Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[daxigait]

I just have a quick question. If I have a blue Ameraucana rooster and a blue hen will the chicks be blue or will some of them be black?

 

[jerryse]

I just have a quick question. If I have a blue Ameraucana rooster and a blue hen will the chicks be blue or will some of them be black?

blue , black and splash

 

[combatfuzzball]

Dear ones, l have a girl, she has a fluffy black beard, cheeks and a black tail, with black and copper mid body feathers. I figured EE, but she just started, at year 1, this spring, to produce light teal blue eggs. The sweetheart. Can EE's give blue eggs, if there is an Ameracuana in the wood pile?

Hi, Easter Eggers can give almost any color egg. Since EE's are not a recognized breed rather a cross of Americauna's or Araucana's with another breed. An Americauna or Araucana has to meet certain breed standards to be really considered as such. Those that don't usually get tagged as EE's as well. An Olive Egger is the result of breeding a Blue tinted egg breed with a brown tint breed. It's called an Live egger but it could also be considered an EE.
At least that's my understanding about it. Forgive me if I got it wrong.

 

[EastNashChick]

​ Hi, Easter Eggers can give almost any color egg. Since EE's are not a recognized breed rather a cross of Americauna's or Araucana's with another breed. An Americauna or Araucana has to meet certain breed standards to be really considered as such. Those that don't usually get tagged as EE's as well. An Olive Egger is the result of breeding a Blue tinted egg breed with a brown tint breed. It's called an Live egger but it could also be considered an EE.
    At least that's my understanding about it. Forgive me if I got it wrong.

Olive eggers are blue egg layers like Ameraucanas, Araucanas, or Crested Cream Legbars, crossed with chocolate layers like Welsummers, Barnevelders or Cuckoo Marans, but still could be considered EE's yes.

 

[junebuggena]

Dear ones, l have a girl, she has a fluffy black beard, cheeks and a black tail, with black and copper mid body feathers. I figured EE, but she just started, at year 1, this spring, to produce light teal blue eggs. The sweetheart. Can EE's give blue eggs, if there is an Ameracuana in the wood pile?

Hatchery sourced Easter Eggers aren't actually mixed breeds. And they aren't descendants of the Ameraucana or Araucana breed either. It's the other way around. The Araucana and Ameraucana breeds were derived from Easter Egger type birds. It's just that the recognized breeds have been selectively bred to meet a part standard and to lay only blue eggs. Easter Eggers haven't been bred towards any specific goal, and therefore have a wide range of colorations and egg colors.
And while some Easter Eggers may be Ameraucana, Araucana, or even Legbar crosses; they are not in the majority.

 

[samouw]

Hatchery sourced Easter Eggers aren't actually mixed breeds. And they aren't descendants of the Ameraucana or Araucana breed either. It's the other way around. The Araucana and Ameraucana breeds were derived from Easter Egger type birds. It's just that the recognized breeds have been selectively bred to meet a part standard and to lay only blue eggs. Easter Eggers haven't been bred towards any specific goal, and therefore have a wide range of colorations and egg colors.
And while some Easter Eggers may be Ameraucana, Araucana, or even Legbar crosses; they are not in the majority.

While that may have been true 40-50 years ago, I doubt that it is any longer. Most Easter Eggers and Olive eggers are bred from one of the blue egg laying breeds, mixed with a non-blue egg laying breed. The original "EEs" from which the Araucana and Ameraucana were derived have long since been mixed with too many other breeds to be considered, except in minuscule percentages, linked to those original birds. That is one of the reasons there is such a wide diversity, in type, color, and attributes, in the world of Easter/Olive Eggers today.

 

[junebuggena]

While that may have been true 40-50 years ago, I doubt that it is any longer. Most Easter Eggers and Olive eggers are bred from one of the blue egg laying breeds, mixed with a non-blue egg laying breed. The original "EEs" from which the Araucana and Ameraucana were derived have long since been mixed with too many other breeds to be considered, except in minuscule percentages, linked to those original birds. That is one of the reasons there is such a wide diversity, in type, color, and attributes, in the world of Easter/Olive Eggers today.

There has always been a lot of diversity in Easter Eggers, ever since the first "Araucana" were brought to this country. The hatchery stock has changed very little.

 

[jerryse]

There has always been a lot of diversity in Easter Eggers, ever since the first "Araucana" were brought to this country. The hatchery stock has changed very little.

I have to agree . The so called partridge color has been in there as long as I can remember . Early 1970's . While silver and Columbian genes were also present . The newer buff with white and lavender or bluish colors are newer . The dark or black headed trait was rare back then .

 

[MuffMom]

Hi everyone!

I posted here a couple years ago when I was still very new to chickens and thought my EE was an ameraucana. In a month or so, I will be getting my very own ACTUAL Ameraucanas! I contacted a breeder from the ameraucana breeder's directory, and I am planning to pick up between 6 and 10 (depends on what my dad decides to let me get) in roughly 4-5 weeks.
Just a quick thing: do any of you experienced people notice a tendency in blue or blue wheaten chicks (feather or color-wise) to be boys or girls? I'm not able to get them sexed and I can't keep a roo so I'm going to have to make some educated (or uneducated, depends on if there really is a way to tell...) guesses. From what I've seen with the male blues, the boys are significantly darker than the girls at maturity. Does that show at all in the chicks? Any thoughts on making my guesses better would be really appreciated!

I can't wait to bring home some new additions to my flock, and I hope that I can post all kinds of progress pictures to show and get feedback on!

Hi flytie- Good luck with your acquisition, whatever it ends up being. I recently had a blue rooster in my group (though not wheaten) and he was pretty easy to spot from the get go. First, his shanks were much thicker than his mates. At 3-4 weeks his comb colored up. At about 4-6 weeks, you can brush the saddle feather area "against the grain" and see all the pin feathers coming in for his new bigger male saddle feathers, the girls had no such feather growth. He didn't crow until almost 4 months, so I had plenty of time to rehome him before he annoyed my husband. Craigslist, mybackyardchicken and facebook are all worthy places to find new homes for our male friends. Sadly no sure fire way to know on day one. Plus, the breeders have to make a living too. Weigh your pros and cons of how badly you want said breeders stock against the minor inconvenience of dealing with the males. Then plan on ordering more, because you'll be culling a portion.

 

[Grandmadee]

Any blue Egger's for sale here in Utah? I'm not interested in breeding just adding a little blue with my green.If anyone has any let me know. Thanks.