What kind of Ameraucana do I have?

[gardenmama45]

Got them from McMurrays who have certified Ameraucanas so I feel pretty confident of their breed. They have chubby cheeks too. But they just give a random color chick at McMurrays so I’ve had to research what I got. This one I can not figure out what coloring she has? One was a splash and I originally thought this one was a silver but she almost looks too dark? What are your thoughts? Added a shot from when she was a chick too.

 

[The Confused Chicken]

Absolutely not arguing because I’m still so new to the game and don’t know everything. But this is what the page we ordered from says concerning their Ameraucanas?

Note that they don't say that theirs are actually up to APA standard. Also, any brown eggs at all, even just 1 in 300, suggests at least a bit of mixing. True ameraucanas should only lay blue eggs. Some of their birds are also beardless, a sure sign of being mixes. Nothing wrong with Easter Eggers, but your bird isn't a standard issue ameraucana, and the hatchery shouldn't have sold it as such.

If it's true that only 1 in 300 EEs from McMurray lay brown eggs, that's actually a pretty good ratio. If you're after blue eggs, they shouldn't disappoint. Hope this helps!

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Not so fast!

I'm not certain about the first one. But the second one, the splash, is very much an Ameracuna.

Below are the ABS standards for recognized Ameraucana varieties. A splash, although not YET recognized in large fowl (but recognized in bantams) are currently under review for large fowl.

Genetically, a blue bird is a black bird. The blue gene is a "wash" which in easy terms, the gene fades a black bird to a blue bird. So a blue chicken, carries 1/2 (one parent) blue gene. When you breed two blue birds, you will have 2 parental blue genes, which 25% of the time will result in a "double washed black bird, or a splash. If you were to breed a blue and a splash, you'd have a 50/50 chance of getting a blue bird or a splash. Then, breed splash/splash for 100% splash offspring

But, because a black bird shows zero blue genes, you will never get splash offspring directly from a black bird, even if you breed splash/black.

So with that said, a blue splash Cana can only be the result of breeding two pure Cana together, thus, making it genetically a true ameraucana that you currently wouldn't be able to show. This is furthered in this case, because I can see her little green toe poking out in the pic.

You will absolutely also get the eggs you hope for (as long as it isn't a cockerel)

http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/standard.html

This bird still has yellow skin and green shanks, which according to the standard is not an Ameraucana. True Ameraucanas need to have pink skin and slate/blue legs. There are places that sell splash Easter eggers. What they’re bred from, I don’t know, but the splash coloring itself doesn’t make her a true Ameraucana.

This is my Ameraucana. She’s has splash coloring and has the blue legs and pink skin which make her a true Ameraucana (along with her other characteristics).

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Have you read the actual SOP description? In the physical book?
If you have, please tell me what it does say about leg color.
I have not (don't care enough to pay the usual high price.)


But if I am trying to track it down from other sources, I find things like this:

McMurray sells "Blue Ameraucana," that are supposed to meet the actual APA standards. They list leg color as "slate."
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/blue-ameraucana.html

Wikipedia says slate legs on all varieties, and gives their source as Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ameraucana

I've read some of the threads on this site, discussing breeding of Ameraucanas to SOP. They all want slate legs.

It is very clear from all sources that I can find, that Ameraucanas of all recognized or project varieties are supposed to have slate legs. So I do not know how "bad" non-slate legs may be (a disqualification, or a fault, or just not the preferred color), but I sure don't see anyone encouraging or trying to breed for any non-slate color.

As I was looking for information, I kept noticing that Araucanas in the US (the tufted breed with no tails) are supoosed to have yellow skin. I do not know whether the skin color difference is deliberate, to make them easier to tell apart, or if there is some other reason for it.

As regards McMurray's "Ameraucanas" that are a mix of colors, I can see why they want to keep calling them that, since they were using the name before the breed was admitted by the APA. But they are not breeding to the existing standard, so for discussions of what the standard is, the leg color of their birds is irrelevant.

My copy says slate with white under foot color. Some said 'Slate to black' I believe, but they all have slate as a requirement

 

[NatJ]

Even though large fowl splash Ameraucanas aren’t APA recognized by their feather plumage, they are still a true Ameraucana in every other way. Other varieties that aren’t APA recognized but still true are Isabel, mottled, and other project varieties. They match the APA standard in every way besides plumage, which they are also working on accepting splash anyways because they come from the already accepted blue/black Ameraucanas.

I would agree that Splash Ameraucanas can indeed be Ameracaunas. Having the splash color does not automatically make the bird an Easter Egger. But of course having splash coloration does not automatically make the bird an Ameraucana either (Splash Cochins exist too, and Splash Andalusians, and Splash Easter Eggers, and so on.)

For the specific bird OP is asking about, I would call it an Easter Egger (because of the yellow skin, and also because of what is known about the flock it came from: in addition to mixed feather colors, there is yellow skin, and some birds are beardless-- so they are clearly not breeding true for several important Ameraucana traits.)

You prolly are one that breeds easter eggers and sells them as pure ameraucanas....as mcmurray doesnt sell true ameraucanas at all they are mutts nothing more nothing less

I think this person is just new to chickens, learning fast but not all the way there yet. (For example, they have been saying the APA doesn't state a skin color for Ameraucanas, when I know it states a skin color as part of the description for every recognized breed. The APA just does not put that information anywhere easy to find online, which is a source of constant frustration to me too. I don't have easy access to a printed copy of their Standard of Perfection.)

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

That’s definitely an Easter egger! True Ameraucanas are always labeled with their color variety when being sold, for example Lavender Ameraucana, BBS Ameraucana, white Ameraucana. I hate how hatcheries try and label Easter eggers as Ameraucanas, tricking the people who buy them! Easter eggers are absolutely adorable and fun birds too though!

 

[BastyPutt]

"Certified Ameraucanas"-- is it on the McMurray website somewhere? Or in the paper catalog? I wanted to read what they had to say about it, but I'm having trouble finding it.

I can find articles from 2021 about McMurray getting 5 breeds certified by the American Poultry Association, but I can't seem to find anything more recent.

https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chicks.html
On this page, I can select various filters, including "APA certified" (hiding under "attributes.")
When I do that, the only breeds that appear are the 5 that were certified in 2021 (White Langshan, White Polish, Partridge Plymouth Rock, Buff Plymouth Rock, and Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock.)

So if McMurray has APA certfication for any Ameraucana flock, they are certainly hiding the information where I cannot find it, when I would have expected them to be bragging about it.

Not certain - but I'm out of steam on this one.

Best just to avoid ameraucana threads entirely in the future on my end. Always seem to put a damper on an otherwise beautiful day

I appreciate the effort @NatJ and references @JacinLarkwell

 

[SourRoses]

Ameraucanas of all recognized or project varieties are supposed to have slate legs.

Amen.
Like Nat and others have said, green legs = EE.

I'm working on the Mottled Ameraucana project, and all the breeders in the group strive for slate legs. The mottled gene adds white spots to the legs which most are trying to overcome, but some of us are asking if that's even possible.

Another consideration is that since yellow skin is recessive and white skin dominant, both parents have to have yellow skin for the EE to have it. Meaning they aren't really trying at all. I have a homebred EE from my Ameraucana and a Leghorn, and even she has slate legs.

The fact they still get brown eggs is tied to those modified pea combs which they also aren't working on. Claiming they breed true for egg color should mean all of the offspring only lay blue, period.
It's not a difficult gene to work with, especially now that there are affordable genetic tests that can tell if the bird is homozygous, heterozygous, or lacking the blue egg gene. It's a simple sample mailed off.
They could also fix them by selecting for pure pea combs... but why do the work when they can get away with lying to people?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

"Certified Ameraucanas"-- is it on the McMurray website somewhere? Or in the paper catalog? I wanted to read what they had to say about it, but I'm having trouble finding it.

I can find articles from 2021 about McMurray getting 5 breeds certified by the American Poultry Association, but I can't seem to find anything more recent.

https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chicks.html
On this page, I can select various filters, including "APA certified" (hiding under "attributes.")
When I do that, the only breeds that appear are the 5 that were certified in 2021 (White Langshan, White Polish, Partridge Plymouth Rock, Buff Plymouth Rock, and Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock.)

So if McMurray has APA certfication for any Ameraucana flock, they are certainly hiding the information where I cannot find it, when I would have expected them to be bragging about it.

Here's what their catalog a few years ago said for them. I swear I had one for last year, but I must have thrown it out.

 

[sekeyslaks]

Sorry to tell you this but Mcmurray does not sell true blue Americauna’s they sell Easter Eggers which are always random colors and are mistakenly called “Americauna’s”. Your girl is typical wild-type color for females,if she is anything like my similar Easter egger’s she will get a black head when she gets older.