Diffences Between EEs, Ameraucanas, and Araucanas

[junebuggena]

So I guess if an Ameraucana doesn't breed true 50% of the time it becomes an Easter Egger. And as you said, only certain colors breed true. So you CAN cross Ameraucanas and get an Easter Egger. To me, that means they aren't really a breed, and makes me wonder how the breed continues on...but we humans are kind of silly sometimes!

You can't cross different color varieties and still call them Ameraucana. This is true for all chicken breeds, not just Ameraucana. Chicken breeds are not based on pedigree and lineage, but on whether a bird with a certain set of characteristics, when bred to another bird with the same characteristics will produce more birds with those characteristics or not.
For example, if you cross a wheaten Ameraucana with a solid black or blue Ameraucana, you will produce birds that are not wheaten or solid black/blue; and furthermore, those chicks will be complete wild cards when old enough to be bred.

 

[BarrettG]

I just purchased 3 lavender ameraucana hens and 1 lavender rooster. When I breed them all I should get is Lavenders correct? They are show quality.
Is there anything special I should do in my coop that will make the Amerucanas feel more at home or are they like any other chicken?

 

[junebuggena]

I just purchased 3 lavender ameraucana hens and 1 lavender rooster. When I breed them all I should get is Lavenders correct? They are show quality.
Is there anything special I should do in my coop that will make the Amerucanas feel more at home or are they like any other chicken?

There are no "show quality" Lavender Ameraucana. It's not an accepted color variety yet, therefore, they aren't showable. You should get 100% lavender chicks for two lavender parents.
They are just like any other chicken, they have no special needs.

 

[JennieRD]

There are no "show quality" Lavender Ameraucana. It's not an accepted color variety yet, therefore, they aren't showable. You should get 100% lavender chicks for two lavender parents.
They are just like any other chicken, they have no special needs.

This is my experience with lavenders , just a note about lavenders, I've always seen a few issues with breeding lavender to lavender, sometimes they are slow to mature, feather late, slow growing, and late laying eggs! This does not mean their is anything wrong with them, but i would watch your first clutch of eggs, weed out the slow growers. Maybe consider finding a black to split the lavender gene every other generation culling the black and keeping the lavender if that's what you want. Some times this is hard they have such sweet personalities! I ignored the advice of others and ended up with a 3 month old cockerel with no feathers all down, he feathers out eventually but is the smallest on the yard.

You really don't know what you have until your first clutch, but just consider a black rooster you might be thankful later!

 

[feathersaloft]

This is my experience with lavenders , just a note about lavenders, I've always seen a few issues with breeding lavender to lavender, sometimes they are slow to mature, feather late, slow growing, and late laying eggs! This does not mean their is anything wrong with them, but i would watch your first clutch of eggs, weed out the slow growers. Maybe consider finding a black to split the lavender gene every other generation culling the black and keeping the lavender if that's what you want. Some times this is hard they have such sweet personalities! I ignored the advice of others and ended up with a 3 month old cockerel with no feathers all down, he feathers out eventually but is the smallest on the yard.

You really don't know what you have until your first clutch, but just consider a black rooster you might be thankful later!

This is the info I am looking for

I have a blue black and splash flock (one splash from breeding two blues together) I was told that with blue/blue, you get 50% blue, 25% black and 25% splash. Is this right?

My roo is blue, my hens black. Plus 13 youngsters only a couple weeks old, 6 blue, 7 black.

So if I find Lavender Ameraucana pullets, I would want to keep one of the black cockerels? If I breed the blue and the black, are they still considered Ameraucanas? They won't breed true, babies will be either blue or black.

 

[JennieRD]

This is the info I am looking for

I have a blue black and splash flock (one splash from breeding two blues together)      I was told that with blue/blue, you get 50% blue, 25% black and 25% splash.     Is this right?

My roo is blue, my hens black.   Plus 13 youngsters only a couple weeks old, 6 blue, 7 black.  

So if I find Lavender Ameraucana pullets, I would want to keep one of the black cockerels?  If I breed the blue and the black, are they still considered Ameraucanas?    They won't breed true, babies will be either blue or black.      

I am no genetic genius and can't rattle off genetic code, I just understand it. Go to this thread on BYC ---Blue Genetics Chart For Beginners and there are the blue color chart is there. The lavender color genetic chart is not but I'm not on my computer or I would upload it for you help you, remember self-blue is also known as lavender. Some will argue but I do not cross blue and splash with lavender, only black when I return home I'll upload it for you but I recommend going to the blue genetic chàrt thread and finding a lavender genetic chart. It will help you understand breeding the two entirely different genetic codes! Yes they are different , blue and self blue are not the same.

Color does not determine the breed of chicken, it's the birds characteristics, body build beak, and shank colors, ect. People are experimenting with different colors to see what colored feather combinations or solids they can produce! Orpingtons are a perfect example many are producing unheard of colors but they are beautiful orpingtons none of which are show quality only because the color is not accepted in its breed standard so don't let that stop you! Your lavenders are just as valuable than the ones sitting in a cage waiting on a judge! One day the color will be recognized and others will be able to show them.

An Ameraucana is an Ameraucana as long as it meets the standard confirmation characteristics set by it's recognizing club! Even though lavender is not recognized many people love them, I am one of those fanciers! I have several but there color was breed into them using other breeds somewhere down there family tree!

A gentleman up north was said to have developed the first and he now has a very nice breeding program that he uses lavender split to black to add diversity and to prevent inbreeding or line breeding

 

[JennieRD]

This is the info I am looking for

I have a blue black and splash flock (one splash from breeding two blues together) I was told that with blue/blue, you get 50% blue, 25% black and 25% splash. Is this right?

My roo is blue, my hens black. Plus 13 youngsters only a couple weeks old, 6 blue, 7 black.

So if I find Lavender Ameraucana pullets, I would want to keep one of the black cockerels? If I breed the blue and the black, are they still considered Ameraucanas? They won't breed true, babies will be either blue or black.

Here is the a chart that includes Blue, Lavender, Splash I was speaking of, it works with every breed that I know of this chart is the only one I know of that includes these all on one. They are normally divided into individual charts. I hope this helps you and will give you an avenue to start learning about colors and how to combine them for the results you want.

 

[feathersaloft]

Here is the a chart that includes Blue, Lavender, Splash I was speaking of, it works with every breed that I know of this chart is the only one I know of that includes these all on one. They are normally divided into individual charts. I hope this helps you and will give you an avenue to start learning about colors and how to combine them for the results you want.

Thank you so much! saving so I have it handy.

 

[junebuggena]

This is the info I am looking for

I have a blue black and splash flock (one splash from breeding two blues together) I was told that with blue/blue, you get 50% blue, 25% black and 25% splash. Is this right?

My roo is blue, my hens black. Plus 13 youngsters only a couple weeks old, 6 blue, 7 black.

So if I find Lavender Ameraucana pullets, I would want to keep one of the black cockerels? If I breed the blue and the black, are they still considered Ameraucanas? They won't breed true, babies will be either blue or black.

Blue/Black/Splash can be crossed and still produce true Ameraucana, because blue and splash are genetically black. Blue is the dominant dilute gene for the color black. Blue birds have one copy of the gene, splash have two copies of the gene. Black birds don't have the gene at all.
Lavender is the recessive dilute gene for black. In order for the Lavender color to express, both parents must have the gene.
Lavender lines should not be crossed with BBS lines. The BBS gene will override the Lavender gene.

 

[BarrettG]

There are no "show quality" Lavender Ameraucana. It's not an accepted color variety yet, therefore, they aren't showable. You should get 100% lavender chicks for two lavender parents.
They are just like any other chicken, they have no special needs.

I bought them directly from Paul Smith. He calls them self blue/Lavender. You are correct about not being able to show them but I think if you call them self blue/Lavender you can? It's a little confusing. It's weird because lavenders are one of the most wanted breed but they aren't recognized.

What is splash? I see that allot about ameraucanas