Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[averytds]

I have enough whites, creams, pinks, browns and blues going on in my egg basket but no pretty greens. I've temporarily commandeered DS's Black AM roo to try and get some. I thought he would be my best bet for passing on at least 1 copy of blue, but wanted to make sure.

Hatching some from the Cuckoo Marans is a given, any recommendations for others. Hatch some of the pinks or creams?



Also, can't give a number as we're still waiting on the egg color charts, but his Blues eggs aren't nearly as vibrant blue as his Blacks eggs. If he selects and hatches the darkest blue eggs from his Blues and keeps doing that each generation it will improve their color, correct?

 

[Illia]

Ah, then if that's what you're talking of. . .


blue x cream/pink = light green

blue x brown = green

blue x green = greenish blues

blue x dark (marans) brown = dark olive green

 

[averytds]

Yes! TY!


I wanted to attempt to hedge my bets as much as possible and didn't think trying with an EE roo was the best way to go especially if 2 genes could be at play.

DS's Black is SQ from nice stock. His female full siblings we've kept lay nice blues, so I thought he'd be the best to use. Too bad you can't tell future egg color at hatch. I think we're going to cull him after there's sufficient male offspring to choose from, so unless I wanted to wait until they mature it's kind of now or never.


I've seen some pink with speckles I think I'll start pulling to hatch some from.

 

[jerryse]

Here is a pic of some bantam buff project birds.The pullets are from a buff roo and recessive white hens.I was 5 years into a project to get darker legs on buff when a dog reduced me to 2 cockerels.I was almost back to true buff color when this happened.I chose white to carry on.As you can see there are several patterns showing that were hidden.1 buff columbian,several close to black gold,some close to a buttercup pattern.This puzzeled me a little.So I started reading in Fred Jeffrey's Bantam Chickens.He shows 4 family trees that can produce buff.They are extended black,dark brown.dominate wheaten and recessive wheaten.All end with +s [gold] +Co3 [hypothetical extreme columbian restrictor.I have used white before with buff with similar results .It seems that any color pattern with black and gold could also work.The roo is a 3/4 buff 1/4 wheaten that I got from John last fall as he had no extra full buff.Wheaten has always been the go to color on buff projects as it is said that buff contains the wheaten gene.It should take 2,3 or even 4 generations to get all the genes back in place that produce good buff color.Others have also tried to darken the legs on buff.I sometimes wonder if it is a impossible combination.I know that white laced buff in polish and seabrights have dark slate legs.These seem to be created by adding red pyle [ dominate white] to golden laced. Jerry

 

[Goose and Fig]

Oh I love that dark buff one in the front! I have some LF buff eggs due on the 12th. I need to research the whole crossing-with-wheatens thing if I decided to keep them- they must pass the personality test first. The eggs they're hatching from (I hope!)are green. Greener than EE green. Did I say green?

 

[Illia]

Really? My Buff girl lays a bluer egg than my green laying black hen.

So nice to see more working on Buff and the options there are out there for it! Even if yours are bantams, which, ahem, I'm no fan of.

HappyMtn - If you truly find yourself in the want to work on Buffs, think of these things:

Beard/muffs - Often you might have some with very small sets, sometimes telling that the bird has one allele. Avoid these, and breed for the biggest sets.

Light undercolor - I've yet the experience to know of Wheaten helps or hinders the aid in a darker undercoat, but you need it. . . Most buffs are often too pale at the shaft and base of the feather, something greatly in need of change.

Orpington body - Almost all Buffs I've seen are very Orpington in type, so if you're going to cross out to Wheaten, find some that are very narrow and tight in the rear, with well carried wings. Try and go for the opposite of the orpington type Ameraucanas. A lot out there have some pretty low carried wings and a LOT of "rear end"

There's a lot more to it than that too, but I think those are some important things. Egg color is another big thing too, but I think most of us are aware of that, even with every day situations like in EE's.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Thank Illia! I hope we have a good hatch. Even though the eggs are green- they might not lay the same shade. They are porous too, while my wheatens are more shiny. I was so surprised at the difference in the eggs my lavenders hatched form and what they lay, so maybe I'll get lucky again

If they have Orp-like personality then I will most likely keep them and put some work in. I just don't have the patience for something like silvers.

 

[jlgoinggreen]

Hi Everyone,
We had our Black Ameraucana rooster either stolen or picked off by a predator. I am really upset because he was so beautiful and hatched out of a beautiful sky blue egg. He was of a perfect temperament which was really good as I have young children. I am sooooo upset.

So now I am looking for another Black Ameraucana rooster. Anyone here live in PA in or near Franklin County or Western MD with one to spare?

 

[Illia]

Yes, I've heard up and down of Silvers being skittish. . .

If it helps, my one pullet from Pips&peeps is a pretty sweet girl, especially for being one who was shipped to me. The cockerel is an absolute doll! His personality surpasses my blue and black boys, he's very much a "Mama's Boy"

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
Good to know! Did you get any Ramey buffs? That's where I got the eggs from.The eggs are huge.