This May Have an Obvious Answer, But...

[speckledhen]

That's interesting, Jody. I doubt DH would have the patience for my insane dabblings in chicken genetics to that extent, but since I'm hatching a few Ameraucana eggs, it is a possibility I could eventually put a blue pullet in with Suede, even temporarily, to see what comes from that mating. The only thing would stop me is, of course, his massive size, which will only get more as he matures, and a young Ameraucana pullet's size being so much less. Still, they are such opposites except in color, it would be a fun cross to try.

 

[megshenhut]

Cyn, I don't know about the color question. Regarding the cross, I only know what happened with my one experience of crossing an silver duckwing EE roo with several Australorp hens and one RIR hen. I hatched 12 chicks. 10 of them had pea combs and muffs. The pullets have laid olive green eggs. Two hatched with a single comb, 1 pullet and she lays a really light tinted tan egg. I've heard the roo controls the egg color, so I assume my EE roo, had 1 brown egg gene, and 1 blue egg gene. Suede would have 2 brown egg genes so I'd think any pullets from him would lay brown eggs. But I may have this thing all messed up. Tim would know. As to body shape, my EE roo was good sized, but not as big as the australorp hens. All the babies are shaped more like the EE, none of my pullets are as big as their mother hens. They are more slender and angular not round like the Australorps. The RIR/EE pullet is actually my favorite. She lays like an RIR, almost everyday, but has an EE temperment, not nosey and bossy like my two RIR's.

 

[speckledhen]

I remember once asking Tim about crossing an Ameraucana with a Barred Rock. Some may translate to the Ameraucana/Orp cross as far as combs, muffs and beards. This is what he said:

Beards and muffs are incompletely dominant so the birds should have the beards and muff. I have had birds that carried one beard and muff gene but did not show the trait. Beard and muff plus the pea comb will reduce the size of the wattles. The pea comb is incompletely dominant so the combs on the males would look weird and ugly. Like a single comb with three rows of little spikes on top. The comb will be top heavy and flop over to one side. the females will have vombs that look like a deflatedsimgle comb.
The offspring will have white skin. Depending on the cross:
Ameraucana male on Barred female =males will have white legs and feet and females will have slate shanks and feet
Barred Male on Ameraucana female=all will have white shanks and feet.

My two EE/Barred Rock pullets were both beautiful and sweet and excellent layers. Iris laid a pinky egg with lavender speckles and Hazel laid a yellowy-beige egg. Rooster-red now owns them.​