What happened? Lavender ameracaunas...

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Thank you, that's very helpful information.

We're totally new to the chicken gene breeding scene. Wehave older ameracauna hens that are blonde(probably not the accurate term) and gray. Would crossing them with one of the lavender split boys produce anything with a higher percentage of grey feathering?
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One of our girls.
The other is a higher percentage of grey with a blonde top half

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These two hens are blue with a gold/buff columbian pattern

Oh my goodness so much to learn!
Thank you all.
How do we differentiate between ameracauna and Easter egger

The easiest way to tell the difference is color. Ameraucanas only come in a few, specific colors, while Easter eggers are mostly mixed colors. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...s-and-ameraucanas-with-review-optional.76220/

 

[Slothinc]

@ManOverBoard Did your little lavender chick pass away?

 

[ManOverBoard]

@ManOverBoard Did your little lavender chick pass away

Yes,in the wee hours

 

[Slothinc]

Yes,in the wee hours

I am so sorry, it is always the ones we want most

 

[ManOverBoard]

These two hens are blue with a gold/buff columbian pattern

Is this an Easter egger pattern?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Is this an Easter egger pattern?

Yes

 

[paintedChix]

I'd like to know the difference between blue and lavender. Anybody got pics?

LOTS OF PICS

I can add some pics. The first batch are blue Ameraucana. They were produced by a splash roo over 2 black hens. The woman i purchased from had started with lines from prominent Ameraucana bloodlines, that i was familiar with & follow (still do). I was excited to find a "breeder" w/ these lines locally. Then I found out that she did not grow out chicks to add to her breeding trio. So, she had no way to improve her flock or to continue on w/ her Ameraucana... I was sad to understand this.



You can see the lacing on the 2 pullets. The cockerels blue coloring, at this age, is "splotchy". They are blue, not splash variety. I was told to wait for next feather molt or until adult feathers came in. The last pic, I'm not sure which rooster this is. He does look better, but not breeding quality towards SOP on blue coloring. He would be 15 months old in this pic. I never got any chicks from these birds, no cooped broodies & I couldn't find my free ranging broody's nests to put eggs into. The 2 pullets laid for me from mid 2015 to 2018. I sold them both in a group of other hens & roos. I only have that one pic of the roo.. I lost 2 of original 8 in 1st 2 months - crossbeak pullet & a cockerel, think from poopy butt.

These are from another group of Ameraucana- BBS. I got one black (roo), several splashes (1 roo?) & several blues. The black roo & a splash roo "fought" about 2 months after moving to new pen. No outward injuries but both laid down & later passed after the fight. Figure it was either heart attacks or heat stroke. It was over 100° that day & they fought/laid down in full sun.



I'm going to do another post w/ Lavender Ameraucana... also pic heavy.

 

[paintedChix]

I'd like to know the difference between blue and lavender. Anybody got pics?

Lavender Ameraucana

Lots of pics!! I only had 1 group of Lavenders. Got them from one breeder. She was working on "weeding out" the shredder gene. Several of mine did have it - shows up in some chicks & in others not till later...



I separated out a pair of Lavender & grouped their pics separately... They were in a neighbors old/unused coop, i split & had a group of Blue Australorps on larger side.




EDIT - I did combine the BBS & Lavenders for a while. At first, the pullets weren't laying. Then when they did, we ate them. One of the blue pullets found a hole in the 2x4" wire & got out several times. Before i got it repaired, she was caught by a wandering neighbor dog. Most roos went to freezer camp. The 2 Lavender pullets became broody & hatched/raised 4 Lavender chicks together. Stupid me, I didn't transfer them to a pen w/ smaller wire & they'd all disappeared before 2 weeks of age.

I was never able to hatch any via incubator. Incubator issues??

 

[paintedChix]

My lavender English orp, and my blue splash marans/ blue sexlink cross, for a visual comparison

Wow!! Both are absolutely GORGEOUS!

 

[paintedChix]

These two hens are blue with a gold/buff columbian pattern

The easiest way to tell the difference is color. Ameraucanas only come in a few, specific colors, while Easter eggers are mostly mixed colors. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...s-and-ameraucanas-with-review-optional.76220/

Actually, go to the two Ameraucana websites. There are pics of the chicks & mature birds. Large fowl & bantam.

They both have forums & breeder lists as well.

http://www.ameraucana.org/

http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/