Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[CRYSTALCREEK]

Here is a bird that I managed to grow out that comes pretty close to what I envision a proper pea comb to look like in a male. I must have grown out 40 males to get this one. He has some issues with his tail, low wingset, light eyes; but I'm liking him pretty well. I'm going to switch males in about a month and put this cockerel over my Smith splits and see what happens. The Smith splits have as their sire the same lav bird, photo is at the bottom of the post.




Here are his parents, both were under a year old when I snapped the photo....

 

[dak]

Christie I would think that bird would be very useful in a lav breeding program as the lavender gene seems to be diluting eye color as well as feather color in my pens. I have a pen of offspring which are both splits and lavs; full siblings. The splits have bay eyes while the lavs have too light eyes. I would be curious if using a black with too-dark eyes would yield lavs with eyes that are closer to the standard....
Not that you have any plans to work on lavs....just a thought....

Any other lav breeders making progress on the eye color issue?

This is my 2010 Shaffer cock


This is a son, out of a Ribbeck Split

 

[CRYSTALCREEK]

Yes that is the exact color I am seeing. But bred to your Smith birds all the offspring had bay eyes, correct?

 

[dak]

Yes that is the exact color I am seeing. But bred to your Smith birds all the offspring had bay eyes, correct?

I would consider these bay. Not the darkest shade perhaps, but bay. I need to take a good loook at the Splits I made using the Smith hens, but not today. Big snow storm last night and all the birds are stuck in the coops.

 

[Ivywoods]

Thanks everyone for the input on my black chick. I think from reading some of your posts I will mark and save this chick to cross with my lavs IF it grows up without other faults.

 

[shesaredroan]

WOW! That really surprises me that no one's ever asked you for a shell sample. I just figured it was a routine thing, guess not, though! Interesting!! I send mine in a regular #10 envelope and I'm sure they get mighty squished in the mail, but - it doesn't take a very big sample to see the color.

Wynette,
How nice it is to have you pop in here. Since you are the one who taught me about saving egg shells, I'm glad you have brought up this subject. Now I have cartons of egg shells sitting on top of my frig. LOL ....marked with which BYC friend I purchased eggs from and when they hatched.
It's a good thing to be able to take those saved shells and compare them with the eggs I'm getting now. Thanks for your help & knowledge.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Yep! Great Idea! I'm adding that as soon as possible for my hatching eggs sals too. Really ingenious! So glad you shared.

 

[vanalpaca]

Hi all, I know a few folks on here from my getting Welsummers last year.

At that time I was brand new to chickens and Ameraucanas were one of the breeds I was looking at due to getting BLUE EGGS.

I've been reading this thread and it sounds like it is just as hard finding the blue eggers as it was to find a proper Welsummer. That is so sad, but I guess it is part of what makes raising chickens 'Fun'.

My girlfriend has Ameraucanas and has been buying Araconas as well. I pointed out to her she had EE's last year as no blue eggs, only really green ones! She gets the birds in then complains that the chicks don't meet the standard.....

So I get what y'all are saying about ASKING QUESTIONS before buying.

So I have a few questions?

Are they good foragers and free range pasture birds? And, are they good in confinement? I free range in the summers and lock them up during harsh weather....
I'm still confused about the colors they come in, 'project bird colors' and which ones are the true show bird colors. So I am thinking it is time to research that over on the breeder club site....
What I find with chickens, since I am new, is figuring out tail sets and body size/broad, etc. I can see things like combs and wattles that are different from bird to bird.
With AM's I can see if there are cheek tufts or not....

Suggestions on where to go to LEARN the breed, how do I find who breeds a BLUE EGG laying bird.

I also don't understand what the WHEATON's are versus the regular AM's? I am seeing that a Wheaton roo looks a lot like a Welsummer roo with the red coloring, etc?

Anyone wanting to train up a newcomer to the breed, feel free to post here or pm me or even email me privately if you like.

I would also like some 'hints' about how to build a coop for dividing up the flock for breeding season. How narrow can the runs be and how small the floor space for inside. I was thinking of a long narrow building with one side pathway and the other all the doors for entrance into the separate breeder runs. Just have experience with Parrots and this is how a friends Finch Aviary was set up and it might make sense for chickens??

Thanks all, I really do appreciate your experience and advice

Bonnie, NW Ohio

 

[Goose and Fig]

I have some Lav cuckoo update pics. I put them on the ABC forum but I guess I made them too small over there, so wanted to give them a chance to be big chickies. So far all the girls are solid, and the boys are cuckoo with excessive white and not-as-dark legs. The girls have very dark slate legs almost from hatch. I guess if you wnat something sex-linked this is a fair indicator.

 

[Illia]

Hi all, I know a few folks on here from my getting Welsummers last year.

At that time I was brand new to chickens and Ameraucanas were one of the breeds I was looking at due to getting BLUE EGGS.

I've been reading this thread and it sounds like it is just as hard finding the blue eggers as it was to find a proper Welsummer. That is so sad, but I guess it is part of what makes raising chickens 'Fun'.

My girlfriend has Ameraucanas and has been buying Araconas as well. I pointed out to her she had EE's last year as no blue eggs, only really green ones! She gets the birds in then complains that the chicks don't meet the standard.....

So I get what y'all are saying about ASKING QUESTIONS before buying.

So I have a few questions?

Are they good foragers and free range pasture birds? And, are they good in confinement? I free range in the summers and lock them up during harsh weather....
I'm still confused about the colors they come in, 'project bird colors' and which ones are the true show bird colors. So I am thinking it is time to research that over on the breeder club site....
What I find with chickens, since I am new, is figuring out tail sets and body size/broad, etc. I can see things like combs and wattles that are different from bird to bird.
With AM's I can see if there are cheek tufts or not....

Suggestions on where to go to LEARN the breed, how do I find who breeds a BLUE EGG laying bird.

I also don't understand what the WHEATON's are versus the regular AM's? I am seeing that a Wheaton roo looks a lot like a Welsummer roo with the red coloring, etc?

Anyone wanting to train up a newcomer to the breed, feel free to post here or pm me or even email me privately if you like.

I would also like some 'hints' about how to build a coop for dividing up the flock for breeding season. How narrow can the runs be and how small the floor space for inside. I was thinking of a long narrow building with one side pathway and the other all the doors for entrance into the separate breeder runs. Just have experience with Parrots and this is how a friends Finch Aviary was set up and it might make sense for chickens??

Thanks all, I really do appreciate your experience and advice

Bonnie, NW Ohio

Wheaten in Ameraucanas looks similar to Welsummers because Wheaten and Duckwing (found on Welsummers) in most cases is indeed practically identical, although in the hens there is a difference. Wheaten females like found in Ameraucanas are a creamy light tan color especially on the main body, and slightly darker on the neck, with a mostly black tail (although in Ameraucanas that tends to lack) In duckwing colors like in Welsummers, the hens are mostly brown and black marked all over but with a burgandy-esque breast and gold and black striped neck.

There are 8 recognized colors of Ameraucanas, the well known project ones though are Lavender and apparently also Lavender Wheaten and Lavender Cuckoo as well as Cuckoo one hears of from time to time, but leg and egg color are tricky there.

Ameraucanas are good foragers as most breeds, heat and cold hardy like most breeds, and generally friendly. They really are a good breed. If you're looking for the best gaurantee in BLUE eggs you best go for Wheaten or Blue Wheaten colored Ameraucanas.

But don't forget, there's another really awesome blue laying breed out there too

( true Araucanas ) I personally am being on the "private" side with my Ameraucanas, they're mainly just pets and project color breeders at the moment but I could never part with nor ignore my Araucanas. Truly awesome and slightly more rare breed.



Love the Lav Cuckoo cockerel, . . . Coming along!