Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[pips&peeps]

Royce,

I purchased a wheaten cockerel from Barbara last month to try and combat the muff and beard problem. But, it seems I have two blue wheaten cockerels that are around 7-8 months of age that almost have full blue beards. One of them is not as nice as the other, but I am hopeful that I will get the one nice male after all the breeding I did this year.

I only ended up with three or four pullets this year to move into the wheaten and blue wheaten breeding pen. (everyone kept buying the pullets) The older gals really laid quite well last year from December up until the end of September. I haven't seen much from them though since.

I will be cutting back on all the birds this year to only 8 birds per pen, including the rooster. I am combining my blue, black and splash instead of having a blue/black and a blue/splash pen. Costs have gotten too high and I inadvertantly kept some old birds last year that hadn't laid eggs for quite some time in those pens. So it will be a mostly out with the old, in with the new year.

 

[lildinkem]

Taking three blues to the Indiana Poultry Breeders 59th Annual Show here in Connorsville IN this Sat, Dec 5th
I was very happy with Jean's Blue cock I entered at Ohio this past month, thought I'd up the anny and bring this pretty little Blue hen. Hatched last spring in May of 2009.
This will be her last show for a while and I hope to get some eggs incubated from her and my two top notch Ribbeck Blue cocks.

 

[racuda]

I have a question. Since splash is not a recognized color, does that make a splash Ameraucana an easter egger?

 

[Illia]

Quote:
No. If actually bred from Ameraucanas, it still is an Ameraucana. Splash is not recognized by ANY breed because it cannot be bred to standard. So, if you breed BBS birds, you're bound to get splash, but that doesn't mean the bird does not qualify for its breed.

 

[SunnyDawn]

This is contrary to what I was told. I had wanted to breed my black roo to all my ameraucana gals but was told that any unaccepted crosses would not be considered true ameraucanas since they would not be a recognized variety.

I really care a lot more about egg color than anything else but was told these crosses would have to be sold as EEs. Either way is fine with me but I sure would like some clarification. BTW, I have wheaton and black girls right now and am expecting blues, silvers and more blacks in spring. So I thought only my black girls' offspring would be considered Ameraucanas.

 

[Illia]

Yes, that there would be unaccepted because you ARE making unknown color crosses.

Splash is something that naturally comes out of breeding two blues together, and happens in any blue breeding of any breed.

So, yes, your blacks would be Ameraucanas - but Black crossed to any other color but blue or splash would give you Easter Eggers, as all the others are different from black, and create mixed colors.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Well- the thing with mixing colors is that even if you end up with a recognized color like black or blue, they will not necessarily breed true. Splash is an exception.
Splash is also inconsistent in it's depth, and I think that is one reason it hasn't been accepted.
Best to keep a your black roo with other BBS girls (or lavenders) , and wheatens with wheatens and so on.

 

[TK Poultry]

Well this is kind of a sensitve issue and one that is I assume can be taken many ways. I for one think someone or some committee or council should set up guide lines for what is an EE and what is an Ameraucana especially in cases like this. I'm incline to say splash ameraucanas are ameraucanas but one could make the argument that splash ameraucanas are by products of real ameraucanas and that is the same as an ee. But I say that its a real ameraucana because its the result of two real ameraucans.

 

[TK Poultry]

DOUBLE POST! SORRY!!

 

[columbiacritter]

This guy was supposed to have come from Ameraucauna parents, but I think a Maran slipped in with the hen. That's a Maran of the same age with it. The Maran is definitely a roo, but the EE has me flumoxed. They are about 6 months old. What do you think? Roo or hen?