Really an Ameraucana? or an EE?

[Windy Ridge]

Yes, his beard is impressive! My Ameraucanas' beards aren't quite so full. I keep wondering if they'll be like my Faverolles, whose beards seemed to get fuller and fuller as they got older. They have seemed to have gotten fuller recently, but they're still quite trim when compared to the Favs or your blue, though.

They're 19 weeks today. (Happy birthday, girls!)

 

[Catalina]

That's what I thought- *sigh*

Oh, well I'll call her the EE formerly known as an Ameraucana.

When she started to get green legs I thought she might not be an Amerauncana and her coloring is way off the chart! Not grey enough and not white enough.
As a day old chick, under the red light, she really looked like she had purple fuzz.

She is the sweetest chicken though, she loves to cuddle.
And I got her from mypetchicken.com - for anyone looking into buying chicks from them.

I can't wait to see what color eggs she lays!

 

[EweSheep]

Here are the pics of my EE bantams...see their legs...they have green or neon green legs while some have slate legs.....Take a look at their eyes..a very few have very dark eyes and most of them are yellow or green..These were from Cackle Hatchery.

 

[speckledhen]

Those are very pretty, Robin. It doesn't matter, EE or Ameraucana, unless you care to know exactly what you were sold and/or you want to show or breed Ameraucanas and not EEs. They are lovely birds anyway, as Robin's picture illustrates.

 

[Windy Ridge]

Those ARE pretty.

I especially like the two sort of in front, with pale heads, coppery hackles and dark bodies. I also think the creamy, greyish buff one on the left is gorgeous. Some of those in the back I can't quite make out enough to fall in love with

This is why I don't understand the deal with most hatcheries not wanting to advertise EEs as what they are. I mean, why wouldn't a picture like that sell birds twice as well as mealy-worded half-truths that confuse their customers and may leave their buyers later unwittingly selling "real Americanas" on ebay or to all their local friends? I'd have to hazard a guess that most people with chickens never show or breed their poultry, anyway.

Doesn't make any sense to me when the EEs can be SO charming.

 

[hinkjc]

Catalina, she is a beautiful bird, but I can assure you that MPC has EEs. Another hatchery misrepresenting their stock to entice buyers to make the purchase.

I will add to speckledhens analysis of Ameraucana by stating the green legs are typically a sure sign of mixed breeds. Generally Ameraucana breeders don't throw green (or yellow) legs unless their working on genetic structure for something else and crossing the birds. In that case, a good breeder would inform you of the defect and why they are culling this bird in order to educate you on what to expect of your bird and what the correct standard should be.

The typical defects on a true Ameraucana are plumage color, which seems to be the biggest challenge in most breeds. I have true Ameraucana in my EE pen because their plumage color is wrong for the Ameraucana breed. Because they are crossed in an EE pen, the offspring are all considered EEs to me. To give you an example, my black ameraucana has some specks of red in her neck..not acceptable by my standards to use in a black ameraucana breeding pen as the offspring have the potential to display this trait. She works fine as an EE because there is no feather color pattern guarantee on them, plus her blue egg gene is added to the EE gene pool.

I also raise bantam buff ameraucana, which the offspring throw the correct traits all of the time. This is how pure breeds should work. An occasional toss of green, white or yellow legs should not happen if you are breeding true.

Jody

 

[EweSheep]

AMEN Jodi!