Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[FLF]

those darn egg color threads over a the ABC forum have me all worried I'm gonna get a bunch of easter eggs from my birds...

Surely someone on here (or several) will have an opinion of what i may end up with...
I ordered 10 lav and 15 black LF from John Blehm...due in april. From the thread i read at ABC, it seems as though I should be expecting an egg basket similar in color to my EE flock. Hopefully I was really tired when reading this and it is not true. Truth be told, I am one of the ones who doesn't really care what an Ameraucana looks like, not that I would intentionally breed against a standard, but I did mainly decide to purchase some birds because my "ameraucana" I got last year (from ideal) were not what i had expected.

So, what do you think? I'm sure I could end up with all my pullets laying khaki eggs, or maybe they all will lay white eggs, or all olive, or all beautiful sky blue..... but what is the most probable scenario regarding the proportion of egg colors from these birds? I would hope that they would all lay nice blue eggs, maybe with some small percentage of olive thrown from the lavenders since they are such a young variety with their color coming from brown egg laying breeds...

That egg color thread over there was funny, people were getting all fired up, but it is understandable. It is interesting to see comments from "reputable breeders" that were so varied.... how varied do the opinions get here... how important is that blue egg, do you breed from stock that is physically to standard AND lays a khaki or olive egg? Who has the bluest eggs in the land? Why?

I hope April hurries up and comes here, I want to be an official Ameraucana owner.... and I want to eat morels. Happy Monday!

Phrogg, I wouldn't stress your self out. I'm not sure if you saw this chart that John has up on his site in evaluating different aspects of his birds. It has all sorts of things, such as egg color, type, production, ect. It's here. I think you'll be quite happy with the egg color from John's birds, he's really put alot of time (like decades) and effort into it, and I have really never heard of anyone getting anything other then blue or greenish eggs from his birds.

Or on second thought, just let me know when your chicks arrive, and I'll be down to take them off your hands

 

[cottagegarden]

Nate-nothing compares to seeing birds in person and trying to figure out why they placed the way they did.
Although sometimes, its just how that judge feels that day. By all means try it, just make sure you practice good biosecurity when you get your birds home.
Your bird's face is good, the stance is a little upright, but it could totally be how he is standing for the photograph.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/7227_pic_3490.jpg

Heritagehabitatfarms-that is gold leaking so I wouldnt breed him. His comb is too big and his eye color is too orange, as well.
Its hard to tell type on the girls since you are holding them. Eyes, good, comb, good, legs good. beard..looks maybe dirty or pulled out?(this happens to mine all the time!)
earlobes good, eggs great! I think that's a nice even darker blue. I like the Lav split boy, you dont have the age so I wonder if he has some filling out to do? His beard looks like its been picked on, too, by some pesky more dom birds.
Does anybody else want to weigh in on the comb-it seems like its a good example of a medium peacomb? I think your trio looks good from the photos!​

 

[megcpat]

Yes, please talk combs!!!!! I cannot figure out the desired combs on Ameraucanas because there are no real Ameraucanas around here and the photos I look at all look different. If there are breeders out there who want to talk about combs and show photos, I would just LOVE it!!!!! Or, if there is a book or site where I can be sent that has a good page about the subject.....

 

[mediazeal]

Quote:
Heritagehabitatfarms-that is gold leaking so I wouldnt breed him. His comb is too big and his eye color is too orange, as well.
Its hard to tell type on the girls since you are holding them. Eyes, good, comb, good, legs good. beard..looks maybe dirty or pulled out?(this happens to mine all the time!)
earlobes good, eggs great! I think that's a nice even darker blue. I like the Lav split boy, you dont have the age so I wonder if he has some filling out to do? His beard looks like its been picked on, too, by some pesky more dom birds.
Does anybody else want to weigh in on the comb-it seems like its a good example of a medium peacomb? I think your trio looks good from the photos!

What is gold leaking?

 

[cottagegarden]

Its a fine line to walk with egg color and conformation, and not an easy one with both these breeds. Most people would probably pull her unless she has something totally invaluable to add. So I guess it depends what your breeding for. It seems like people who are interested in a backyard layer get a little upset if the eggs arent blue when they arrive and Amer breeders have been continuing to work on color improvement. That being said, if you have the room tag her and hatch out a few chicks and see what they lay in 7 months. Dont sell them, though. You have pretty birds, I assume the egg color was good? Do you have a Roo from a blue egg that that isnt related to her?
Quote:
I'm sorry was that directed towards me? If so, you think I should hatch a few out and then wait and see?

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
I'm sorry was that directed towards me? If so, you think I should hatch a few out and then wait and see?


The egg color was good...nice and blue. I do have an extra roo that I can use later that is not related to these birds, now the fun part is catching the gal that gave me that egg. I am so disappointed with that egg...I could cry. I very rarely let go of any of my birds or that many of my eggs for that matter so I will not be selling the chicks that I test hatch, they can live in the laying flock until they lay then I will decide what to do with them. IF I did sell any of them they would not be sold as AM's they would be sold as EE's or just plain old layers. Now if only the other 2 gals would start laying! Thank you!

 

[cottagegarden]

I am so disappointed with that egg...I could cry.

Oh honey-I'm sorry. I know..we wait so long to see those eggs..It happens, though, that's is why selective breeding is important.
While I have you here...on your Marans hen. If you are going to use a bird with a known fault, try to offset that fault by mating to a bird that is good in that area and select from then on to standardize offspring. There arent enough really good Marans at this point so you ARE going to use a bird with a know fault and correct it if you get my drift.
Hey-at least she lays a great egg color!!​

 

[phrogg]

the possibility of brown eggs, or green ones surely does not stress me out. I like all the egg colors, though I must admit white is not as appealing to me for whatever reason. I would just be kind of dissappointed if I got a large number of khaki + green laying birds from birds that I (possibly incorrectly) thought would lay blue. I wouldn't care at all had I not paid a decent price for the birds. But as you said, the fact that John is seemingly one of THE most reputable breeders, I figured I couldn't go wrong. In hindsight maybe I should've chosen another color besides lavender that had better established good egg color.
I guess I'm just gonna have to learn more... sounds like a fun thing to try and make your eggs more blue... a dozen brown egg genes and what not...

One kind of general comment... I actually appreciate gaining an interest in an "in-development" so to say, breed. I think it has given me more opportunity to actually be interested in chicken genetics, and I need that because I'm supposed to know something about genetics so that I can be labeled a worthy college student.

Additionally, I like seeing "creationists" or something similar working with genetics, it is so funny how "evolutionists" consider "creationsists" just crazy and vise versa. I see religion in peoples lives here and think it's great that they are able to think about things like evolution and religion simultaneously and harmoniously.

enough babble... I'm way to addicted to this computer chicken stuff.

 

[LeBlackbird]

Hey Guys! I might have some hatching eggs coming because of the warm-up

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Heritagehabitatfarms-that is gold leaking so I wouldnt breed him. His comb is too big and his eye color is too orange, as well.
Its hard to tell type on the girls since you are holding them. Eyes, good, comb, good, legs good. beard..looks maybe dirty or pulled out?(this happens to mine all the time!)
earlobes good, eggs great! I think that's a nice even darker blue. I like the Lav split boy, you dont have the age so I wonder if he has some filling out to do? His beard looks like its been picked on, too, by some pesky more dom birds.
Does anybody else want to weigh in on the comb-it seems like its a good example of a medium peacomb? I think your trio looks good from the photos!

What is gold leaking?

Gold leaking is the gold color in his hackles...and he has a lot of it. You don't want it in a splash, and it is exceedingly difficult to breed out. I had a bantam lav roo with a little bit, and I sold him off so I didn't have to deal with it at all...