Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[FridayYet]

Thanks pips & peeps!

 

[FridayYet]

I may know a guy...

LOL.

 

[AmeraucanaKay]

There is a pretty large poultry show coming up in Jan at the Big E in Mass. Anyone going? showing? If you are showing will you be selling any birds?

http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/Northeast.html

link to the show I am referencing.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I thought about that, and I really appreciate the insight. The only reason I wanted a blue with the splash is so that I can get some splash chicks. I know that isn't a show color, but 95% of my customers only want pet chickens, and I'm getting a lot of comments on my splash pair. That would be a big seller for me. So maybe put the 3 blacks and a blue with the splash, then the rest with the black?
I also have a blue rooster, but he is leaky, so he's getting some BCM hens

If you are wanting to raise birds to sell for potential show birds you will want to check your females for throwing leaky males. The only way you are going to be able to do that is keep a male from each female and raise them out for at least eight months. If the male shows leakage, you will have to cull that female to the reject bin. If you have really dark blues, I would put them with the splash. Really dark blues with black can make even darker blues. They can get so dark, it is hard to tell whether they are blue or black as a chick sometimes.

 

[Saris]

The splash birds will lighten up when bred together as will the blues.

Thanks for the info, I was just going to message you about this. So splash on splash and blue to blue make lighter colored babies. Does blue to splash make lighter colored babies as well?

 

[scflock]

If you are wanting to raise birds to sell for potential show birds you will want to check your females for throwing leaky males. The only way you are going to be able to do that is keep a male from each female and raise them out for at least eight months. If the male shows leakage, you will have to cull that female to the reject bin. If you have really dark blues, I would put them with the splash. Really dark blues with black can make even darker blues. They can get so dark, it is hard to tell whether they are blue or black as a chick sometimes.

Thanks for that. My leaky blue came from my straight run batch, so I will watch the offspring as they grow.
I have one blue that is so dark she is almost black, two that are a good color with nice lacing, and one that is too light. That actually works well with the pen setup I wanted

 

[MrsBachbach]

Thanks for the info, I was just going to message you about this. So splash on splash and blue to blue make lighter colored babies. Does blue to splash make lighter colored babies as well?

Sometimes. Depends on how dark your splash is and how dark your blues are. How much melanin they may have.

 

[Saris]

Sometimes.  Depends on how dark your splash is and how dark your blues are.  How much melanin they may have.

That I won't know until they hatch. I ordered six+ silkied/split hatching eggs from Pokey's Poultry. I know they will be splash if they hatch since the parents are all splash. I plan on ordering B/B/S eggs that are silkied or split as soon as I can find some for spring. I can only have one roo and I'm trying to figure out the best color roo to keep if I end up with one of each color.

Thank you for your help. I'm trying to learn as much as I can to have the healthiest possible babies, looks are secondary since shows aren't a big thing around here. Maybe the spokane or Kootenai county fair, but that's all I know of.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Thanks for that. My leaky blue came from my straight run batch, so I will watch the offspring as they grow.
I have one blue that is so dark she is almost black, two that are a good color with nice lacing, and one that is too light. That actually works well with the pen setup I wanted

If you want to try anything at all with that leaky blue male (don't know how bad he is) that is the female I would try him with, the very dark blue one. Keep a male from her, see what he turns out to be. If good, then a female from him, then a male from her. See what happens. If no leakage, then original hen passed on enough melanizers.

 

[MrsBachbach]

That I won't know until they hatch. I ordered six+ silkied/split hatching eggs from Pokey's Poultry. I know they will be splash if they hatch since the parents are all splash. I plan on ordering B/B/S eggs that are silkied or split as soon as I can find some for spring. I can only have one roo and I'm trying to figure out the best color roo to keep if I end up with one of each color.

Thank you for your help. I'm trying to learn as much as I can to have the healthiest possible babies, looks are secondary since shows aren't a big thing around here. Maybe the spokane or Kootenai county fair, but that's all I know of.

Well, if you want to produce all blues the obvious choice is a black to splash mating. Things don't always go as planned though and other characteristics may be more important than color. Obvious faults could lower your choices.