Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Illia]

Search for chickhatchery.com

 

[spiritdance]

Okay, I'm hoping some of the experts on here can help me out. I have some juvenile Ameraucanas that came from someone with a flock of wheaten and black hens. Initially, she had a wheaten roo over the flock, then switched to a black roo. Most of the pullets are pure black, but two of the cockerels are black with tan bleed through on their hackles, one cockerel looks like a blue wheaten (can't tell yet if his roo feathers will keep good pattern), one pullet is wheaten, and one pullet is wheaten with black bleed through. My question is this: are any of these cockerels worth keeping for the black pullets? I don't know the genetics of blue wheaten in Ameraucanas, so I'm not sure if he could be carrying a black gene or if he's from the wheaten roo on a wheaten hen. I'm assuming the black cockerels with tan on their hackles are blackXwheaten. Would I get at least some good blacks out of them over the black pullets? Also, will the pullet with bleed through throw wheatens crossed with a blue wheaten, or should I just put her in with my EEs? I'm frustrated at this point because I had hoped to get a good black cockerel out of the clutch, sell any other roos, and use any cull pullets for EEs.

 

[Blue Hill Farm]

Thanks EweSheep and HappyMtn. I’ll likely use cockerel #2 for my red/blue EE’s.

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That’s exactly what I was afraid of. Almost all his male siblings show gold leakage on the neck and wings, so it seems likely that both pullets are carriers too. Which doesn’t leave me with many options for the upcoming breeding season, well besides heavy culling for an indefinite time period. But would it ever end? As a newbie to poultry genetics, I’d rather save myself the trouble and not begin my breeding projects the hard way, if you know what I mean…

So is there some kind of ‘test mating’ I could do on the pullets to find out for sure? I had already planned to test mate my roos to Leghorn hens to confirm the boys are homozygous for O/O. Probably a silly question, but I've asked sillier so it stands.

 

[Cynthia12]

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Yes, I found it, and he has beautiful birds! I am loving the partridge too! Thanks!

 

[Illia]

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[Illia]

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Yes, you can test mate, but it takes patience and growing time. Test mate them, let the boys grow up, see who grew out leakage and who didn't. Switch them each batch too to see if both parents are at fault or just one.


As for the Leghorn thing, that's a great idea. I'm pretty sure your boys are homozygous for O/O, personally I'd do it for a shade/hue thing. Pick the boy who had the daughter with the bluest eggs. Because even a slightly green tinted egg can still be genetically pure blue.

 

[Blue Hill Farm]

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Yes, you can test mate, but it takes patience and growing time. Test mate them, let the boys grow up, see who grew out leakage and who didn't. Switch them each batch too to see if both parents are at fault or just one.


As for the Leghorn thing, that's a great idea. I'm pretty sure your boys are homozygous for O/O, personally I'd do it for a shade/hue thing. Pick the boy who had the daughter with the bluest eggs. Because even a slightly green tinted egg can still be genetically pure blue.

Ok, thanks Illia. I have plenty of time and limited patience, so should balance out in the end.

 

[Cynthia12]

I notice that this thread has mostly the same folks on here? Just talking breeding, and shows?

 

[Illia]

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Most people have Easter Eggers, and the others who have Ameraucanas but don't talk here usually just stalk the thread or don't know this thread exists. A lot of owners of a particular breed don't seem to care much in talking specifics about it, probably because they just want to enjoy the chicken and eat its eggs.

I talk here a lot though because I love talking genetics, traits, breeding, etc. And I love helping people out with questions. Oh and posting photos. Always gotta have photos.

 

[chickendales]

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what else would you do on this thread lol