The Big Blue Roo (and other BBS ameraucana pics)

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Meet Horatio the big blue roo. This guy is finally hitting his grown up look. He's 24 weeks old and still filling out. What a hoss!

His brother Hamlet-

And the girls-

Now if only I could get a blue egg out of them...

 

[brownlikewoah]

great looking birds!

 

[speckledhen]

Love them! I used to have a black Ameraucana rooster. Loved that deep sheen he had. I adore my BBS Ameraucana girls and one day, who knows? Maybe I'll have a blue rooster as gorgeous as your boy.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I didn't think I would love the black chickens as much as I do. In the right light he glows green and purple and blue. He's a walking stained glass window! He's in with my assorted LF in hopes of making pretty EEs.
The blue is in the ameraucana pen. I can't wait for him to start making babies. I can't wait to see what they look like.

He's from the Gardner lines. The pullets are from Cree Farms. They should make some pretty babies.

I will happily trade you for some Suede babies if the babies are as sweet as Suede!

 

[speckledhen]

One of these days, I may trade you some Suede babies for some Ameraucana eggs.

I won't need any for quite awhile, though, and by then, my darlin' Suede may no longer be fertile.

My three Ameraucanas hens are from Cree (well, Charlotte is from Cree on one side of the family). I have a younger blue hen and a splash who are Cree sisters and then Charlotte (blue) and her daughter Gypsy with my former rooster, Scout. Scout was just amazingly shiny and gorgeous, even though he had his base color showing (not enough melanisers).

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Do you notice gold leaking through on your Cree splash? All three of the boys I hatched from their eggs are leaking gold and one is leaking red. It looks kind of cool, but isn't a trait I want to breed in. The two roos I kept are from the Gardners and I'm not seeing any gold leakage at all. I thought the blue might be, but it's just the sunlight bouncing off of him 'cause he's so shiny.

Oh well on the Suedelettes. I'd still be happy to send you eggs anyway. I will need test hatchers eventually. I'd be honored to have you hatch some out.

 

[speckledhen]

No leakage on my splash, but on two of the blues from the 1/2 Cree lines, I did get gold leaking into the wing bows and a bit in the hackles.

I can see in the future, perhaps having only Barred Rocks and Delawares with a few Ameraucanas thrown in. Charlotte, Gypsy and Snow (the splash) are absolute cuddle bugs and Gypsy is the worst. She wants me to carry her around in one arm all day while I do chores with the other, silly girl. We love those girls alot-great personalities and great layers, too.

 

[speckledhen]

Here is Scout, the way he was as a youngster, then later on. He produced a wildly patterned son, too, in the last pics:

This was Scout's first son at different ages and the reason you shouldn't breed one with base color leakage if you are serious about producing quality Ameraucanas. I never got another one like this one and it was a very interesting bird, but clearly, though he was purebred Ameraucana, he could only have been called an EE with all those wild patterns!

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Wow! He IS interesting! Isn't it funny what the hidden genes can accomplish?

I understand about streamlining your flock. I am doing the same. I picked 9 different breeds to start with and now am streamlining down to two. As much as I want one of everything, it doesn't help a breeding program and I am running out of pens for seperate roos!

I love Scout's tail! That is one of my favorite parts of the ameraucana roos. It's so striking!

 

[speckledhen]

In spite of his flaws, I do think he was very, very handsome. That black with the sheen is so stunning, isn't it?