Dominant White Ameraucana—options?

[hammyanne]

Hello! I want to preface this by saying I am very new to genetics and still pretty new at chicken keeping (1.5 years). Please have mercy on me!

I've hatched a few clutches of Ameraucanas this year, and believe I may have hatched a dominant white Ameraucana cockerel from eggs that I ordered from a breeder. I'm not crazy about Ermine, so I'm wondering what other color combinations are possible with dominant white?

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Hello! I want to preface this by saying I am very new to genetics and still pretty new at chicken keeping (1.5 years). Please have mercy on me!

I've hatched a few clutches of Ameraucanas this year, and believe I may have hatched a dominant white Ameraucana cockerel from eggs that I ordered from a breeder. I'm not crazy about Ermine, so I'm wondering what other color combinations are possible with dominant white?

Are you sure it's dominant white?
Ameraucana do come in recessive white.

"Ermine" is, I'm FAIRLY certain, just paint. which is 1 copy of dominant white restricting most of the color.

Any inherited color can leak through. Usually it's black or dilutes of black (blue, lavender, chocolate) but it can be reds.

I'm not sure what colors or patterns white can hide.
I imagine it would be really cool to see, say, a red cuckoo paint. But I'm not sure how that works.

You could have an exciting, confusing future color project.

 

[hammyanne]

Are you sure it's dominant white?
Ameraucana do come in recessive white.

"Ermine" is, I'm FAIRLY certain, just paint. which is 1 copy of dominant white restricting most of the color.

Any inherited color can leak through. Usually it's black or dilutes of black (blue, lavender, chocolate) but it can be reds.

I'm not sure what colors or patterns white can hide.
I imagine it would be really cool to see, say, a red cuckoo paint. But I'm not sure how that works.

You could have an exciting, confusing future color project.

I completely agree with the exciting/confusing future color project, lol!

I'm definitely not entirely sure it's dominant white—my understanding is that standard white Ameraucanas are typically recessive white and have slate shanks. My cockerel's pink shank color is throwing me!

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

I completely agree with the exciting/confusing future color project, lol!

I'm definitely not entirely sure it's dominant white—my understanding is that standard white Ameraucanas are typically recessive white and have slate shanks. My cockerel's pink shank color is throwing me!

Ohhh yeah. If he doesn't have slate legs, he might be dominant white. (Or there's another explanation)

From what I've read...
Slate legs are a requirement for the APA Ameraucana SOP. Recessive white doesn't mess with the leg color. But, dominant white does. And that's a reason why dominant white, paint/"ermine" isn't accepted.
But it's hard to get different colors and patterns accepted.

 

[NatJ]

I'm not crazy about Ermine, so I'm wondering what other color combinations are possible with dominant white?

Not necessarily in Ameraucanas, but the dominant white gene is in:
Red Pyle
https://www.cacklehatchery.com/product/red-pyle-standard-old-english-chicken/
White Laced Red
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/white_laced_red_cornish.html
Buff Laced (Polish, could also be called "white laced gold")
https://meyerhatchery.com/products/buff-laced-polish-day-old-chicks
Chamois Spitzhaubens (white spangles on gold)
https://www.cacklehatchery.com/product/chamois-spangled-appenzeller-spitzhauben/
many of the red sexlink chickens (females red with white in the hackles and tail)
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/red_star.html

Dominant white turns black into white, but mostly leaves red/gold shades alone. So any time you see a chicken with a pattern in white and red, or white and gold, it probably has the dominant white gene.

To get an all-white chicken with the dominant white gene, it needs the genes to be all black, and then dominant white turns the black to white. Or black and silver (white), again with dominant white turning the black areas into white.

 

[Amer]

Ohhh yeah. If he doesn't have slate legs, he might be dominant white. (Or there's another explanation)

From what I've read...
Slate legs are a requirement for the APA Ameraucana SOP. Recessive white doesn't mess with the leg color. But, dominant white does. And that's a reason why dominant white, paint/"ermine" isn't accepted.
But it's hard to get different colors and patterns accepted.

I've read that too. But in my experience Dominant White doesn't fade the leg color. So I don't understand why it is often said it does!
However, if it is Dominant White could be used to make new varieties but they wouldn't be accepted.
One could make white wheaten tor example. Or white gold birchen (brown red with white instead of black.) However, these would take multiple generations to achieve since the extended black base (which dominant white is on) is dominant.

 

[Amer]

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

I've read that too. But in my experience Dominant White doesn't fade the leg color. So I don't understand why it is often said it does!
However, if it is Dominant White could be used to make new varieties but they wouldn't be accepted.
One could make white wheaten tor example. Or white gold birchen (brown red with white instead of black.) However, these would take multiple generations to achieve since the extended black base (which dominant white is on) is dominant.

It's just what I've read somewhere as the explanation for why APA doesn't accept Dominant White with Ameraucana
But, they seem to be fairly resistant to any new colors, and ameraucana SOP is strict. So there may or may not be any real reasons why they don't accept real colors.

I'm just bummed that BBS & Lavender are the only colors you can find most places. I'd like the other color options, you know? They're hard to find.

It seems like it would be more fun to just use ameraucana to create eggers, breed in colors and patterns you like, then breed back to standard with the new colors. (Though it could take many years)

 

[Amer]

It's just what I've read somewhere as the explanation for why APA doesn't accept Dominant White with Ameraucana
But, they seem to be fairly resistant to any new colors, and ameraucana SOP is strict. So there may or may not be any real reasons why they don't accept real colors.

I'm just bummed that BBS & Lavender are the only colors you can find most places. I'd like the other color options, you know? They're hard to find.

It seems like it would be more fun to just use ameraucana to create eggers, breed in colors and patterns you like, then breed back to standard with the new colors. (Though it could take many years)

They accept white with Ameraucana, they just don't accept white legs. I actually do believe it is possible for dominant white to have slate legs.
Yeah, BBS and Lavender are the most boring options in my opinion.
I personally would just create fun Easter Eggers and not worry about breeding back to the Standard.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

They accept white with Ameraucana, they just don't accept white legs. I actually do believe it is possible for dominant white to have slate legs.
Yeah, BBS and Lavender are the most boring options in my opinion.
I personally would just create fun Easter Eggers and not worry about breeding back to the Standard.

Pardon, I just meant if somebody wanted to match the SOP but with new options.