Varieties of Amerucanas

[bigz1983]

I have been doing some research on the varieties of Amerucana chickens.
I couldn't find any that have the silver gene like a light Amerucana.
I couldn't find a barred or cuckoo variety.
How much does it take to make those 2 varieties?
How many generations?
Are there breeders working on making those?

 

[sylviethecochin]

"Light" Ameraucana? Picture? Silver Wheaten Ameraucanas are a thing, I believe.

As for barring, all it takes is to cross a barred bird into a black line and select for proper body shape/form after that. Barring is only one gene away from pure black; it's really easy to incorporate.

 

[bigz1983]

I'm wrong I just found there is a silver Ameraucana.
Ok so if I bred black Amerucanas and Dominics I could make a barred Amerucana?

 

[sylviethecochin]

I'm wrong I just found there is a silver Ameraucana.
Ok so if I bred black Amerucanas and Dominics I could make a barred Amerucana?

Yes, though it might take a while to breed out the rose comb, brown eggs, and yellow legs. The body shape is fairly close, but you'd have to breed that beard back in.

What I would do is find a couple barred "Americanas" in a chick bin somewhere and raise them up, looking for one that lays blue eggs. I saw a couple barred EE chicks at my TSC this spring. You'd have the body shape, comb type, beard, and maybe egg colour already worked in, and mostly just have to focus on breeding for colour and quality.

Also, barring is sexlinked, so a barred female can only give barring to her male offspring, not her female. Just something to consider. It should take two generations to get the results you want, assuming you start with a barred EE female.

barred EE female x black A male = keep halfbarred males (which will be all the males. We eventually want 2xbarring males, but that'll come from the next cross, not this one.)

Breed halfbarred males back to barred EE female = halfbarred males, 2xbarred males, and barred females. Maybe outcross your 2xbarred males to some black Ameraucanas for genetic diversity, and keep going from there.