Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Ravynscroft]

above, is that considered a Blue Ameracana? What do they look like as chicks?

Yes, he is a blue Ameraucana, and a fine example of one too!

These 3 chicks are blues...

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Ravyn beat me to it.

Horatio in those pictures is a blue. Hamlet is a black. I have more pictures of blue and black hens on my website. http://teacherhousefarm.wix.com/teacherhousefarm
Feel free to go check them out!

Blues run the gamut from a really light colored dove grey to a dark charcoal color. My experience has been that the darker birds have better lacing on their feathers, but that could just be my line.

BBS will also make splash. Most splash are white with darker blue smudges, but I have had the occasional chick pop out with black smudges and also some that have a light blue overall color with darker blue smudges. I call them blue splashes, although I don't know if that is an accepted name. They're pretty though.

 

[FVRM]

Well. Here is what I am working with this year.
No. I am not thrilled. But, they are better than they were 2yrs ago. And yes, Mr. Winter is one of those white crop-outs. I just put a bunch of his eggs in the 'bator to see what I get, since he is wheaten x wheaten. I know. You pro breeders tell everyone to cull them. He may have that single beard gene issue I was correcting, but he has some things I want back in my flock. As I stated before, if the chicks all come out white or weird, they will make someone some nice EEs. My curiosity will be taken care of, too.

Basically, since I am without a good roo, this year is a goof off year for me. I am hoping to get a roo out of the eggs and chicks I got from 2 different breeders. If not... I may have to restart my wheaten flock again next year.

tha's a really nice roo, so unique

 

[JulesChicks]

Hi there everyone...I've been following this thread for a while now in anticipation of getting my Ameraucanas - about the last 4-5 months! So, here they are, our 4 sweet Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas...
These pics were taken last Monday when the two littlest were 1-2 days old (last 2 pics) and the 2 bigger ones were 1 week and 1-2 days old.








Here are the youngest today, almost a week after hatch...


They are in with 2 Welsummer pullets that are also a week old from the same breeder. The Ameraucanas definitely seem a little more mellow/friendly so far. We love them and are enjoying seeing them grow up.

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Sneaky, sneaky!

My Lavender Am stopped laying eggs almost 1 month ago. I thought it was a pullet phase, like some of my pullets that lay, then stop for a bit and then resume a fairly regular schedule. The first week she stopped I checked around (the chickens free range all day) to make sure she wasn't laying elsewhere. Nope. the last few weeks I've been really busy and hadn't been able to observe the chickens as closely as I normally do, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She was out and about with everyone else every time I went outside. Then today, we found her hiding AND sitting on a hoard of eggs!! SEVENTEEN!!

 

[saltandpepper2]

How soon can you tell the gender of ameraucanas? I have two splash as around 3 weeks, and I'm starting to get suspicious about one, it's comb is a lot wider than the others.

 

[MrsBachbach]

How soon can you tell the gender of ameraucanas? I have two splash as around 3 weeks, and I'm starting to get suspicious about one, it's comb is a lot wider than the others.

Guessing sex based on the comb at a young age is not entirely accurate in my experience. I sure have tried, but end up wrong about half the time. Unless it's very obvious that there are three rows of peas, I would wait until the combs start turing pink. Males combs will turn pinker before females will. That is a more accurate predictor and that usually starts happening around six weeks.

 

[kambrose]

Sneaky, sneaky!

My Lavender Am stopped laying eggs almost 1 month ago. I thought it was a pullet phase, like some of my pullets that lay, then stop for a bit and then resume a fairly regular schedule. The first week she stopped I checked around (the chickens free range all day) to make sure she wasn't laying elsewhere. Nope. the last few weeks I've been really busy and hadn't been able to observe the chickens as closely as I normally do, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She was out and about with everyone else every time I went outside. Then today, we found her hiding AND sitting on a hoard of eggs!! SEVENTEEN!!

Haha nice! Funny little hen

 

[saltandpepper2]

Guessing sex based on the comb at a young age is not entirely accurate in my experience. I sure have tried, but end up wrong about half the time. Unless it's very obvious that there are three rows of peas, I would wait until the combs start turing pink. Males combs will turn pinker before females will. That is a more accurate predictor and that usually starts happening around six weeks.

ok, thanks. I'll just have to see! I breed marans and single combed bantams, so I'm used to being able to tell within the first two weeks! I guess it's not the same with these little guys!

 

[MrsBachbach]

ok, thanks. I'll just have to see! I breed marans and single combed bantams, so I'm used to being able to tell within the first two weeks! I guess it's not the same with these little guys!

If those guys are from the same parents, it very well may be a predictor of sex. The size of the combs do vary with the lines and males generally are wider.