New Color Varieties of Ameraucana......pictures from breeding projects

[ILOVEFRIZZLES]

I think the definition of a EE is any breed mixed with a Ameraucana or two EE together. Laying a Easter Egg meaning a colored egg. pink, green, olive, little blue etc. A pure Ameraucana any color with a pure Ameraucana any color is a pure Ameraucana now there is pet quality or non-standard and show quality just like all other breed.


Edit to add any color

 

[soonerdog]

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I agree with ILOVEFRIZZLES!

The project birds are considered EE's until they go through the processes of development. Go back and read my original post! When the new color varities have the exact characteristics for ameraucana, breed true, and have followed the many, many methods for recognition then they at that point can be accepted as a new color variety of ameraucana. Folks, for a color variety to be represented as ameraucana, the new color variety has been in existance for quite a number of years with a lot of culling/selecting happening through the breeding stages for a few birds that possess and produces the desired characteristics of ameraucana.

Some existing color varities of ameraucana can be bred together with the resulting offspring being considered "pure" ameraucana. For example, Blue Wheaten and Wheaten Ameraucana can be crossed and the offspring chicks produced is about a 50-50 % ratio of Wheaten and Blue Wheaten Ameraucana.

There are eight existing color varities of ameraucana in both bantam and Large Fowl. www.ameraucana.org

But some color varieties of ameraucana bred together will throw offspring with different color patterns or mixed colors.....non-standard colored birds because they are of no specific color pattern. These birds could posses the blue egg gene and lay blue eggs, have the correct type body, size, pea combs, leg coloring but when bred together these bird's offspring revert back to producing more birds of the EE color patterns.

They would not breed true to color!

For example, I have an elderly gentleman who is one of my best chicken buddies. I have known him for 20 yrs. or better. In years past, I have given him white ameraucana bantams, black ameracauna bantams, blue ameraucana bantams, wheaten ameraucana bantams, blue-wheaten ameraucana bantams, and buff ameraucana bantams. He cares less what color of birds he has. He does not keep them in a flock each color variety together. He has a farm and his flock free ranges. I see him three or four times a year, and each time I go over to visit with him I get to see his free range flock. The flock today are all offsprings of the original ameraucana birds that I gave him. They have become more and more like EE's in color pattern. They are no longer of a specific color variety and do not breed true to color. A flock of reverts in color patterns!

So, color alone can represent Ameraucana and color alone can represent EE's.


This is why certain ameraucana color varieties bred together are not considered ameraucana because when bred together they are not producing offspring that are duplicates of the parent birds.

I really hope people will remain civil on this thread. I created the posting for fun and for recognition of the ameraucana breed and organization, and for future color varieties Great conversations folks! Thanks.

 

[PoultryPedia]

This discussion is really highlighting some important points and excellent questions!

Questions for the group:
What are the official, APA-specified requirements for a chicken to be shown in the AOV color variety class for a breed?

The APA Standards book section on "Recognition of New Breeds and Varieties" says only, "Information in regard to the requirements for acceptance may be obtained from the Secretary of the American Poultry Association, Inc."

I would strongly suggest the information be published in the APA Standards book, even if updates need to be acquired from the Secretary when a new variety makes formal application for addition to the APA ("admission to the Standard"). Otherwise, anyone but the very informed, initiated, long-range-planned person is precluded from making decisions in their breeding and showing actions that are guided by information that allows effective decision-making.
If the information were to be added to the APA book, I imagine it would specify that characteristics (color pattern and otherwise) of birds entered in the AOV color variety class should be characteristics that have the potential for consistent genetic continuation (with minimum predictability of 50% or other ??%). That would encourage showing of birds with potential for ongoing development, while restricting entries of "wild-card" birds that would not be able to help further the breed.
(Note: I am not sure how the American Bantam Association may already address this issue, but I will email a copy of this suggestion and link to this thread to both APA and ABA leaders for their review and consideration, and also send it to the Ameraucana Breeders Club.)

In the APA Standards book, there is a section describing the requirements for each breed. For Ameraucanas, it specifies:
* Blue eggs (Suggestion: Revise to "Blue egg shell, with outer tinting of olive or green-blue permissible but less desirable.")
* Presence of muffs and beard, and absence of ear tufts.
* Detailed sizes, shapes and manner of carriage for various parts of the body and feathering.
* Four toes.

However, there are additional foundation qualities that will definitely be required for any "project" variety that is under development to ultimately be approved as a new Ameraucana variety. These include (according to my understanding to this point):
* LEG TYPE: Clean-legged/unfeathered
* COLOR OF LEG SHANKS AND TOES: Slate, dark slate or black (to be specified for each individual variety when admitted to the Standard) with pinkish white footpads
* SKIN COLOR: White.
* EYE COLOR: Reddish bay. Brown is also permissible, but a demerit.
* BEAK COLOR: Shade of horn, or black (to be specified for each individual variety when admitted to the Standard).
* COLOR OF COMB, FACE, WATTLES AND EARLOBES: Red in males, pale red in females (Non-opaque white permissible in earlobes of females of specified Varieties. [Need to also add note in Wheaten & Blue-Wheaten female sub-sections stating that this coloring is acceptable for those.]).

* * * * Where would it be best to have this information? * * * *
Add it to the breed category description? Add an AOV sub-category and put it there?

It would provide helpful and truly needed information and guidance that would allow all of us to really collaborate. Then fewer efforts would go to waste, the breed could be more effectively furthered, and enthusiasts would have less individual frustration and disappointment.

 

[Tailfeathers]

I'll be going to a show in about a month. You raise some interesting questions and I will address them with the judges. Since I have not looked at the AOV and since my brain has such limited capacity, I just have not looked into the requirements for the AOV category but something tells me that I was told the Ameraucana does not have a category for that in most shows.

As for the recommendation on the allowance of a ""Blue egg shell, with outer tinting of olive or green-blue permissible but less desirable."), I would be against that recommendation. To have that occur would be to indicate that there is a brown egg layer gene still popping up. To have it not occur would be an indication that there have been enough generations bred to eliminate it. It is my opinion that the Ameraucana should produce a blue egg and anything other than that is an indication that continued selective breeding needs to occur.

Johnny nailed it on the head with his last comments on what a true Ameraucana is and why. The example of two varieties of Ameraucanas producing EEs is well put. Just to drive it home even more clearer, if you cross a Blue Ameraucana with a Blue Wheaten Ameraucana you wind up with an EE. This is because the genetics are totally different for the two and the progeny simply will not breed true. It's as simple as that.

In summary, I am all for supporting the unbelievable, dedicated, time-consuming, and arduous efforts of those who undertook the extremely noteworthy task of getting the APA to accept the Ameraucana as a breed and identify it with a qualitative and quantifiable standard. The Ameraucana is what it is. If you don't like it, then find four other folks who think and believe as you do and go thru the five year process of getting your own breed established. That is a perfectly acceptable and noteworthy goal for you to strive for and I hope you actually achieve it.

God Bless,

 

[Mahonri]

I'm just getting serious with Wheaten/Blue Wheaten now that I got a Blue Wheaten Roo from Jean. Can't wait to see what I can hatch out....I'll be reading the standard and rehoming birds that don't meet the standard or don't look like acceptable birds. I also want to select for egg laying ability. Should be fun.

 

[PoultryPedia]

The president of the APA has written back to me about my last message. His response was very helpful, and I am checking with him whether I can go ahead and post it here.
I'll update after I hear back from him.

 

[McSpin]

From everything I've seen written here, it seems that an ameraucana is not actually a breed, but a group of color varieties from a breed called easter eggers. A breed would include all color types, not just particular ones that someone deems desirable. So all ameraucanas are easter eggers, but not all easter eggers are ameraucanas.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

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Interesting comment!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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I agree. The standard first defines the breed traits, and then it recognises certain varieties for that breed. If the bird meets the breed traits, it should be considered an ameraucana.

These traits include size, body type, tail angle and length, feathering (hard, soft, silkied, etc.), comb type and specifics, presence or absence of beard/muffs, tufts, extra toes, crest (and its shape), foot feathering, etc., skin colour. While it is not in the SOP, I do think that egg colour is a reasonable addition, particularly for breeds that are known for unique egg colours: araucana, ameraucana, welsumer, marans, etc. While in general I think that a single trait that is poorly held or absent should not determine that the bird is not the breed (for example a very good, well-known and respected silkie breeder recently had some white skinned birds pop up in her flockl), more than two or three traits that are absent certainly should.

Then we come to plumage variety: feather colour. While the APA & ABA recognise certain varieties for certain breeds, they more importantly provide a standard for all the various varieties. Yes, there is some differences between one breed and another as to the standard of a specific variety, but mostly there is similarity and consistency. The APA nor the ABA disqualify a bird as a breed based upon its plumage variety. They may disqualify it as not meeting the standard for its variety, and they may disqualify it for not meeting breed traits, but those are different things. AOV includes all varieties that are not recognised for a breed as well as varieties that are not standardized at all. The best an AOV bird can place at a sanctioned show is best of variety.

To gain recognition of a variety for a breed, there is a procedure that must be followed to show that the variety can be relaibly and predictably reproduced; that it is not a one-time fluke. The APA and ABA have slightly different rules; in most cases breeders who are seriously working on gaining recognition work to satisfy both sets of requirements simultaneously.

However in the initial stages of creating a new variety within a breed, it is often some fluke that showed up was appealing. This was the case with opal, chocolates (both choc and dun based), etc. Breeding over time to select and improve the variety can set the variety into the breed. In other cases someone imagines a new variety--perhaps by seeing a variety of a different breed and wanting it in their preferred breed, or perhaps by simply thinking--gee wouldn't a bird that is (for example) both mottled and penciled look neat?

 

[PaintedGemsRanch]

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Very clever thought!