Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds
- Thread starter hcammack
- Start date
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Hmm...the million dollar question!
One of my bantam Ameraucanas (who is SEVEN months old by the way) laid her first 2, yes 2, eggs about a month ago, and then said, "Eh, I don't really feel like doing this anymore". And hasn't laid since. Patience, my friend, patience...
Hmm...the million dollar question!
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Are they female? Oh sorry, just couldn't help myself!
Some of the ones I purchased last Spring waited until this Spring to lay. I think it has to do with the timing. If they were 28 weeks and it was late Summer and warmer, longer days, they'd probably be starting up.
I've recently found several pullet sized eggs in my coop though, so keep an eye out.
Are they female? Oh sorry, just couldn't help myself!
Some of the ones I purchased last Spring waited until this Spring to lay. I think it has to do with the timing. If they were 28 weeks and it was late Summer and warmer, longer days, they'd probably be starting up.
I've recently found several pullet sized eggs in my coop though, so keep an eye out.
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I don't care if he's a 'mutt' or not, he is magnificent!
I don't care if he's a 'mutt' or not, he is magnificent!
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I don't care if he's a 'mutt' or not, he is magnificent!
I completely agree! What a stunning rooster!
I don't care if he's a 'mutt' or not, he is magnificent!
I completely agree! What a stunning rooster!
Yes he is, and it's so nice to see folks here who love their birds so much. I'm just nuts about mine!
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Since he's from a hatchery, he's probably not pure despite his good looks and probably won't breed true, but from what I can tell he does have a nice Wheaten pattern overall and is a very handsome bird. As nice a bird as I've seen for an EE. I've seen a lot worse claimed to be pure!
Does he have slate (bluish) legs or willow (greenish)? Really nice looking fellow seriously! If Jean is around she might slap my hand for typing that, lol! ...but he really is very pretty. Would I use him in a serious breeding program, no, but if you have a mixed flock you need a rooster for, he's the man!
One question, was he a nice yellow or creamy white color as a chick or did he have a wild type (chipmunk) pattern? I'd guess he had a wild type pattern as most hatchery birds do, and that would confirm that he isn't pure for Wheaten.
verycherry,
It's hard to remember because this was in '07 but I seem to remember he was a multi-shade brownish . . . I guess that's what you are calling a chipmunk pattern. He was so cool looking as a chick, and this was my first ever batch of chicks, that I named him "SpecialD" which stands for special deluxe because he really stood out from the Red Stars that he came with.
Some of the other posters here have said "EE", what is that? My apologies but I'm new to the whole breed labeling thing.
Anyway, the reason I asked about his breed is because I let him be the main man for my Red Star hens and I just recently started trying to hatch my own. I'm not into showing but just like a small farm and I have 5 chicks currently that just hatched; three buff and two dark brown that remind me of SpecialD when he was a chick.
I thought at first that the Red Star hens had passed on the sex-link but I have been told that is not possible. None the less, I was surprised that chicks of the same sex could come out different colors with the same Roo and hen. This led me to do a little more research as to the exact breed of the Roo.
This is all too fascinating to me and I'm having fun hatching out eggs. Maybe, once I have enough consensus on the breed of SpecialD, I can match him up with a couple hens of the same breed and avoid the mut sindrome! LOL
Michael
Since he's from a hatchery, he's probably not pure despite his good looks and probably won't breed true, but from what I can tell he does have a nice Wheaten pattern overall and is a very handsome bird. As nice a bird as I've seen for an EE. I've seen a lot worse claimed to be pure!
Does he have slate (bluish) legs or willow (greenish)? Really nice looking fellow seriously! If Jean is around she might slap my hand for typing that, lol! ...but he really is very pretty. Would I use him in a serious breeding program, no, but if you have a mixed flock you need a rooster for, he's the man!
One question, was he a nice yellow or creamy white color as a chick or did he have a wild type (chipmunk) pattern? I'd guess he had a wild type pattern as most hatchery birds do, and that would confirm that he isn't pure for Wheaten.
verycherry,
It's hard to remember because this was in '07 but I seem to remember he was a multi-shade brownish . . . I guess that's what you are calling a chipmunk pattern. He was so cool looking as a chick, and this was my first ever batch of chicks, that I named him "SpecialD" which stands for special deluxe because he really stood out from the Red Stars that he came with.
Some of the other posters here have said "EE", what is that? My apologies but I'm new to the whole breed labeling thing.
Anyway, the reason I asked about his breed is because I let him be the main man for my Red Star hens and I just recently started trying to hatch my own. I'm not into showing but just like a small farm and I have 5 chicks currently that just hatched; three buff and two dark brown that remind me of SpecialD when he was a chick.
I thought at first that the Red Star hens had passed on the sex-link but I have been told that is not possible. None the less, I was surprised that chicks of the same sex could come out different colors with the same Roo and hen. This led me to do a little more research as to the exact breed of the Roo.
This is all too fascinating to me and I'm having fun hatching out eggs. Maybe, once I have enough consensus on the breed of SpecialD, I can match him up with a couple hens of the same breed and avoid the mut sindrome! LOL
Michael
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Too cute! No way to breed SpecialD and get a true breed of any sort since he's an EE, which stands for easter egger, which means he is a mix between an ameraucana (most likely) or an araucana (2 different pure breeds of blue egg layers), because he is a mixed roo himself. However you might get a mix from him that will lay green or olive colored eggs which would be super cool! Actually John Blehm (president for ameraucana club) says ameraucanas come from many, many years of breeding from what started as an EE. I'm jealous 'cause I am getting some purebred ameraucanas in spring but I can't keep roos where I live. So no fertilized eggs to get any EE pullets or ameraucanas for the future. Can I borrow your guy? JK
But hey! What's wrong with mutts? I'm a mutt.
Too cute! No way to breed SpecialD and get a true breed of any sort since he's an EE, which stands for easter egger, which means he is a mix between an ameraucana (most likely) or an araucana (2 different pure breeds of blue egg layers), because he is a mixed roo himself. However you might get a mix from him that will lay green or olive colored eggs which would be super cool! Actually John Blehm (president for ameraucana club) says ameraucanas come from many, many years of breeding from what started as an EE. I'm jealous 'cause I am getting some purebred ameraucanas in spring but I can't keep roos where I live. So no fertilized eggs to get any EE pullets or ameraucanas for the future. Can I borrow your guy? JK
But hey! What's wrong with mutts? I'm a mutt.
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Oh, sorry Michael, EE just stands for Easter Egger.
They lay a colored egg, but most hatcheries that claim to sell Ameraucanas or Araucanas actually sell Easter Eggers. They just aren't 100% pure (but neither are most of their other breeds).
Most EE's are either part Ameraucana, part Araucana, or a mix of both breeds, or they can be a complete outcross of an Ameraucana and another breed of chicken. They can also be a cross between a pure Ameraucana of one color, and a pure Ameraucana of a different color, causing the offspring to be a mix of colors and not an APA approved Ameraucana variety.
SpecialD is really gorgeous, but if he were a pure Wheaten Ameraucana, he'd have had a solid chick color similar to one of your yellow chicks you just posted the picture of. The only real problem with that would be if you were going to sell chicks from him as pure Ameraucanas, because you couldn't count on him to breed true. If you just want beautiful backyard chickens from him, or to breed and sell a few Easter Eggers, you got it in the bag!
They lay a colored egg, but most hatcheries that claim to sell Ameraucanas or Araucanas actually sell Easter Eggers. They just aren't 100% pure (but neither are most of their other breeds).
Most EE's are either part Ameraucana, part Araucana, or a mix of both breeds, or they can be a complete outcross of an Ameraucana and another breed of chicken. They can also be a cross between a pure Ameraucana of one color, and a pure Ameraucana of a different color, causing the offspring to be a mix of colors and not an APA approved Ameraucana variety.
SpecialD is really gorgeous, but if he were a pure Wheaten Ameraucana, he'd have had a solid chick color similar to one of your yellow chicks you just posted the picture of. The only real problem with that would be if you were going to sell chicks from him as pure Ameraucanas, because you couldn't count on him to breed true. If you just want beautiful backyard chickens from him, or to breed and sell a few Easter Eggers, you got it in the bag!
Oh! SunnyDawn bet me to the answer while I was catching up on laundry!
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