Easiest Color of Ameraucana to Breed?

[Coopacabana]

What's the easiest color of Ameraucana to breed? Does one tend to have more blue-ish eggs, lay better, or have a friendlier personality?

 

[jlovelady]

I do not have alot of experience with americaunas, but my understanding is that their plummage is varied.

 

[jeremy]

Stick to the solid colors, Black or White probably being the easiest.

I've also read that Blacks have some of the best egg color.

 

[jeremy]

I do not have alot of experience with americaunas, but my understanding is that their plummage is varied.

There are 8 color varieties of Ameraucanas accepted by the APA, Black, Blue, White, Buff, Wheaten, Blue Wheaten, Silver and Brown Red. There is also a Lavender project in the works.

If your birds are not one of the colors mentioned above then they are not an Ameraucana, they are more likely Easter Eggers.

Also, you do not spell Ameraucana with an i.

 

[Illia]

I do not have alot of experience with americaunas, but my understanding is that their plummage is varied.

It actually isn't varied, you're thinking of Easter Eggers.


The easiest to breed are Blues or Blacks.

The best egg color typically comes from Wheatens and Blue Wheatens.

The best temperament is found in any color but Silvers and I really don't know about Brown-Reds.

 

[NYREDS]

I would say Black would be the easiest followed closely by White. With Blue proper lacing isn't always easy to get.

 

[Coopacabana]

Thanks! Lots of great answers. Is the wheaten's pattern more difficult than the blue's lacing?

 

[Coopacabana]

I have yet another question: how can the APA accept blue and not splash? What are you supposed to do with the splashes? Just use them for breeding? Have an awful time trying to rehome 25% of your hatch, every hatch?

 

[Illia]

Thanks! Lots of great answers. Is the wheaten's pattern more difficult than the blue's lacing?

In Ameraucanas, yes, Wheaten is pretty difficult in especially females. Blue in Ameraucanas is as difficult for a good show quality bird as it is in any other breed except Andalusians.

As for Splash, it isn't recognized in any LF Fowl to the APA because you cannot set a standard for it, nor breed it to follow a certain pattern. So, Splashes yes can be rehomed to people who just want layers but they're also good for lightening blues or even getting a 100% blue hatch. Plus if you have a better splash than blue or black, type wise (which is very important) you can still use it.

Just because you can't show and win with a bird doesn't mean it is useless. Probably more than half the population of Araucanas in the US cannot be shown because of their lack of tufts, but they're still very very useful breeding birds.

 

[Coopacabana]

Thanks! I do like the splash color. I think I came across a little negative there in the heat of discovering that splash is not recognized.

they are certainly not useless! Perhaps I will start with the black, then move on to blue/splash. I love the green iridecence on the blacks!!!