The red pyle color pattern is built on the wild type gene in birds. If you are going to make an ameraucana in red pyle you are going to have to use a silver ameraucana to introduce the wild type gene. It would be best to build the proper black color on a gold wild type then introduce the dominant white.
If you are trying to make a red pyle on wheaten or extended black it is not going to work. It will work on the wheaten males but not the females.
The females must have a salmon breast and that comes from the wild type allele.
All of the pictures so far have been awesome looking birds
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I'm no breeding expert, but I just wanted to say that two of my EE hens from Meyer Hatchery look very much like your hens (esp. the hen in the 1st pic), only a little more red. Like you, I noticed one of mine with the white feathers and red lacing has some feathers flecked with blue/gray....of the 5 EE's I got, 2 are blue w/ red lacing and 2 have white w/ red lacing...I'm assuming that the white/red are like the 'splash' form of the blue/red? I would think that would be the blue gene interferring...
Anywho...good luck with the red pyle project. Love that color.
The red pyle color pattern is built on the wild type gene in birds. If you are going to make an ameraucana in red pyle you are going to have to use a silver ameraucana to introduce the wild type gene. It would be best to build the proper black color on a gold wild type then introduce the dominant white.
If you are trying to make a red pyle on wheaten or extended black it is not going to work. It will work on the wheaten males but not the females.
The females must have a salmon breast and that comes from the wild type allele.
All of the pictures so far have been awesome looking birds
Tim
Thanks Tim. Actually, I'm backtracking now to better the breast color, since I wasn't getting great results. The pullet I have with the nicest breast color so far is close to point of lay, but she's lacking in other areas, like no beard and muffs. If it ain't one thing, it's another! She also has sooo much "stippling"???...is that the word? It's late and I'm tired, but that word just doesn't look right to me now. Anyway, I only have this one photo of her, and she's muddy from all the rain we've been having, but you can at least see the breast. She does have really nice leg color, so if she lays a nice blue egg too, I think I'll go ahead and use her.
I've only had two chicks without muffs and they both came from the same hen. I'd culled her and put her in with my free range flock, but then realised I was getting the best breast color from her too, so she may be invited back.
Recently I've hatched several good BBR chicks out of my BBR EE hen, and I have one chick from that hatch that picked up the dominant white from the rooster. I lost track of which one it was though after I forgot and put it with another batch of similar looking chicks, but I believe it's a male, and I think it's the best male. He has the whitest breast. We'll see.
Someone just happened to offer me a red pyle OEG Bantam cockerel recently. I don't raise them, but I took him and put him in with one of my last batches of chicks to compare color and pattern. I think a few of the chicks look promising.
From what little work I have done with red pyle , you want males that as chicks are completely white. The males will develop the red in the pyle region as they get older. I have not paid much attention to when wild type females develop their salmon breast but I would imagine it is after they molt their juvenile plumage. I do know that females also develop the red as they get older. I have had white chicks with a little red on their face develop into almost completely buff birds.
I have worked quit a bit with dominant white. It is has been my experience that you would want white chicks that will develop the red as they get older.
So are you actually working with "pure' Ameraucanas, or are you working with Easter Eggers? You will probably have a pretty hard time fixing the red pyle color if you are working with EE's since they have such a mixed and variable background. It will probably be hard to get consistent muffs and beards as well. How does the leg color look?
I have picked up EE's with the coloring white and red, very similar to the photos of the first poster w pics, from the local hatchery here. I didn't keep any my customers snatched them right up, although I did sell a pair to a customer who I know will be breeding them next spring - I could get you her name if you like.
The local Hatchery is called Dunlaps and they sell the birds as Aracaunas . . . but they are deffinately not Araucanas - they have rumps and no ear feathers . . . however they have nice beards. Maybe not the hightest quality Ameraucanas but perhaps the coloring you are looking for. with more Ameraucana traigts than not
So are you actually working with "pure' Ameraucanas, or are you working with Easter Eggers? You will probably have a pretty hard time fixing the red pyle color if you are working with EE's since they have such a mixed and variable background. It will probably be hard to get consistent muffs and beards as well. How does the leg color look?
If you have pure Ameraucanas, and you want to get the red pyle color, you just about have to outcross to get it, whether you use OEG or something else, so all your F1 generation will be Easter Eggers whether you started out with pure birds or not.
I used mostly hatchery Ameraucanas, which agreeably aren't as pure as most of the Ameraucanas you'd get from a reputable breeder, but I picked only birds with correct comb, muffs and good leg color, and with dominant white. My combs and leg color have been good to excellent so far. Any chicks I've had with greenish legs have been sold or given away as EE's, but honestly those have been few. I haven't had a comb issue at all. And don't worry, I won't be letting any of these go for a good while....only when (and if) they breed true. My OCD won't let me! I'm taking this very slowly, and trying to correct problems as I go. I'm not in any hurry. I just enjoy the Red Pyle color, and enjoy Ameraucanas, and would like to have a flock of Red Pyle Ameraucanas for my own pleasure running around in my own yard. You can even call them Red Pyle Easter Eggers if you'd like.
KatyTheChickenLady...
I have picked up EE's with the coloring white and red, very similar to the photos of the first poster w pics, from the local hatchery here. I didn't keep any my customers snatched them right up, although I did sell a pair to a customer who I know will be breeding them next spring - I could get you her name if you like.
I got several of mine the same way, but not from Dunlap. I probably have more than I need right now but thanks.
tadkerson...
From what little work I have done with red pyle , you want males that as chicks are completely white. The males will develop the red in the pyle region as they get older.
Right, I was told that I wanted to select for white chicks, but I'm not sure at what age to look for the red coming in. In that last photo above, you can see that that chick is mostly white, but has the red coming in on his head. Is that too soon for the red to come in? He's very similar to the Red Pyle OEG bantam chick (male) in front of him, which also already has the red on his head and neck, and has some red showing though on his body. I know the red in the body is considered a fault, or rather not show quality, but I'm not going to be getting show quality for a while I'm sure, so I'm hoping the similar coloration would mean I'm on the right track.
I have not paid much attention to when wild type females develop their salmon breast but I would imagine it is after they molt their juvenile plumage. I do know that females also develop the red as they get older.
I can't recall whether the females I have with the salmon breast had it right from the start or not, but the BBR chick in the photo I posted already has it at a pretty young age. I'm very eager for these BBR chicks to mature so I can see what they produce.
I have had white chicks with a little red on their face develop into almost completely buff birds.
That's what I found with my first hatches, and why I'm now trying something different. I got a few good chicks, but more buff/white chicks than I found acceptable. I really appreciate your input on this. By the way, the barred RIR on your site is beautiful!