CAN/SHOULD YOU MIX VARIETIES OF THE SAME BREED?

[Desert Damsel]

We have 10 Ameraucana hens all are the silver variety. We want to breed them BUT NEED A ROOSTER. There is a breeder in Phoenix with Wheatens. CAN/SHOULD WE MIX VARIETIES?

 

[3riverschick]

We have 10 Ameraucana hens all are the silver variety. We want to breed them BUT NEED A ROOSTER. There is a breeder in Phoenix with Wheatens. CAN/SHOULD WE MIX VARIETIES?

. If you went to the trouble of getting the Silver Ameraucanas, why not stick to that variety ? There is a parent club where you can search for another breeder of Silver Ameraucanas. http://www.ameraucana.org/
breeder's directory in PDF form: 11= silver large fowl ; D= sells adult stock.
http://www.ameraucana.org/DnLd/BreedersDirectory.pdf

Clifford, Dawnalysce (2011) 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, splash LF A C D
668 Norridgewock Rd
Fairfield, ME 04937
(207)634-3420​

[email protected]
===========================

Clionsky, Larry 1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15 A B C D E
9 Zion Church Rd
Grantville, PA 17028-9651
(717)469-7509​

[email protected]
===========================

Fegan, James 1, 7, 11 D E
278 County Road CAN 12
Champion, MI 49814
(906)486-9464​

[email protected]
=============================

Hogan, Debra 1, 2, 5, 7, 11, 15 A B C D
6262 Pleasant Grove Road Birchen, Blue Golden Duckwing,
Pleasant Grove, CA 95668-9703 Golden Duckwing, Lemon Blue
(916)761-3678, (916)655-1001, (916)991-5048 Blue Birchen LF​

[email protected]
==============================

Howington, April 1, 3, 5, 11, 13, splash LF A B C D E
PO Box 1432 splash wheaten LF
Burnet, TX 78611
(512)755-5056​

[email protected]
=================================

Jacques-Gill, Wanda 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 A B C D
181 Madison Road
Durham, CT 06422-2910
(806)349-9716​

[email protected]
========================================

Ribbeck, Jean 1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15, lavender LF A B C D E
PO Box 461
Newman Lake, WA 99025
(509) 226-3833​

[email protected]
===========================================

Teague, Christina 3, 11, splash LF A C D E
400 Fall Creek Church Road
Bennett, NC 27208
(336)581-3703​

[email protected]
============================================

Urch, Duane 1, 11 A B D E
2142 NW 47th AVE. 14
Owatonna, MN 55060
(507)451-6782​

[email protected]
=============================================

Wase, Mary 5, 11 C D E
29 North Vernon Street
Athens, NY 12015
(518)945-1527​

[email protected]
========================================

Wigffield Sr, Richard 1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15 D
6200 Old Carlisle Road
Dover, PA 17315​

[email protected]
=====================================

 

[Desert Damsel]

I can't find a breeder of silvers of the West Coast let alone Arizona

so can we go with a Wheaton Rooster? That breeder is 100+ miles away but at least in the same state.

 

[Illia]

First I just have to ask, sorry, you sure you have Ameraucanas? Because your avatar shows an Easter Egger. Just wanna make sure there's no confusion here.


Second - You can mix varieties, yes, but only certain ones if in real need. Now, Wheaten, I'd strongly say don't do. However blacks or blues are a great option. Both they and silvers carry the silver gene, and you won't be messing up the silver color itself however your fist generation will not be showable, as they won't be silver nor true black. Duckwing (silver) is recessive to extended black, but those two genes are the only difference, and many Ameraucana breeders are actually doing just that cross to improve silver size, so, I say it's perfectly fine.

If you have true Ameraucanas. If not, use whatever color you want, just don't sell them as Ameraucanas.

 

[Desert Damsel]

I looked at the breed website for photos and the look like Ameruacanas, they are really gray in real life but i color enhanced the photo woops! The one in the pic is lacking a tail due to feather mites, overcrowding, and the affections of a Barred Rock rooster. thankfully they were rescued from the situation and they are all mite free and receiving the proper care and nutrition now.

What is the difference between EE and Ameruacanas physically?

 

[v.cyr]

What is the difference between EE and Ameruacanas physically?

this discussion may become entertaining

 

[3riverschick]

this discussion may become entertaining

I'd say so...hum... EE's are a mutt version of the Ameraucanas. The Ameraucanas are a
different breed but descended from the original South American stock.
Ameraucana breeders fight a constant fight not to let their breed be confused or polluted by the mutt EE's.

flame suit on,

Karen

 

[v.cyr]

I'd say so...hum... EE's are a mutt version of the Ameraucanas. The Ameraucanas are a
different breed but descended from the original South American stock.
Ameraucana breeders fight a constant fight not to let their breed be confused or polluted by the mutt EE's.

flame suit on,

Karen

but they also insist that any non standard colored offspring from two full ameraucana parents is an EE, not an ameraucana, which nonsence...

 

[Illia]

Okay regardless of all that, a green legged one is an Easter Egger. A gold duckwing one (pictured in the avatar) may possibly be pure Ameraucana from a mixed color breeding but there's a ooh 75% chance it is an Easter Egger.

To the OP, an Easter Egger is a mutt who lays blue, green or brown eggs. It looks very similar to Ameraucanas but doesn't breed true, has yellow skin most of the time, and is not purebred. Hatcheries and Feedstores sell them as Americaunas and the sort, but, the stock sold is actually the "Easter Egger."

Ameraucanas are a white skinned, white soled blue laying chicken who does indeed come in more than just the 8 recognized colors, MOST people agree that an Ameraucana is allowed to come in splash and Lavender included, some people agree that any other crossing of colors is allowed too as long as the rest of the bird matches the SOP and its direct parents were in fact purebred.


No profiling meant but because you mention a Barred Rock, chances are you got yours from a hatchery, feedstore, or breeder who got theirs from such, making yours in fact Easter Eggers.

I know the hen in the avatar looks like a silver Ameraucana, but, silvers have white and black necks, not gold and black. They have gray and black backs, not brown/gold and black. Their breast is a lighter more salmony color, not a more orangey brown color. The difference you're seeing is the gold gene vs the silver gene, but, there are no golden based Ameraucanas however I'd imagine either that hen or your others show the most obvious EE trait - Yellow soles and/or green legs.

A purebred Ameraucana actually can't have yellow soles or green legs because the trait is recessive, meaning if you even did one oops breeding, you wouldn't see it until you fully incorporated it into the genepool. (made it pure and breed true) - That would take breeding back to the parent of the oops bird again, then breeding continuously for that trait.



But like said, nothing wrong with Easter Eggers.

They're just not the same thing. They originated from the same stock Ameraucanas did more than 20 years ago, but, since then have been bred quite separately.

 

[Desert Damsel]

Okay... didn't know this was a powder keg but I would like to be educated on acceptable and disqualifing traits since the breed website was not very clear.

Getting back to the original question, can you cross different color varieties of the same breed or is it only practiced by Black/Blue/Splash genotyping?