF THE AMERAUCANA FOWL this year. It is only available in the new Ameraucana Handbook that each member receives. The handbook may also by purchased separately.
http://ameraucanaalliance.org/ClubMerchandise.html