My Ameraucana Rooster - what parents did he have?

[Eelantha]

I'm new to chicken genetics in general, don't quite understand how everything works yet (I'm learning...), but my rooster's plumage has been nagging at me for a while now.



I'm pretty sure that, from looking at the standard plumage of the breed, he's got at least one Silver Ameraucana parent (be it mom or dad), but the presence of brown on the feathers and his white belly is leaving me unsure of the other one. Wheaten and brown-red Ameraucanas don't have white bellies, so how on earth did he get it? The only thing I can think of is a white Ameraucana, but the red feathers are too present, plus the rooster's neck wouldn't be light columbian unless he had a silver parent in there.

I'm trying to pinpoint my rooster's plumage ancestry to get a possible idea of what his chicks would look like if crossed with my hens... mainly my blue Ameraucana female, and a dark-red brown crossbred hen that's half-white Chanteclerc and half brown hen (or Rhode Island, as she had a dark red plumage).

You guys are more experienced than me at this color-guessing game, what are your thoughts on this?

 

[Farmgal101]

Welcome to BYC!! We are happy to answer your questions...Unfortunately thats one I cant answer,but im sure someone else on here can

 

[sylviethecochin]

Black patterned partridge duckwing is my best guess. It's like gold duckwing, but the top of the wing is darker.

EDT: and colors mix, sometimes. Not every bird is a defined color, especially if you mix two patterns.

 

[Eelantha]

Black patterned partridge duckwing is my best guess. It's like gold duckwing, but the top of the wing is darker.

EDT: and colors mix, sometimes. Not every bird is a defined color, especially if you mix two patterns.

Thank you! Do you have an idea of what this plumage would give in chicks, when crossed with a blue hen and a red one?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Thank you! Do you have an idea of what this plumage would give in chicks, when crossed with a blue hen and a red one?

Blue usually gives solid blue or solid black offspring, especially with duckwings, but the roosters should have some red/gold leakage on the back and wings. I think red is going to be mostly dominant (with some leakage down the back in both genders, possibly?)

But of course, I don't know the genetic makeup of your chickens, so this isn't 100% accurate.

Good luck!

 

[Eelantha]

Blue usually gives solid blue or solid black offspring, especially with duckwings, but the roosters should have some red/gold leakage on the back and wings. I think red is going to be mostly dominant (with some leakage down the back in both genders, possibly?)

But of course, I don't know the genetic makeup of your chickens, so this isn't 100% accurate.

Good luck!

The duckwing plumage... it's the first time I read of it in english - I don't know its french equivalent so I'm a little lost. As far as I know true Ameraucanas don't have it in their standard plumages, so my rooster is either a mix of several different colored Ameraucana parents (blue, white, silver, red, patridge), or a crossbred, for which the unknown parent(s) could be just about anybody...

... The only trait about my roo that might not fit the standards is his comb, I think it was supposed to be a flat pea and his, while pea-shaped, is a bit elevated, as though influenced by single comb genes. Can the slight elevation leave him more vulnerable to cold temperatures than true flat pea combs?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Sorry--he's an Easter Egger, not Ameraucana. They're either Ameraucana crossbreds or descended from the stock that made Ameraucanas. It's normal for them to look a little off. I suppose he might be more vulnerable to cold temps. I've never noticed any peacombs getting anything like frostbitten, but you're further north than I am.

Gold duckwing is known as "Saumon dore" in French, according to the kippenjungle genetics calculator.

 

[Eelantha]

Sorry--he's an Easter Egger, not Ameraucana. They're either Ameraucana crossbreds or descended from the stock that made Ameraucanas. It's normal for them to look a little off. I suppose he might be more vulnerable to cold temps. I've never noticed any peacombs getting anything like frostbitten, but you're further north than I am.

Gold duckwing is known as "Saumon dore" in French, according to the kippenjungle genetics calculator.

'Saumon doré'... translated literally it would mean 'Gold Salmon' in english. But, thank you for clarifying the plumage for me - I can finally put a name to my rooster's plumage

I've not had chickens long enough to see frostbite in any of them yet, but I've also done my best to ensure that they wouldn't freeze. I've managed to go two years without the single comb of my previous rooster getting a single black dot, so that's already a start xD