Ameraucanas in a Nutshell (looking for pictures of Ameraucanas with defects and quality birds)

[Sc_chickengirl]

I've been breeding various breeds for the last 4 years including Ameraucanas which I started with 2 years ago. I work to breed to the SOP and am a NPIP breeder. I enjoy educating others (and always learning new things myself) on the standard of various breeds and what the birds should look like. So I've decided to learn and right research articles on every chicken breed A-Z and then I hope to go into details on color genetics. I'm learning as I write. My hope would be to eventually write a book...but I will be offering this as a resource on different platforms for free for others to learn from.
The first breed I'm starting with is Ameraucanas, a breed I'm very familiar with and already know the standards for. I am however looking for more pictures to add to my articles.
I need examples of the following if anyone is willing to share, you will get picture credit.
(Defects)
Crow head
Crossbeak (Have pictures now )
Incorrect eye color
Large or irregular combs
Squirrel tail
Pinched tail
Split wing
Narrow body
Very long or very short legs
Yellow feet
Leakage/brassiness
(Any other common defects we need to look out for please)
And then good typed birds and close ups of the head and good eye color if anyone has...

Or just feel free to share pictures of your birds and I can help you evaluate them, though let me be the first to tell you I am no professional.

I am looking for pictures of Ameraucanas but if you have pictures of the common faults in other breeds thats fine as well.


Thankyou and have a blessed day.

 

[Sc_chickengirl]

Picture of one of my favorites at the moment. Dark blue hen, very beautiful typed, beautiful beard and coloring.

 

[NagemTX]

Bantam Silver Ameraucana male. Defects is a P/p for the comb and too tail is an incorrect angle. Tail should be lower.

He's young in the photos so still has white in the brest. This is a silver trait and will go away with age.

 

[NagemTX]

Large Fowl Silver Ameraucana male. Defects here are crossed sickle feathers in the tail and white tips on the tail feathers. He has not grown out of the white tips.

 

[NagemTX]

Large Fowl Silver Ameraucana female.

 

[NagemTX]

Bantam Silver Ameraucana Hen. Defect is beardless and muffless.

 

[NagemTX]

Just a bit on Silver Ameraucana both bantam and LF. They are in bad shape SOP wise because not many people work with them. Red browns are in the same boat. Both colors are very hard to find and get your hands on to even get started on them.

 

[KF0002]

Here is a non-bearded Blue Ameraucana rooster with marbled eye color and color leakage.

 

[SourRoses]

I've always thought Satin here was a pretty good example of Black Ameraucana. Love the spread of her tail and how she carries it in movement.
But feel free to use for either case, we just won't tell her.
Her main SOP flaw is dark (brown) eyes.
From breeding her in mixes, I found that she has really strong melanizers (helpful for other purposes like addressing leakage, so I like it). She traces back to John Blehms line, but through other breeders.

"Wide Tent" Tail

The green shine on Black Ameraucana can be amazing in person. It's very difficult to capture in a photo because of the prismatic way the light shifts over it... but I did my best and you can see some of if here...

And here she is as a bit of a senior now (4) with one of her mix daughters she never weaned. Still the shiniest of all.

 

[SourRoses]

Raven here had a bit more issues. Main one that stands out is how narrow he gets in the body before the tail. Legs set too close together (that same narrowness). He had a good chest width and nice bull neck. Body could be longer. Comb could be smaller.

And I could be better at picking just one photo, but I'm not, so here you go...