Hobby Breeding — Steps involved to create Barred Ameraucanas?

[cluckingheck]

Okay, so — how would I go about creating barred ameraucanas ( would they technically be EEs at that point? )? I know breeding a barred cock over a black hen would give both offspring a single barring gene. If the sire was a barred Plymouth Rock and the mother was a black ameraucana, would I get barred offspring with beards & muffs? How would I go about doing this project? How could I breed back in the body shape & features of the ameraucana while retaining the barring? And for them to breed true? I’m not looking for it inline with the SOP, this is just something I want to do myself. My own “creation”, so to speak. Would it be possible to retain the blue egg gene? Or would it end up being “diluted” by the light brown?

I’m attaching pictures of the two chickens I planned on using to start this off. All I’m waiting for now is Daria, the ameraucana pullet, to lay, so I can breed Atlas to her.

 

[JadeFarms]

Well for a pure ameraucana you need:
-blue legs, whitish underfoot
-muffs (that’s easy, it’s dominant)
-non-modified pea comb
-breeds true
-only blue eggs
It may take a few generations and it would be much easier to have two or three ameraucanas.
You’d have to do BR x ameraucana for F1. Then I’d breed the ones with the darkest blue legs. Then go from there.

 

[cluckingheck]

Well for a pure ameraucana you need:
-blue legs, whitish underfoot
-muffs (that’s easy, it’s dominant)
-non-modified pea comb
-breeds true
-only blue eggs
It may take a few generations and it would be much easier to have two or three ameraucanas.
You’d have to do BR x ameraucana for F1. Then I’d breed the ones with the darkest blue legs. Then go from there.

I have two more blue ( BBS ) ameraucanas ( a male & female ) in the works and I do already have a black ameraucana cockerel, but he has red leakage. I also have a barred rock pullet.

Anyways, I’d breed the F1 with the other ameraucanas? Some of the offspring would end up being a solid black, wouldn’t they?

 

[JadeFarms]

I have two more blue ( BBS ) ameraucanas ( a male & female ) in the works and I do already have a black ameraucana cockerel, but he has red leakage. I also have a barred rock pullet.

Anyways, I’d breed the F1 with the other ameraucanas? Some of the offspring would end up being a solid black, wouldn’t they?

Yes I’d breed the barred offspring that has the most ameraucana traits to a pure ameraucana and keep the barred birds with the bluest legs. Then I’d breed the barred birds together and keep the offspring with the best traits.
The hardest part of this project would be breeding the blue legs into them and making them breed true.
I hope that makes sense.

 

[cluckingheck]

Yes I’d breed the barred offspring that has the most ameraucana traits to a pure ameraucana and keep the barred birds with the bluest legs. Then I’d breed the barred birds together and keep the offspring with the best traits.
The hardest part of this project would be breeding the blue legs into them and making them breed true.
I hope that makes sense.

Yeah, it does. I know this isn’t going to be perfect, but I was at least wanting to get it as close as possible. Thanks for the advice

 

[JadeFarms]

Yeah, it does. I know this isn’t going to be perfect, but I was at least wanting to get it as close as possible. Thanks for the advice

No problem!

 

[cluckingheck]

No problem!

Okay, another question: how many eggs do you recommend setting at a time or does it matter? Also, would I keep wanting to breed the male barred offspring to the pure ameraucanas?

 

[JadeFarms]

Okay, another question: how many eggs do you recommend setting at a time or does it matter? Also, would I keep wanting to breed the male barred offspring to the pure ameraucanas?

I’d put at least 12 because usually they don’t all hatch, then there’s the rooster/ hen amount that you’ll get. You usually get more of one gender and your also trying to pick out the best of them, so if you set 12 you can have a variety.

Id breed the F1 with the most ameraucana-like qualities to the ameraucana. Then I’d pick out the offspring of the F1 x ameraucana with the most ameraucana-like qualities and breed them together.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

As many eggs as you possibly can. As was said, all might not hatch, all might not live to the age where you choose next years breeders, (Not to mention the ones that are automatically "not breeding quality" right out of the egg or shortly after.) The more you have, the greater your chances of getting what you are after.

 

[cluckingheck]

I’d put at least 12 because usually they don’t all hatch, then there’s the rooster/ hen amount that you’ll get. You usually get more of one gender and your also trying to pick out the best of them, so if you set 12 you can have a variety.

Id breed the F1 with the most ameraucana-like qualities to the ameraucana. Then I’d pick out the offspring of the F1 x ameraucana with the most ameraucana-like qualities and breed them together.

So, I could breed any gender of the F1 offspring with the best qualities to the ameraucanas? I didn’t know if doing a black ameraucana over a female barred F1 offspring would produce the male barred & black female sex-link? Sorry, have a very limited understanding of chicken genetics