The Ameraucana Thread: Where everything and anything about the breed can be discussed (APA, Non-Stan

[shelbyanthony]

Beautiful bird....

 

[Tailfeathers]

I have been referred to the Ameraucana Breeders Club webpage by other members where they have a scrapbook tab that provides pictures of the APA standard colors for the breed. Any bird that does not phenotypically match one of the standard 8 colors can not be considered an APA Standard Bird. As it stands now the breeders club claims that regardless of parentage, offspring that does not fall into one of these color categories is considered an EE. (I have hard time making sense of this and have been criticized on other Ameraucana threads for questioning the SOP of the breed). On this thread feel free to adhere to the SOP or refer to said offspring as Non-Standard Ameraucanas. EE's include crossbreeds. A Non-Standard Ameraucana is not a cross breed. Since most of the controversy with this breed revolves around color. Here is a like to the ABC websites scrapbook page that contains pictures of all 8 APA- standard colors of Ameraucanas. Have I confused anyone yet?

http://www.ameraucana.org/scrapbook.html


If your opinion differs from mine, please feel free to state your own. I would like people of differing opinions to feel welcome on this thread!

Kristin, thanks for the invite. It's gonna take me a while to get thru all 15 pages of the new thread and get caught up. Maybe this has already been said but as I've repeatedly pointed out on the other thread, the above is not exactly true. The statement you reference is a "general overview" and does is not inclusive of every single scenario that may be encountered when breeding Ameraucanas.

Once I get caught up I can maybe address this in more detail. Until then, if anyone is desirous to do so, they can search under the other thread with me as the Author and should be able to find some very detailed examples, and quite exhaustive writings on the subject. Kristin, you're welcome to do that and post them here if you'd like. You may have more time than I do to mess with this.

God Bless,

 

[K Epp]

Your birds are very pretty. What color would you call the second rooster? Is that a duckwing?

I'm not sure what you would call him, but he is even prettier in person. The black white laced hen laid her first egg today. It is the prettiest blue.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Can anyone recommend a good color to start a breeding program with? Is that any color that has been around longer, or would just be easier to start with?

Jerry could probably answer that question better than me but I certainly would recommend the WBS Variety. It's a beautiful variety and they really need some dedicated, committed breeders to improve them. Although I must say that I've had more than one judge tell me that if I want to be on Champion Row, I've got to go with solid, colored birds.,

God Bless,

 

[Tailfeathers]

Ok, I made it. All caught up now. I'll try to keep up with this thread now.

I saw a lot of good questions, most of which I don't remember now, but I don't think there were answered. Just something to think about as this thread moves along. If a question doesn't get answered right away, it often gets forgotten so the OP may want to post it again.

The one thing I do remember was someone's definition as to what an Easter Egger is. I would just add that an EE doesn't have to come from a hatchery. I make my own by crossing W, BW, & SW to other breeds like Welsummers and BCMs to get the green and dark olive eggs. And sometimes I'll throw a few eggs in just to see what I get. Like crossed with a Barnevelder or Buckeye or Buff Brahma or even a SLW or BLRW.

God Bless,

 

[shanachie05]

Jerry could probably answer that question better than me but I certainly would recommend the WBS Variety.  It's a beautiful variety and they really need some dedicated, committed breeders to improve them.  Although I must say that I've had more than one judge tell me that if I want to be on Champion Row, I've got to go with solid, colored birds.,

God Bless,

Hello. I am just weighing in with what i decided to do. Just an opinion. Maybe it will help.

I ended up choosing solid black birds. I had been swimming (and drowning) in the proper coloration of wheaten, blue, and a few others. And my problem was i was gettingdistracted into exact shades of red or blue, or gold bleed-through, or whatever. I was unable to focus on the conformation of the bird.
I ended up getting a white bird, but after a couple shows, realized that she is very hard to keep clean, and, when fed corn and/or left out in thesun,her white is no longer white!

*sigh* i said to myself.

Finally,i settled on black birds, because this gives me a chance to learn what the bird should look like, and how it is put together. Once i know the color, muff, leg color is correct,i can start paying attention totailset, back length eye, face, comb,and the other things that help the bird be a desirable breeding or showing bird.

That being said, i also have my colorful flock that is a little less intense for me... A chance to play with possible color combinations without the same level of worry a show bird causes...

 

[jerryse]

That is what I am hoping to achieve when we start breeding around here. Nice birds with good egg production that could be used as a meat bird if/when needed. (My daughters are not so excited about this prospect).

Have you seen some lines that produce better in the eggs department?

I have 2 EE, one has not laid all winter, the other lays sporadically, though with longer days she seems to be improving, I think we managed 3 eggs from her this past week. I want to add some true Ameracauna to the flock, and when I decide to breed, that is what I would like to work with. I have time though since there is lots of work to do between now and then. I need to do a bit of rehab on the little breeding/broody house, re-fence the section to that house and insulate the coop I have now. Fun times!

I will try to combine this answer with a question I saw about favorite varieties.Hands down favorite is my bantam whites.Excellent layers of nice size eggs 1 ounce to 1 3/8 ounce each.You can keep egg laying and vigor up in whites because white removes any color.So you can have a showable bird with a diverse gene pool.I have mostly been a bantam breeder but have added large fowl.Don't have these where I want them yet.Black is my second choice.Black has th e potential for a large family tree.Here are the colors that are or can be based on black.Blue,lavender,white,mottled,barred,cuckoo,chocolate and if done correctly I believe buff.So quite a large gene pool.Now I will tell you how I like to add diversity.This works for me but most breeders do not use this much.Some will have 2 or 3 lines of one color for diversity.I like to shift within color families.Now there ca be some problems but if handled well they are not that bad.In blacks you can pickup leakage in the males.The problem is color families on some colors were never developed.Brown red only has black , buff andwheaten as possible crosses and then you have to restore lacing.Buff is very hard to restore after a outcross.Wheaten can use buff.Silver has limited options.Black has been used but still takes 5 years to restore good color.I will stop here on color as there will be questions.Egg laying is triggered by light.You need lights in winter to get eggs.12-14 hours works for me.

 

[jerryse]

This is the pairings I have in mind.





and








I also have this hen who is already laying I could work with now.
Sorry I didn't get to post sunday.Short answer about anything and almost nobody will try to predict these.I will do my best to try.The first rooster seems to carry buff and blue.Possibly some blue wheaten.All females will inherit gold [buff] and half will inherit blue.Males will look golden or BB red.males half will carry blue.This when mated to the last hen.That first hen looks a little blue to me.If that is the case then the ratios are different.50% with blue 25% black 25% splash.This is in the black areas.Female pattern will be intermediate between wheaten and silverThe fist hens male offspring should look golden duckwing.Also the last hen is EE patridge color not a SOP partridge but carries the columbian gene.The silver laced hen will follow follow the same sex linked gold and blue with the first rooster.You may or may not get lacing.Text book says no but I got some on my first cross last year.The second rooster appears splash wheaten or perhaps splash blue buff.All his offsping will carry blue with the same sex linked gold.By now your head may hurt.So I will stop here.
She is laying a green egg now.

 

[TW1Kell]

Picture #3, above (the 2nd Hen) has "Sparkle" on the rear half of her body, from what I named my Hen "Sparkle" from. THAT was what I was told was "sparkle". The silvery small streaks or spots that pop out in the black. Also, the body will have the faintest grey lacing and pencilling on the individual feathers. It almost has a tannish tint to the grey. Very hard to show in a pic, as it simply doesn't show up, it makes it look almost like a greyish black bird. Very good-looking chickens, I must add. I won't be as active, this week. I am visiting my Grandson, and we play constatntly, unless he crashes out. haha!

 

[jerryse]

Here are some project pics.I have had the silver laced cockerel over 6 black and one blue pullet.The golden laced pullets with a black cockerel.Started saving eggs about March first.Thinking of pulling the silver laced and saving eggs another week.Then putting the barred cockerel over those hens.Waiting a week then start saving eggs.Barred cockerel is single gene for barring.Will produce 50% barred chicks in both sexes.He is with some barred and cuckoo females now.I was told it was impossible to get slate legs on a barred bird.They are usually spotted blue on white due to the barring gene.He is 7 months now and still has slate.Some dark spots but no white areas.I have a pullet with slate legs also.Difficult to achive but I do not believe impossible.