Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Tailfeathers]

My only Splash Wheaten hen. I like her.

Jeremy, she's definitely a nice looking bird from what I can see but are you sure she's a SW and not a BW? Without seeing the tail and wings there's no way of really knowing but I thought I saw just a touch of blue towards the tip of the tail showing?

God Bless,

 

[mendocinosunris]

... porcelain and lavender OEGB chicks. ...

Okay, dumb rookie question: What's OEGB? All I could think of was Olive Egger Green Beret. I'm guessing that's wrong.

 

[jeremy]

Royce, she's SW. Which I was really disappointed about it a few months ago, out of all the chicks I hatched and all the chicks I received she was the only Splash Wheaten girl I got. My flock is mainly Wheaten now, with only 3 BWs and her.





She's a little gingery and has some ticking in her hackles... but I still like her.

 

[jeremy]

Okay, dumb rookie question: What's OEGB? All I could think of was Olive Egger Green Beret. I'm guessing that's wrong.

Old English Game Bantam.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Tailfeathers, I understand the term closed flock. No new birds come in, and you work with what you got, in a nutshell..................So what if you keep getting undesirable traits, or you start to experience infertility, or so many other things that may happen??????????????? What if you cull, and you have nothing left????????? Do you keep breeding sub-par birds? That is when you have to scrap what you have done and start over, or you need to find a bloodline that has the trait you need to add, without sacrificing the positive things about your flock.

Of course all this is my opinion. I have raised several species of animals successfully. If poultry is different please let me know why

I hear you and please know that I am in NO way saying that one should NEVER go outside their flock and bring in new birds. However, I am saying that it should be done only when absolutely necessary and that is rarely the case.

Specifically to your points, any breeder is going to continue to get undesirable traits as there is NO perfect bird and there never will be. But let me address an issue where the same undesirable traits continues to pop up its ugly head. This is an even greater argument for linebreeding and maintaining a closed flock and meticulous records. It is only by doing so that one can actually ID the specific culprit(s) whether they be the father, mother, or both and from which specific "line" that was bred.

Also, as I have repeatedly stated, the best way to make sure you can outcross safely is by maintaining at least two separate lines for each strain you have. Then when the need arises to outcross for the reasons you stated above, there is no need to go outside your flock.

As for culling to the point where you have nothing left, I'd just have to say "Really?" Why would anyone do that unless they raised up nothing but absolute trash and then I'd have to ask how much due diligence they put into obtaining their eggs/chicks in the first place. Which brings me full circle to my first point. If one exercises proper due diligence in the first place, they are going to more than likely wind up with a group of birds that can be bred toward establishing their own foundation flock. Once that's accomplished much of the work is behind you.

I would agree with you that if you are going to outcross, you might as well "scrap what you have done and start over" because you are bringing in a host of unknowns and it will likely take you years to figure out just what you've got again.

As for what makes chickens different than other animal species, I suppose in some respects there probably isn't any difference at all. As I've said on numerous occasions, I'm no geneticist. Not even close. So when it gets down to the scientific stuff of this or that allele, I'm lost. However, I have read a couple of times now that the chicken has more genes than any other animal and therefore has the most complex genetic structure of any animal. I recently read there are like 13 different "modifiers" when it comes to egg color that attach themselves to this one thing or the other. There are folks like John Blehm and Mike Gilbert who understand genetics a whole lot better than me and even they will tell you that sometimes things happen and nobody but God Himself knows why.

All I can say is I've taken my cue from Nick Troiano and some others that I've read articles from in the Poultry Press and other books. When Troiano states that he's been linebreeding a closed flock for over 25 years and never brought in an ounce of new blood, AND has the bird with the most wins ever, AND has the most photographed bird in the world, AND has the most sought after offspring sometimes fetching several hundred dollars a piece - THEN I for one am prone to listen to him, his advice, and his experience. Especially when my simple brain, since I'm not the brightest bulb in the socket, can still understand that logically it makes sense not to bring in any "unknowns" unless absolutely necessary.

I hope that makes sense.

God Bless,

 

[Tailfeathers]

Royce, she's SW. Which I was really disappointed about it a few months ago, out of all the chicks I hatched and all the chicks I received she was the only Splash Wheaten girl I got. My flock is mainly Wheaten now, with only 3 BWs and her.

She's a little gingery and has some ticking in her hackles... but I still like her.

Jeremy, I can see now where she's a SW. On my screen the white has a nice bluish tint to it.

I wouldn't be too disappointed with her. I think she's pretty nice. It's pretty hard to get gals that don't have some ticking in the hackles. I've got a few but most have some. It's less predominate in the BWs and I imagine the SWs are the same. Her leg color appears to be a little light but that may be normal. I haven't had that many SW's to begin with so I can't remember now.

All in all, from what I can see, I wouldn't hesitate to breed her. Put a W male on her and you'll have all the BWs you want.

Jean, you who.... you there? Love to hear your thoughts. Whattaya think about her?

God Bless,

 

[ChickenLeg]

Can someone please post a picture of a splash wheaten beside a wheaten so I can visually see a better difference? I have 1 wheaten and 1 BW pullet, and I can obviously tell the difference in them. And I can easily tell my wheaten doesn't look like jeremy's splash wheaten. But can someone also explain the differences in their feathers and feather patterns? (Ive read enough to understand the SW genes for breeding, but I just need help determining their characteristics) Thanks guys!

 

[Reyvaughn]

I am anxious to see what I hatch out of my Peachick line (two hens are directly from her pen and 3 pullets and the cockerel were hatched from her eggs). I have 14 of the 19 left and they are developing! These were the ones that took me 3.5wks to gather to set. The girls that were hatched from Kat's eggs have some issues. One has ticking all the way down her back and she's gingery. I kept her because Dorian Grey, my cockerel has, as far as I can tell (no one ever critiqued him for me when I posted his pics) clean hackles and I hope he fixes her issues. I have 6 of the 13 eggs from WhiteMountainsRanch developing as well. I sure hope I get some nice birds and more girls than boys! I kept the temps around 97-98 the first 3 days on my eggs to see if the whole lower temps = girls hypothesis works. I am sick of 1-2 girls out of 11-13 eggs. Only 10 days left on my eggs!

I also believe I got a boy and a girl in each Lav and black split from CrystalCreek's eggs. That's going by feathering and leg size.

Oh, those puffy cheeks just get me every time... I love Ameraucana chicks. No wonder I brought EEs home. Oh... And my husband... I told him on the phone after they were home. He seemed a little irritated (I am in the middle of changing my laying flock from hybrids to heritage Australorps and Delawares). When he got home he came in and demanded to see HIS Easter Eggers. He's a sucker for those cheeks, too.

 

[Reyvaughn]

Left is a Wheaten. Right is a Blue Wheaten.
The BW has blue in the tail instead of black. See how Jeremy's girl's tail has white where mine has black and blue?​

 

[jeremy]

Can someone please post a picture of a splash wheaten beside a wheaten so I can visually see a better difference? I have 1 wheaten and 1 BW pullet, and I can obviously tell the difference in them. And I can easily tell my wheaten doesn't look like jeremy's splash wheaten. But can someone also explain the differences in their feathers and feather patterns? (Ive read enough to understand the SW genes for breeding, but I just need help determining their characteristics) Thanks guys!

Wheaten.



Blue Wheaten.



Side by side.



I don't have a very good side shot of a SW female...