Spring Fleet Chickens

In the Brooder
Apr 2, 2019
10
8
49
Good evening everyone.
I have two Splash Ameraucana Roos I got shipped to me from a breeder. I know that the Splash variety is not an excepted color yet, but I'd like to focus on them.
I have seen several posts about showing your birds and knowing the judges and what "type" they like. (as in over all look) I notice mine are more "upright" and after looking through images online it seems some are excepted that way for type? Can someone please explain the proper SOP and what to focus on? My boys are only around 8 months old so they are still maturing. I am simply not a fan of how upright they are.
I have also noticed one of my boys with one random red feather on his back. What does that mean? I believe they are from a BBS pen.
So many questions.. I would like to get into showing these birds but I can find very little on the Splash variety.
Anyone here breed Splash? Care to share photos and experience?
Thanks!!!
 
Hi There :)

I have NZ Araucana so my birds have different features to the US Araucana (We have crests, beards & tails - no ear tufts). That being said, the base expectations/standards will be the same. Here's a link to the UK Standards that I like to refer to.

https://www.thebritisharaucanaclub....R_Rw-a5fBQWTbY663Ex_8PadE0osvQFeVuQJLyvPh7A4U

The one random red feather on your young roo is "leakage" and is not favourable but you would want to consider all other features before deciding whether to use him for breeding.

Here's an example of one of my young splash roo's. He has a decent crest and beard. For the roos you want the tail to sit at approximately a 45 degree angle - his is actually ok but he's standing a bit weird in this photo so looks a little limp :p

This guy's faults include the brown leakage showing as brown smudging on his wings and the yellow legs. I might have forgiven the small amount of leakage but the yellow legs are a big nono.

20210412_141524.jpg
 
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Here's his brother - a blue - He is a little shorter in the back (which I like - he seems more in proportion) and when he's not craning his neck to see what I'm doing he has quite a nice posture, the 45 degree tail angle and carries his wings nicely.

He also has some brown leakage in him but once again it's low level so isn't the end of the world. He has "willow" leg colour which is less than ideal and generally frowned upon but still accepted. Standard calls for dark slate or black legs as the ideal.


20210412_141227.jpg


20210412_141208.jpg
 
Hi There :)

I have NZ Araucana so my birds have different features to the US Araucana (We have crests, beards & tails - no ear tufts). That being said, the base expectations/standards will be the same. Here's a link to the UK Standards that I like to refer to.

https://www.thebritisharaucanaclub....R_Rw-a5fBQWTbY663Ex_8PadE0osvQFeVuQJLyvPh7A4U

The one random red feather on your young roo is "leakage" and is not favourable but you would want to consider all other features before deciding whether to use him for breeding.

Here's an example of one of my young splash roo's. He has a decent crest and beard. For the roos you want the tail to sit at approximately a 45 degree angle - his is actually ok but he's standing a bit weird in this photo so looks a little limp :p

This guy's faults include the brown leakage showing as brown smudging on his wings and the yellow legs. I might have forgiven the small amount of leakage but the yellow legs are a big nono.

View attachment 2617196
Thank you! Ours are Ameraucana. I know at 8 months he still has some filling out to do. The red feather kinda threw me for a loop. If that's leakage, what could that mean? If he is from BBS where is the red coming from?
I did a test hatch to make sure they produced 100% splash, and have 10 healthy splash chicks currently a week old. BUT. Quality is key. haha I know the hen I crossed with him is a diluted Splash. So splash x Splash could dilute the gene even more.. right? and if the one rooster has leakage would that show up in his offspring? Particularly the cockerels?
 
@The Kooky Kiwi, they don't have araucana. They have Ameraucana, a different breed
Hence my disclaimer in my first comment :)

I do understand the differences between them - but I believe the majority of the standards will be very similar, if not the same, after taking into account the obvious differences :)
Tailed araucanas and ameraucanas actually do have a pretty similar type/shape.
 
Thank you! Ours are Ameraucana. I know at 8 months he still has some filling out to do. The red feather kinda threw me for a loop. If that's leakage, what could that mean? If he is from BBS where is the red coming from?
I did a test hatch to make sure they produced 100% splash, and have 10 healthy splash chicks currently a week old. BUT. Quality is key. haha I know the hen I crossed with him is a diluted Splash. So splash x Splash could dilute the gene even more.. right? and if the one rooster has leakage would that show up in his offspring? Particularly the cockerels?
Splash x splash could produce “lighter” splashes that have less spots. Leakage can stay in a line for a long time, especially if it’s only some on the roosters (which may not show up in their female offspring). It will probably show up in some of his cockerel offspring.
 
Thank you! Ours are Ameraucana. I know at 8 months he still has some filling out to do. The red feather kinda threw me for a loop. If that's leakage, what could that mean? If he is from BBS where is the red coming from?
I did a test hatch to make sure they produced 100% splash, and have 10 healthy splash chicks currently a week old. BUT. Quality is key. haha I know the hen I crossed with him is a diluted Splash. So splash x Splash could dilute the gene even more.. right? and if the one rooster has leakage would that show up in his offspring? Particularly the cockerels?
It's a bit like a layered effect really. A Black bird has melanisers that help to increase and shift black, which will cover over or hide any red based traits that the bird also has. Then you get the blue gene involved which dilutes the black to grey, and then two blue genes further dilutes it to give the splash.

Leakage is when the coverage of that black and/or the other pattern mutations do not completely or properly take effect and that sneaky red starts to peek through.

It has been widely reported that continually breeding splash to splash can result in a gradual further dilution of the grey with the same splash pattern.

Leakage is generally considered a fault if it's not the desired color of the bird. So in a splash - if what you want to see is a nicely patterned white and grey bird, having odd brown feathers is undesirable.

It is a generally held opinion that yes if you have a rooster showing leakage traits, it is quite likely he will pass that down to his offspring. However - if you are using a particularly nice hen then over time you can reduce the effect of the leakage by careful selection of future breeding birds who have less and less leakage :)
 

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