What's wrong with their feathers?

[pips&peeps]

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I just wanted to point out a few facts on this post. The person you bought these hatching eggs from was Anissa H, in MO. She has been selling blue, black and splash ameraucanas on eggbid for quite some time.

Anissa bought hatching eggs from me in 9/2007. At that time, I recognized her name because she had been a prominant seller on eggbid and she was selling the same breed I was, so I was familiar with her.

Anissa also bought BBS ameraucana hatching eggs from "Red Wattle" (formerly Iwans Poultry) on 5/2007, two batches of them on 6/2008 and again on 3/2009. These facts can all be verified by looking up feedback on eggbid.

I have never owned silkies. Also, I have never had this particular genetic mutation show up on my farm. However, the other farm in question raised them for a long time and I believe still does.

So, with those facts in hand, I believe these birds are not a genetic mutuation, but an accidental cross breed.

Please be advised, I am not bashing anyone, these are facts and notice the word accidental.

I am glad you and others enjoy these birds and there is nothing wrong with breeding like you have with a goal in mind. I am just pointing out that statistically they are more than likely a crossbreed.

If you were to ever think of showing them, you would want to show them as ameraucanas under AOV. I don't know what the genetic mutation term is for silkied feathers, but you wouldn't want to call it a silkie ameraucana because that would be using two breed names and that is not correct. Maybe someone on BYC knows what the genetic term is for that gene.

Again I wish you well with your birdies and I think they are pretty cool.

 

[alicefelldown]

Iwan's Poultry does carry Silkies: http://sinbad99029.tripod.com/id5.html

 

[onthespot]

I keep a lot of different varieties. Doesn't mean I interbreed them. They are in separate pens and no way they could interbreed. I don't know where the change came from, but the same change has been documented in several other breeds as happening spontaneously. No reason this could not be the same. Silkie takes a lot of generations to breed out that dark skin, crest, beard, extra toes, small size, squatty stance, short backs, high wingset. Imans silkies are very true to standard type, not your generic "barely a silkie" type of bird. I would think a cross of those two varieties would NOT be able to fly under the radar for multiple generations from someone who breeds birds close to the show standard. I just don't think they wouldn't "notice" if their ameraucanas were pint sized, crested, bearded, five toed and squatty looking. I also don't think they would choose them as breeders if they produced any that looked like that. I say, quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, (or in this case, ameraucana) it is probably a duck, (or in this case, a bird of non-mixed ameraucana ancestry) Just my opinion.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
EXACTLY! That is the same thing I feel, though you state it much better!

 

[alicefelldown]

Is it at all possible to do genetic testing on these birds? Would there be anything that would 'stick out like a sore thumb' if they were accidental silkie/amera crosses?

If this is possible, and cost is a factor, I'd chip into some kind of 'testing fund' to be 100% sure exactly how these birds happened.

 

[pips&peeps]

I just think the incidence of occurence is too high. Two birds hatch this way in the same batch of eggs..... what are the odds?

I have sent an e-mail to Tim Adkerson, our Genetics Guru, to maybe pop in to this topic and give his opinion.

 

[Flippacase]

The Repunzle Ameraucanas.

Because i think those feathers look more like hair than the feathers of silkies(more poofy than hairy).

Kinda has a ring to it.

These are my Repunzle Ameraucanas.

 

[alicefelldown]

*Rapunzel

 

[millebantam]

Yup, what she said, lol. If these had popped up out of any of the more prominent, very well known, Ameracauna breeders' incubators, they would be viewed as a magnificent miracle, and not "Silkie mutts", lol.
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[BeardedLadyFarm]

I'm very curious about about these birds too (and not just because I'm bursting with anticipation to get some eggs in a few weeks!).

I have no idea if there is a breed data base for genetic testing like they do for dogs.

It seems the easiest way to tell if these are truly Ameraucanas with silkie feathers will be to cross them to some pure hard feathered birds and see what comes out. If everything else about them meets the standards of Ameraucana then I do believe they are worthy of the name. I realize the silkied ones would be EE's until such time as they are a new breed, or a new color. As long as you meet the standard, well, you meet the standard.

It could be that there was a silkie parent some generations ago, but it seems there would have to be some very careful selection to breed out all silkie traits other than the feathering. I just can't imagine accidentally coming up with these pretty birds. It also seems odd to me that two spontaneous mutations showed up at the same time.

It may have to remain a mystery for a while. I can't wait for mine. I think it would be fun to cross them to some Jersey Giants to make some GIANT silkied chickens. More likely, I'll work them into my Olive Egger project. The possibilities are endless...