EE plan... questions

[Chickhick]

What I want to do is breed my pure true Ameraucana with my Dorkings (white to cream egg layers) and aim for blue egg laying EEs that don't have the beard and muffs. I'm guessing I'd have to breed back to Dorkings again for a couple of generations sellecting for no muffs, but with pea combs (since I've read there is a connection between the pea comb and blue eggs.)

Does this sound about right?

How does the egg color genetics work? Are there 2 genes per bird?
2 blue genes = blue eggs
1 blue and 1 white = blue eggs
1 blue and 1 tan = green eggs
1 blue and 1 chocolate = olive eggs

How easy is it to breed away from he muffs and beards?

Thanks!!

 

[Illia]

Actually, there are easier routes. You can always purchase some BBS Ameraucanas from certain lines, and you're bound to get one that is already clean faced or only has one allele, which will throw clean faced chicks in the first outcrossing, or, you can get Araucanas

- Crossing those out will give you 50% tailed birds too if you don't like the lack of tail.

Plus, hatcheries like Murray McMurray often sell cleanfaced EE's.

 

[Chickhick]

I didn't know there were any pure Ameraucanas without muffs and beards. My Ameraucana is a blue from Whitmore Farm and is bearded/ muffed. Do you know if his lines tend to carry for non bearded/ non muffed? That would be cool!

Do all Araucanas have those crazy feather tufts coming out of their cheeks? What happen with those when cross bred with a "normal" chicken? And I definitely would cull the rumpless crosses, too, as the tails are the prettiest part of a chicken imo.

I may have to look into getting some Araucana eggs!

I culled all my hatchery EEs, because I am kind of funny, but I want to know the parentage of my EEs. I don't mind crosses, but I want to know exactly what breeds went into the crosses.

 

[Illia]

No, in fact breeding Araucanas only passes 50% of the tufted gene, as any tufted Araucana only has one allele. Most people use clean-faced Araucana hens and a tufted male, because tufted x tufted makes it lethal in 25% of the offspring.

Some BBS Ameraucanas I got a while ago, a few were clean faced and a few I'm sure had only one allele for muffs/beard. I could PM you who the source was. Ameraucanas are not supposed to have the trait at all, but it happens with irresponsible breeding in BBS.

 

[Chickhick]

I guess I'll just use the birds that I already have, because even if it takes an extra generation to remove the muffs and beards, I'll be ready to start hatching their eggs in a few weeks.

Otherwise I'd still have to wait till the new Ameraucana (or Araucana) chicks grow up to start on the next generation.