Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Hinotori]

The two on the right are black sex link

Yup, EEs all. They do make wonderful layers, though. I've started crossing the best layers out of my 3 year old EEs with one of my ameraucana roosters to make me more good EEs that lay blue eggs. Some of the old girls are still laying 5-6 eggs a week.

I had a hard time getting purebred ameraucanas when I first was looking. Now I have some and love them.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Or maybe call the conforming birds show-quality to distinguish them from the others.I have 2 standard schnauzers that are "pet quality" vs. "show quality" because they had minor flaws, but they're still standard schnauzers.

I know it's a controversial subject--not trying to stir the pot!

I don't think your stiring the pot, it certainly doesn't bother me, I have no problem talking about it. But I don't think calling them show quality wouldn't fix anything. Because you can have a purebred black ameraucana that isn't show quality but still a pure bred black ameraucana. The thing people argue about is once you cross say a buff and blue, you don't get another pure color out of the cross, so it then should no longer be called an ameraucana. but an EE. Then there are people who say they are still ameraucanas just not a standard ameraucana, so therefore should be called a non-standard ameraucana. I understand the thought process on each side. I do think still using the name ameraucana in it could still make it confusing for new people, but for some so is trying to understand why crossing two purebred birds of the same results in an EE according to some people. I am not going to share my opinion on which I think it should be though.

 

[noodlesoup]

I don't think your stiring the pot, it certainly doesn't bother me, I have no problem talking about it. But I don't think calling them show quality wouldn't fix anything. Because you can have a purebred black ameraucana that isn't show quality but still a pure bred black ameraucana. The thing people argue about is once you cross say a buff and blue, you don't get another pure color out of the cross, so it then should no longer be called an ameraucana. but an EE. Then there are people who say they are still ameraucanas just not a standard ameraucana, so therefore should be called a non-standard ameraucana. I understand the thought process on each side. I do think still using the name ameraucana in it could still make it confusing for new people, but for some so is trying to understand why crossing two purebred birds of the same results in an EE according to some people. I am not going to share my opinion on which I think it should be though.

Very wise!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Very wise!

lol , thanks

 

[delisha]

I have a question about eggs. Two of my three Ameraucanas are laying (unless the third is hiding her eggs the way Angelicisi's bird did). The egg yokes seem almost brown (or maybe a dark mustard color) they are so dark. They free range over almost two acres. The eggs from the Silkies, Polish, Cochin and Plymouth Rock have a more standard egg yoke color. The color I am seeing isn't because of the blue egg shell next to the yoke--it is still a very (not very nice looking) dark color when I have them cracked in a bowl with the other chickens' eggs. The chickens that are not Ameraucanas are in my back yard and forage over a much smaller area. The Ameraucanas seem to eat very little of the commercial feed, relying more on finding their own food than the other little chickens.

Thoughts?

One other egg question: One of my chickens (maybe more than one?) has been laying an egg with a lot of blood in it. Yesterday, I cracked an egg open and found a lot of blood and a fairly hard piece of tissue in it. I can't believe it was an embryo, since it didn't have any sort of circulatory system over the yoke, but since I've never seen a developing chick in an egg, I really don't have a clue to what they look like. I believe the bloody eggs come from one chicken who, thankfully, lays a very uniquely shaped egg, so I'll be checking every egg of that chicken. Does anyone have any thoughts about that sort of problem?

They found something they love eating..possibly a berry of sorts that is coloring the yolk that color. Free ranging chickens can have a variety of yolk colors.

Blood in egg:
If you have one hen who has bloody egg all the time for a long time she could be a cull. It can happen in some pullets when they start to lay, but usually it works out in a month. For now don't worry about it. They are caused by a blood vessel in the oviduct hemorrhaging as the egg is developing. Just scramble them up and feed them back to her. There is nothing you can do to fix it and nothing you are doing that is causing it. It is genetic. I have had them all stop with in a month and it never happen again.

Quote: x2

 

[BrickWall Honey]

Hello all,

We picked this fellow up 10 days ago. We were told by previous owner that he was an EE, but they were not sure as to fact. I posted over on the other thread and comments received were he looked to be a Wheaton ameraucana. As this is our 1st time having either a EE or Am we are not sure. Not intending into entering any breeding projects, just curious as we got him as an addition to our layers.




Thanks

 

[jerryse]

Hello all,

We picked this fellow up 10 days ago. We were told by previous owner that he was an EE, but they were not sure as to fact. I posted over on the other thread and comments received were he looked to be a Wheaton ameraucana. As this is our 1st time having either a EE or Am we are not sure. Not intending into entering any breeding projects, just curious as we got him as an addition to our layers.




Thanks

He is a handsome fella but I see some yellow on the beak. I would say EE.

 

[BrickWall Honey]

He is a handsome fella but I see some yellow on the beak. I would say EE.

Here's a better pic of the beak, is this considered non-standard for a Am?

 

[jerryse]

Here's a better pic of the beak, is this considered non-standard for a Am?

Yellow in the beak indicates yellow skin Which is not standard for ameraucana. He most likely has yellow soles on his feet also.White skin is standard. I also see some white in the ear lobes. Which sometimes pops up in purebreds. It is a fault to avoid. Many people use a pure ameraucana over their EE hens to make sure they inherit the blue egg trait. Hen color would tell more about his breeding. Wheaten,BB red,partridge and EE black/red roosters are much alike but matching hens are different colors for each. Unless he came from a flock with wheaten hens he is EE. He has issues if is supposed to be ameraucana.

 

[BrickWall Honey]

Jerryse
Thanks for the pointers, appreciate the clarification.