My first layer chicks BCM and Ameraucauna

[Bladeguy]

New to layers today, hatched out some eggs I got from a local individual who sells chicks and fertilized eggs. She has show birds, and I bought a dozen Ameraucana eggs and a dozen Black Copper Maran eggs. I was under the impression that these would be bred true to the same breed of rooster. That isn't a huge deal for me, I'm not planning on showing them, but I did like the idea of having two heritage breeds that I could breed continually if I so desired down the road. Anyway, I went to my buddy's house to pick up 8 that have hatched so far.....we have 9 more in the incubator, not sure if they will hatch in the next day or two or not, but looks like we could get a couple more.

So my question is this....how do I know whether I have pure breds or olive eggers? Only two Ameraucauna eggs have hatched so far, and one is gray and the other is black on the back with a yellow chest. Six BCM eggs hatched today, and 3 are gray and 3 are black with yellow chest. I expected all of the BCM's to be black with yellow, and all of the Ameraucanas to be gray, but maybe that isn't the case? Just learning, so thanks for any input anyone can give me!

Oh, and had to include one pic....I call it chickaxing (my take on chillaxing)....glad to see one of my chicks has some personality already.

 

[keesmom]

If this individual shows birds then the breeds should be housed separately and there should be no olive eggers.

What variety of Ameraucana does this person have? I think there are 8? varieties. Ameraucanas have pea combs, Marans have single combs. Marans should have feathered legs while Ameraucanas have clean legs.

 

[Bladeguy]

Thanks for the reply keesmom, I honestly couldn't tell you, but here is a link to some pics of her birds if that is helpful. I'm thinking they were not kept separately for breeding....would two Ameraucana chicks look totally different?

https://wausau.craigslist.org/grd/6170024766.html

 

[cridjynx]

Our Blue Ameraucanas hatched out Black and Grey. A splash pattern is also possible with Blues, I think. So it is probable that yours are pure seeing who you got them from. My wife remembers yellow on some of the black ones right at hatching. They are fully feathered now and have no yellow. One has a white throat.

 

[Bladeguy]

Thanks for the reply, cridjynx. Like I said, I won't be terribly upset or disappointed if I have all olive eggers.....now if I have all roosters, that will be another story!!!

 

[drumstick diva]

agree with Keesmom

 

[Bladeguy]

Went out and checked on the chicks this morning, both Amercaunas have clean legs, and the couple of BCM's I checked have hairy legs. Interesting that color of the chicks within the same breed can be so different.....I had no idea.

 

[keesmom]

If she has blue Ameraucanas then you can get blue, black and splash offspring. That means black, blue or yellow/light silver chicks.

 

[Bladeguy]

I got one blue/silver and one black then! Hooray......hopefully one of them is a hen, I don't think any of the other eggs are going to hatch out. I think she held the eggs for longer than I would have liked prior to me purchasing them, as my BCM hatch rate is significantly higher, and I know some of those eggs were laid much closer to the time I put them in the brooder.