I need to run something by everyone... Please bear with me. I have some WBS chicks from an early June hatch and 3 of them are beardless (2 pullets and a cockerel). When I first got them I thought no way I would keep the beardless ones long but there is a pullet and a cockerel that keeps making me second guess myself. The reason being is they have the most color in their tails and the cockerel in his breast, the cockerel is maturing the fastest, he has a super broad back and the best leg color of all my boys (even split 8 cockerels 8 pullets), he is also really dark, he was the first to get a full black chest, and he has the least amount of red coming up through his tail. Nice comb too, even pea comb from day one. So there is a lot of things pulling for this guy and it's not making it easy to cull him. I just need some advice... Here is the full sister (these 2 were the result of a single mating) to the cockerel showing the color of her tail in comparison to another pullet with the most color of my bearded girls. The rest of the 6 bearded pullets have less and less color.
My gut says to just bite the bullet and cull all 3 of the beardless ones and just count it as a loss. The second beardless pullet is the only chick from one breeding pen too. But under what circumstances would allowing a beardless Ameraucana to be a breeder be acceptable? If ever?
I don't know what the rest of your flock looks like, but if you check my responses to other posters on this you will get my imput. I would keep at least one of those nice colored birds and work with it. You would be looking to improve color in the colorless ones and beards in the best colored ones. You could put it with one of your males that has the best muff/beard. The second one also has good color, barring anything else wrong, you could just use her and scrap the first if you want, but don't be surprised if you do hatch some beardless chicks, your birds could have single copies beard/muff genes. Keep an eye out for black in hackle in females. It does tend to show up in the females and males. More in the males. When choosing your male, also consider the one with the less black in hackles. So, as far as the beard/muff question, yes you could use them it just depends on how much hatching, culling and working with them you want to do.
He's handsome, Susan! That had to be a great spirit lifter for you! 
