Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[emvickrey]

Quote:
I know, sounds crazy right? I wonder if my buff orphingtons had a lighter colored pullet or cockerel would that not be concidered a buff orphington? It's like the grey silkie. I don't understand that either if it's too light it is not acceptable. I think they are all beautiful. And the colors are usually what makes them so pretty. Well we all have our opinions and the last thing I want to do is anger anybody so i'm gonna do my best to keep that opinion to myself.

I did say try.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Wow! Congratulations!!!! He's gorgeous!

 

[Chickanmanfromarkansas]

Where is Hornbeck, Tennessee? My wife is from the Celina, Tennessee area.

 

[halo]

Quote:
I dont think the part I bolded is correct. Its more like, assuming you and your husband are caucasion, that you two would produce an african american baby (which can happen). What is being discussed is not crossing species, but colors within a breed. Thats the complexity of genetics; you can breed 2 of the same color, and still come up with something different. So whether or not you would call the resulting chicken an Ameraucana is what is open to discussion, whether they should be called EEs or not.

 

[Mahonri]

I used to have a hard time with that concept myself, but now that I'm into breeding the cream of the crop, I can understand why it's so extremely important not to cross Ameraucana types.... because in reality, they just end up being pretty EEs.

I'm getting ready to say goodbye to a few wheaten pullets soon. The girls that won't even get to lay eggs because I don't think they are pretty enough to pass on any good genes.. .and then, I won't even incubate any eggs unless they are very blue.

That said, I have a LOT of Ameraucanas now and the chicken that laid the very bluest egg was one of my EEs.... I had to send her off to someone else so that I wouldn't end up incubating her eggs...as beautiful as they were.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
Nice beard!!!!! I think he's going to be great.

As for what Citychicker said- I feel part of it may have been directed to me. I don't sell my birds for outrageous prices, and I certainly DON'T SELL ANY BIRDS or EGGS that have the "not blue" potential. I gave some away one time - as PROJECT EGGS. FOR FREE- even paid the shipping. Just ask Hens and Roos.

Also- I'm not just going to give up on the lavenders because they don't lay "sky blue" eggs yet. They will eventually- because of dedicated people putting the time, money and effort into them.

 

[Sebrightmom]

Quote:
He is very pretty. What lines is he? I just love the blues.

 

[HBuehler]

I sell my off colors or other faults as Easter Eggers I had a few of those white birds from super stock that ended up with buff coloring..they were sold as a great addition to any EE pen or to make EE chicks but do not meet the APA Breed Standard and didn't make it to my breeding pens. I have lots of repeat buyers because I don't try to lie to them on what they have.I don't want to count how many we have given away as back yard pets in all of the breeds we have including the Ameraucana pens.
I had to change my EE pens because I was getting solid black EE's that I couldn't tell from my true Ameraucana flock having 3/4 true AM blood they look pure but chances are they won't breed true.I don't want that e-mail saying a chick hatched and it's not a BBS.
I am working on a special variety of EE that isn't seen around right now ...it will breed true genetically every time but time will tell on how well the blue genes come through..I won't have green eggs but the question remains on the reliability of blue eggs coming through without loosing my original goal which is the color.None of which would be possible without my true Ameraucana flock.

 

[dak]

Even within certain breeds of dogs, there are certain colors that shouldn't be breed together because they produce disqualifing colors, or health issues (merle X merle). Yes they could be considered as purebred, but why not just do it right. It costs no more or less to raise a correct vs. uncorrect animal. Unfortunately, many people tried to show EEs at our county fair. They took the hatchery at its word. The judge was nice and didn't DQ them, but they weren't considered for any awards either. I feel these people got ripped off by the hatchery (Privett). They could have put their money into an accepted color of purebred even of hatchery quality and been farther ahead. dak

 

[mmfarm]

All I'm saying there is no law out there that says that they can't advertise them as Ameraucanas. If you breed two pize white ameracaunas together andthey throw an buff colored one would you sell thatbird as a Ameraucana or and Easter Egger? I know that buff is one of the accepted colors, but the parents weren't buff and did not breed true.
Just saying and stating my opinion. I myself call them Easter Eggers, because of the different colors that they lay. But if I were to develop a certain color from my EE's and showed it and was accepted as an Ameracauna under their standards would it be a true Ameraucana?

The best comparison I can make is you'd never sell a very nice looking cubic zirconia ring to someone as a diamond just because it looks like one and they didn't know the difference. Some people like cubic zirconia, some people (I'm one) wouldn't pay the cost of a diamond because that's not their thing, but I don't know anyone who wouldn't be upset if they found out their rock was fake AFTER they bought it. But so many people have made a substantial investment of time & money into birds only to find out they are not what they were represented to be, and have to start all over from scratch with new birds. I constantly see birds advertised as Ameraucanas that aren't, including an auction on this site right now (*edited* ended yesterday) that uses the words "true" and "rare" to describe an obvious EE. I know it's confusing, but that's exactly why advertising correctly it's so important - to prevent further confusion.

As for trying to get true Ameraucanas from EEs, while it is possible, and even tempting (I've had a couple EEs that would have passed) it wouldn't be practical. Even if you get an EE that LOOKS like one of the accepted color varieties of Ameraucana, you have no way of knowing what recessive genes it's carrying, so you would have to do a lot of test-mating to isolate every single unwanted gene, produce hundreds of chicks, cull heavily, spend years of your time and $$$ in feed to get it to ever breed true, and after no less than 5 generations you would have...

...what you can buy right now because the ABC did all that decades ago.

Now if you're talking about developing a new color, it's a long process and takes multiple breeders raising & showing a variety for a number of years for it to become accepted, but there are several groups with some really cool projects - check out the ABC forums for more info.​