Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Gonda]

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I have actually checked out several sites, and I understand that the Ameraucana has muffs and beards and a tail, and lays blue eggs. That is what I was told of the parents of these chicks, and I saw some of the hens on the breeder's property. The hens did have muffs, beards and a tail, and the eggs were blue. I understand this is characteristic of true breeding.

http://ameraucana.org/faq.html


I've sent out a few emails to some of the sites that raise Ameraucanas and am eager to hear what they say.

I'm new to chickens, but I've been doing a lot of research on the breeds I'm going to get (Faverolles and Ameraucanas). I don't know if you're read through this thread, but this issue seems to come up a lot. I just started reading the Ameraucana thread a couple weeks ago. If you haven't already, I'd go back and start reading. There's a lot of good info that will probably answer your questions.

I think for those of us that are new to the breed, it's easy to confuse "Easter Eggers" and true Ameraucanas. I think Easter Eggers can have muffs, beards, tails, and lay blue/green eggs, too.

I did consider reading through the thread, and then saw the number of pages!! That might be a winter project.

 

[Gonda]

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Thanks!!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Does it help young folks learn when the 4-H Poultry Showmanship test says the following?

"29.*What breed(s) of chicken lay(s) blue-green eggs? (Araucana and Ameraucana)"

It's no wonder all the kids are entering their blue/green egg layers in the shows as Ameraucanas.

 

[Midwest Lizabeth]

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Shroeder--where did you get your birds?

I have 10 wheatens from Belm that look a lot like the bird pictured, and many of my wheaten roos have black/dark brown. I'm sure that some of them are wheaten and some are blue wheatens, as I agreed to take what he had available. (I felt honored to be able to get some of his birds. He was great to deal with.) EweSheep: Are you an Ameraucana breeder? Are you saying that we shouldn't breed the blue wheaten roos? It would be awesome if a recognized breeder could post photo of a good juvenile and a not-so good juvenile roo to try and educate us. Or, are color patterns of juveniles so drastically different from their adult patterns that there's no way to tell the good from the bad? I was hoping to be able to select the two best of each color to keep before we have to build a bachelor pad to grow up roos.

I'm so trying to learn. I asked about what colors to keep or avoid back on page 1078 post #10774 No one would give me a suggestion.

I did learn that I need to avoid brown on the silver roos from a later post. It can be so frustrating. The Ameraucana website has photos of chicks and adults, but lacks information about juvenile birds. My birds look like some of the birds that have been posted recently. I know photos would be better. . .I haven't had a good opportunity to try for photos. My birds are kind of wild. . .

One not familiar with chickens would assume that purebred birds should breed true. Some of the recent posts are disconcerning. "Purebred" Ameraucana stock turning into another breed? It doesn't in any of the the other animals that we have, so it doesn't compute with me. (horses, hogs, llamas, dogs, cats) There's "pet" quality and there's show quality, but. . . anybody else having a difficult time with this?

This is definitely a learning opportunity. Thanks to all who help to educate the ignorant (me)!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

This is my "spare" Blue Ameraucana roo. I have him as my spare because I don't think his lacing is crisp enough and I think he is short of black. I love his personality and I don't think he's a DQ so I'm keeping him as my spare. He is 19 weeks old and does continue to darken up and improve with age.

But his legs puzzle me so I'm hoping those with more experience will comment.

They look like splash legs to me. And since his coloring isn't punchy-snappy (inventing a description as I go) - might I expect more splashes from this boy, do you think? I don't know whether to use him or not.

 

[coopslave]

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He is a blue wheaten and looks to have a decent comb too.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

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I am DEFINITELY not an experienced chicken breeder but what I have come to understand is - chickens don't work like horses - dogs - cats (which I DO have experience with). Chickens, it seems, qualify for inclusion in their breed based on their parents AND how they appear (and the color of egg they lay). If they don't meet the SOP breed description, they are out, regardless of who their parents were. It isn't that they become another breed but rather that they no longer qualify within their parent's breed. (Easter Eggers aren't actually a breed - although sometimes it does rather feel like they are - but rather a label folks have come up with to describe colored egg layers that aren't Ameraucanas or Araucanas.)

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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Shroeder--where did you get your birds?

I have 10 wheatens from Belm that look a lot like the bird pictured, and many of my wheaten roos have black/dark brown. I'm sure that some of them are wheaten and some are blue wheatens, as I agreed to take what he had available. (I felt honored to be able to get some of his birds. He was great to deal with.) EweSheep: Are you an Ameraucana breeder? Are you saying that we shouldn't breed the blue wheaten roos? It would be awesome if a recognized breeder could post photo of a good juvenile and a not-so good juvenile roo to try and educate us. Or, are color patterns of juveniles so drastically different from their adult patterns that there's no way to tell the good from the bad? I was hoping to be able to select the two best of each color to keep before we have to build a bachelor pad to grow up roos.

I'm so trying to learn. I asked about what colors to keep or avoid back on page 1078 post #10774 No one would give me a suggestion.

I did learn that I need to avoid brown on the silver roos from a later post. It can be so frustrating. The Ameraucana website has photos of chicks and adults, but lacks information about juvenile birds. My birds look like some of the birds that have been posted recently. I know photos would be better. . .I haven't had a good opportunity to try for photos. My birds are kind of wild. . .

One not familiar with chickens would assume that purebred birds should breed true. Some of the recent posts are disconcerning. "Purebred" Ameraucana stock turning into another breed? It doesn't in any of the the other animals that we have, so it doesn't compute with me. (horses, hogs, llamas, dogs, cats) There's "pet" quality and there's show quality, but. . . anybody else having a difficult time with this?

This is definitely a learning opportunity. Thanks to all who help to educate the ignorant (me)!

Any time you have a patterned bird (i.e. wheaten, blue wheaten, silver, etc) you should wait absolutely as long as possible before you judge color. They will change A LOT before they are fully mature. And even then, you won't know what their true final coloring is going to look like until after their first adult moult. In my salmon Faverolles I try not to cull for color (especially on the boys) until they are at LEAST 8 months old. I cull earlier for combs, and other things that aren't going to change over time, but as late as I possibly can for color.

I don't think anyone is necessarily saying that "purebred" Ameraucana stock literally "turns into" another breed, just that if you mix colors you no longer have birds that will breed true. And it's just easier to call the resulting offspring "Easter Eggers" because there is SO much confusion about Ameraucanas in the first place.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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I am DEFINITELY not an experienced chicken breeder but what I have come to understand is - chickens don't work like horses - dogs - cats (which I DO have experience with). Chickens, it seems, qualify for inclusion in their breed based on their parents AND how they appear (and the color of egg they lay). If they don't meet the SOP breed description, they are out, regardless of who their parents were. It isn't that they become another breed but rather that they no longer qualify within their parent's breed. (Easter Eggers aren't actually a breed - although sometimes it does rather feel like they are - but rather a label folks have come up with to describe colored egg layers that aren't Ameraucanas or Araucanas.)

 

[ChristineR]

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This is a really good explanation. I was really confused with all this at first until I realized that it's kind of like the AQHA registry before the rules were changed regarding excessive white. It would be like trying to register a foal with too much "chrome" (i.e. a Paint).

Maybe someone needs to come up with an Easter Egger breed for the Ameraucana rejects.