Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[TK Poultry]

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Hope they don't freeze!

 

[Ivywoods]

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OMG! Where are they coming from? The weather in the whole midsection of the United States is absolutely awful right now. Here (besides the ice and snow) we are having wind chills of over 30 below 0.

Hope they make it okay.

Hubby got the new 4 WD Jeep stuck in an 8 foot snow drift on the way home from work. Fortunately he was able to get a ride into town by another guy trying to get across the same drift. I'm snowed in right now and it looks like they won't be plowing the roads until Thursday or later.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Question:

One of my BBS Ameraucana hens is clean faced. I wonder how this popped up? Would one of the parents had to have been clean faced? Or can this trait literally just pop up? From what I understood muffs are dominant, I guess not always?

 

[Illia]

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No, they are dominant, this is just a very common and very annoying trait that has been irresponsibly bred through almost all BBS stock out there. . . What you're seeing is a bird with absolutely no muffs/beard gene, meaning the stock she's from likely has some birds that carry only one allele.

The "fun" part is breeding this fault out. Takes work and time.

 

[cluckcluck42]

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No, they are dominant, this is just a very common and very annoying trait that has been irresponsibly bred through almost all BBS stock out there. . . What you're seeing is a bird with absolutely no muffs/beard gene, meaning the stock she's from likely has some birds that carry only one allele.

The "fun" part is breeding this fault out. Takes work and time.

Ah so even removing her from the flock means I might still have some clean faceds popping up? I just want to know so I can warn customers about it. Too bad because she is a very nice looking black hen, why oh why couldn't she have muffs!

Am I to assume that some breeders do not remove clean faced hens? It seems an easy enough thing to fix, cull all clean faceds, no?

 

[cluckcluck42]

I'd love to know what you guys think of this roo. I have a black roo as well, I've chosen the blue roo simply because I want BBS chicks. They are not great quality by any means, but I'm partial to them

All the roos had varying degrees of gold leakage, this roo had none until about two months ago when the light brown in his mane (I like to call it mane) came in. I have a project ahead of me, I know.

And here are three of the girls

 

[Illia]

No, it isn't that easy. And sadly many people do think it is, which is why it keeps popping up.

Some of the others may just have one muff/beard allele, which is what causes it. Think of it like BBS breeding -

Mb/mb (one allele) x Mb/mb (one allele) - 50% birds with one allele, 25% clean faced birds, 25% fully muffed and bearded birds.

So if you get rid of the clean faced ones, it's like getting rid of splash birds from a flock - You still have the blues. (in this case, birds that have muffs and beard but only one allele)

The key in the beginning is to look for the chicks with the biggest, fullest muffs and beard. Then, breed them and see what your rates are of small or large muffs, and if any clean faced birds pop up. Do this over several birds, and see who does and who doesn't throw clean faced birds. If a pairing throws clean faced birds, BOTH parents need to be culled. If a pairing throws 100% fully bearded, big muffed chicks - they're okay. If they throw a variety, one of the parents has only one allele. So from there, you pair her with a bird you know has only one allele. If they throw clean faced chicks, then you know that one too has only one allele, and needs to be culled.

Here's a photo of comparison. One of these has both alleles, one has none (clean faced) and one has only one. Can you tell the difference?

The one to keep is in the middle. Here's a better photo of her and her enormous muffs. She's now my favorite hen, and has never given me any clean faced birds nor birds with small muffs/beard.

As an adult, here's another good comparing note.

Her.

Her sister - only one allele. Notice the small muffs that press back against the neck. It may be hard to tell though, perhaps I need better photos.

Now to me, this judgment shouldn't be put on other colors though. I don't hear of clean faced birds coming from small muffs in other colors like I know in BBS.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Oh great, thank you for all that info! I would have never known had I not asked. I assumed it was just as simple as culling the non-muffies. There is so much I do not know about genetics.

Well now I am even more anxious for the girls to start laying. I want to get a good start on my next generation flock before spring. Food bribes aren't working anymore, once the cold weather hit they all stopped being so interested in treats OR laying. They were hatched in late June so annnnny day now ladies.

 

[Goose and Fig]

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Great pics Illia! Very good examples.
I had some clean faced wheatens that I had to move to the EE/OE pen. Too bad- such lovely egg color

They were the only girls I had from that line, but I got a blue wheaten roo from a different line last fall that is going to a friend to make EEs. Ah well- win some. lose some.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

They are coming from Florida and I am in San Diego.. and guess what got the call, they are here already!!!! Only 2 days!!!

OMW to go get them now!!!