Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[jajeanpierre]

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Hi everyone, I was hoping if you could tell me if my girls are true Ameraucanas or EE. They are about 14 weeks old. I bought them from a local women who breeds chickens. I have had them about a month now. I also have a black one who I am not sure but may be a rooster. I tried to get a photo of him but they are all SO skittish! Ill try again tomorrow.
Thanks!

What did she sell them to you as? What did she tell you to expect?

The young chick second from the left looks almost like a lemon blue cockerel but I'm really not familiar with what young lemon blues look like. You get a lemon blue by breeding brown/red to blue or splash.

Brown/red is an accepted Ameraucana variety, so perhaps she had a blue or splash cock bird and a brown/red hen in her breeding pen. That could explain why you have this Easter Egger in the group. But, that scenario is in my mind rather unlikely if you are writing here to ask The Question. Usually when serious breeders are working on a project color, or are expecting non-standard varieties, they let you know. There are no surprises.

I am getting to the point where I just automatically think that if anyone writes here to ask The Question--is my bird an Easter Egger?--that it must be an EE. If you don't know for sure it isn't an EE based on your own knowledge of the Ameraucana breed, the Ameraucana Breeders Club, who is a serious breeder and who isn't, I think it probably is an EE. Good quality Ameraucanas don't usually just pop up on Craig's List and in feed stores. Even if a purebred Ameraucana was bought from those places, I doubt the breeder was at all serious about improving the breed. Of course there are exceptions, but this breed needs serious breeders dedicated to improving the breed, not more backyard breeders who have no understanding of the breed.

Your group doesn't give me the impression that they have Ameraucana type. Maybe it's their age.

 

[MrsBachbach]

What did she sell them to you as?  What did she tell you to expect?

The young chick second from the left looks almost like a lemon blue cockerel but I'm really not familiar with what young lemon blues look like.  You get a lemon blue by breeding brown/red to blue or splash. 

Brown/red is an accepted Ameraucana variety, so perhaps she had a blue or splash cock bird and a brown/red hen in her breeding pen.  That could explain why you have this Easter Egger in the group.  But, that scenario is in my mind rather unlikely if you are writing here to ask The Question.  Usually when serious breeders are working on a project color, or are expecting non-standard varieties, they let you know.  There are no surprises.

I am getting to the point where I just automatically think that if anyone writes here to ask The Question--is my bird an Easter Egger?--that it must be an EE.  If you don't know for sure it isn't an EE based on your own knowledge of the Ameraucana breed, the Ameraucana Breeders Club, who is a serious breeder and who isn't, I think it probably is an EE.  Good quality Ameraucanas don't usually just pop up on Craig's List and in feed stores.  Even if a purebred Ameraucana was bought from those places, I doubt the breeder was at all serious about improving the breed.  Of course there are exceptions, but this breed needs serious breeders dedicated to improving the breed, not more backyard breeders who have no understanding of the breed.

Your group doesn't give me the impression that they have Ameraucana type.  Maybe it's their age.

Yes they do. That's one place I use at times to make room over here or sell locally.

I object. Yes, I am. I try hard, keep records and select breed.

I guess I'm an exception.

 

[MrsBachbach]

...

This one is an EE.

The others do look to be blue or maybe lavender Ameraucana, just not well bred. If that one is a rooster, then it can't be blue, it must be lavender. There is one pullet in the picture that I can't see well, it may be an EE, looks like it has color on it's back. The white one is what is called a splash. Now none of these colors are recognized, except blue, so technically they would be EE's.

No, on second thought, those three grouped don't look lavender, they look blue. If you knew what age they were it would help decide if they are boys or not. Two look like they could be boys and their darker cape feathers haven't come in.
So, I see a splash, two EE's, and maybe three blues there. And I would wonder about their background since there is at least one obvious EE in the group.

Nevermind, I see you said fourteen weeks. Well, blue males would have darker cape feathers in by now, so likely not boys.[/
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Thank you. They are from 2 batches, I bought 12 (she gave me 13) half were 9 weeks old and the other half 10 weeks. Would it be fair to say they are ameraucana but not show quality? Does it boil down to the color?
Thanks again!
Ill try to get some better photos but today looks pretty gloomy as well...

It's more than just color. Color is just the most obvious. They could have the right color, but wrong leg color, or wrong type comb or wattles and no beard or muff.
Two are obvious EE's, they others can't see much detail. But Pips n Peeps is right. The body type isn't there. They could have been crossed with something else or just not bred well over time. There are alot of non show quality Ameraucanas out there though. Lots of blues out there with no lacing or edging, blacks showing leakage, etc., but also, lots of backyard crossings. It's those crossings that produce the EE's.

 

[jerryse]

Yes they do. That's one place I use at times to make room over here or sell locally.

I object. Yes, I am. I try hard, keep records and select breed.

I guess I'm an exception.

I agree purebreds do show up in odd places sometimes . Some of my excess cockerels and old hens go to the sale barn . I once bought a trio of bantam lavender Ameraucana at the sale barn . The lady who had them bought them at the sale the year before . She thought they were silver . I told here what they really were as she kept a bunch of their chicks . Yes generally if you don't know what you have then it is a EE .

 

[jajeanpierre]

Yes they do. That's one place I use at times to make room over here or sell locally.

I object. Yes, I am. I try hard, keep records and select breed.

I guess I'm an exception.

I'm sorry for that comment. I stated that, "good quality Ameraucanas don't usually show up in those places.: I didn't mean that good breeders don't ever use those places. I suspect that when you sell your birds on places like Craig's list, the person buying them doesn't pop on this list and ask if they are proper Ameraucanas. I suspect they are made pretty aware of what is behind your birds. I think there is a very low percentage of serious breeders on places like Craig's List versus Easter Egger breeders passing them off as Ameraucanas. Sorry, I wasn't really clear.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I agree purebreds do show up in odd places sometimes . Some of my excess cockerels and old hens go to the sale barn . I once bought a trio of bantam lavender Ameraucana at the sale barn . The lady who had them bought them at the sale the year before . She thought they were silver . I told here what they really were as she kept a bunch of their chicks . Yes generally if you don't know what you have then it is a EE .

I raised a really beautiful Paul Smith blue wheaten cockerel I had no place for. He was a really lovely bird but I decided I wanted to work with bbs, so had no place for a blue wheaten cockerel. My neighbor wanted another rooster so I gave him to her. I guess there was a bit of aggression in the yard so instead of giving him back to me, she traded him to the feed store for some feed. I was ticked off.

I still say if you have to ask, the answer is Easter Egger almost every time.

 

[COChix]

Hello all, I have a question, can someone tell me if this girl is an Ameraucna? I am leaning towards she is, but don't have enough experience to say that 100%. My understanding is they have tails and muffs and slate colored legs. This is Isis, she lays pretty light blue eggs, has muffs and I would consider her legs more slate in comparison to our EE.

Opinions? Thanks BYC family!

 

[jerryse]

Hello all, I have a question, can someone tell me if this girl is an Ameraucna? I am leaning towards she is, but don't have enough experience to say that 100%. My understanding is they have tails and muffs and slate colored legs. This is Isis, she lays pretty light blue eggs, has muffs and I would consider her legs more slate in comparison to our EE.










Opinions? Thanks BYC family!

She is EE. Yellow beak = yellow skin and green legs . Ameraucana do not have yellow beak , yellow skin or green legs .

 

[COChix]

She is EE. Yellow beak = yellow skin and green legs . Ameraucana do not have yellow beak , yellow skin or green legs .

thanks Jerry, still have a lot to learn and read up on....I missed the part about the skin color, beak color. Jerry is the bomb! - always very helpful, infomative and gentle on us newbies.

 

[ladysmith]

Thanks for the feed back. Here is a close up of Brave, my little pullet.
I was told these were ameraucana when I bought them. She said she had a few different roosters for breeding. Maybe just not the best breeding as you already mentioned. I did check the bottoms of her feet and they are white. I will have to wait a few months to see the colours of the eggs.
I have learnt so much on this forum, I am only up to page 15!