Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[delisha]

Quote: Very thought out and expressed opinion..thank you for your input.

I purchased Imported English Orpingtons as adults and breeders. My first hatch showed color leakage. I needed to find out where that came from so I did several test breeding to find the source. I needed to know if it needed two copies of the gene, or one copy, and if both or single parents needed to have that gene. I found that the male carried the gene and so did one of the females. I purchased another male and test breed the hen with the leakage to see if she would throw it. I am still on F1 with her. The male I do not use for breeding, he has been culled. He is flock watcher for my egg layers. A good protector and good with chicks. He gets to stay for now. The hen I might have to place in the egg laying coop. Time will tell. You should always know what is in your foundation. Take good records and remove genetic anomalies. It is easy to remove what you see..it is time consuming to remove what you know is there and don't see.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I strongly disagree with this, you will be rebreeding the bad genes into your line and thus it will pop up more frequently and the offspring would be more likely to produce it even when mated to an outside source. I would not use the bird.

I agree. I would not breed winter. I would just get some more wheatens and blue wheatens from a breeder on the abc and start from there.

 

[pips&peeps]

This mutation in my opinion is pretty random. I had birds for 5-6 years before I saw. I had it twice and both were male. I think it may be sex linked.

 

[BirdbyGavin1103]

Winter will most likely be kept with the EEs and OEs for breeding. I'm more concerned with temperament than showing or color, and he is a sweetheart who loves attention and to be handled and cuddled. If for no other reason he'll stay with them to allow for replacement chicks in the future just to keep the various colors in the basket.

This mutation in my opinion is pretty random.  I had birds for 5-6 years before I saw.  I had it twice and both were male.  I think it may be sex linked.

I'm inclined to agree in some cases from what I've read and heard since last night. I spoke to the person I got them from and she had 4 of this coloring hatch (counting Winter). 3 of the 4 she knows are cockerels, the remaining one had to be culled at 5 weeks so she was not sure off that one's sex. She was sure they were all pure BW off spring.
The 4 that hatched may have all had the same parents, she had 36 eggs from multiple parents/pairs. Summer and Autumn may not be any closer than cousins or they may be sisters to Winter, it's an unknown.

 

[rbaker0345]

I am so bummed out. I have five cockerels from Paul Smith: Two black, two lavender and one BBS. The blacks were turning out so nicely, but tonight I noticed that they were tending to hold their tails too high. Not squirrel tail exactly, but just too high for my taste. The BBS is nice, but he's just a little weedy for my taste. The lavenders are magnificent, I can't find a fault, but I wasn't planning on keeping them as I have been breeding blacks. I have a John Blehm black that is pretty nice, but he's such a meanie, I have puncture wounds everywhere from him.

The cockerels were hatched the end of March, could it be just a phase they're going through or should I cull them and keep the BBS and the Lavs? I know I will get a bunch of EE's but I'll also get acceptable colors from time to time. Oh what to do, its so hard to make a decision when you've invested so much time and money in them. Its an easy decision when its something like color leakage, but a possibly high-set tail is kind of a gray area. I could just be being overly picky, but the blacks tails are definitely higher set than the lavs or the BBS. Bummer.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I am so bummed out. I have five cockerels from Paul Smith: Two black, two lavender and one BBS. The blacks were turning out so nicely, but tonight I noticed that they were tending to hold their tails too high. Not squirrel tail exactly, but just too high for my taste. The BBS is nice, but he's just a little weedy for my taste. The lavenders are magnificent, I can't find a fault, but I wasn't planning on keeping them as I have been breeding blacks. I have a John Blehm black that is pretty nice, but he's such a meanie, I have puncture wounds everywhere from him.

The cockerels were hatched the end of March, could it be just a phase they're going through or should I cull them and keep the BBS and the Lavs? I know I will get a bunch of EE's but I'll also get acceptable colors from time to time. Oh what to do, its so hard to make a decision when you've invested so much time and money in them. Its an easy decision when its something like color leakage, but a possibly high-set tail is kind of a gray area. I could just be being overly picky, but the blacks tails are definitely higher set than the lavs or the BBS. Bummer.

I had a blue wheaten cockerel from Paul Smith that I didn't like the tail set--I thought it was high. Not squirrel tail high, but not perfect. I was never going to breed wheatens,so it didn't matter anyway. I was lucky that he found a home next door. I see him off in the distance and I think his tail is fine now. I know whenever I have asked Paul Smith about some problem I'm having, he always advises me to wait. My birds from Paul Smith are about the same age as yours, probably hatched a week after yours. Have patience. You can cull later, but you can never take back a cull.

 

[HaplessRunner]

I am so bummed out. I have five cockerels from Paul Smith: Two black, two lavender and one BBS. The blacks were turning out so nicely, but tonight I noticed that they were tending to hold their tails too high. Not squirrel tail exactly, but just too high for my taste. The BBS is nice, but he's just a little weedy for my taste. The lavenders are magnificent, I can't find a fault, but I wasn't planning on keeping them as I have been breeding blacks. I have a John Blehm black that is pretty nice, but he's such a meanie, I have puncture wounds everywhere from him.

The cockerels were hatched the end of March, could it be just a phase they're going through or should I cull them and keep the BBS and the Lavs? I know I will get a bunch of EE's but I'll also get acceptable colors from time to time. Oh what to do, its so hard to make a decision when you've invested so much time and money in them. Its an easy decision when its something like color leakage, but a possibly high-set tail is kind of a gray area. I could just be being overly picky, but the blacks tails are definitely higher set than the lavs or the BBS. Bummer.

As a number of folks on here have noted previously, the tail feathers may grow unevenly prior to maturity resulting in an appearance of tilted to one side. I am guessing but do not know if that same principle could also apply to the height of tail carriage.

 

[chickenlady099]

im new to wheaten ams and am wonderin if this girl is SQ she is 3-4months old

 

[pips&peeps]

No, she is way too dark. She is supposed to be a light creamy wheaten.

 

[mstricer]

Is that a cockerel?