Why do all my ameraucanas look like roosters?? *UPDATE...14/15 Sigh...

[Alaskan]

I think that your nightmare has come true....

Almost all roos!

 

[Jenski]

arlee453, you are welcome to check out some pix of my two Ameraucana girls, most of which were taken when they were between 4 and 9 months old ~ they are not a breed-standard color (unless that standard changes), but they have the shape:

http://theworldofjenotopia.com/blog/index.php/2008/03/10/the-little-chicken?blog=2

Mine have been very gentle and completely non-aggressive, although with their lighter weight they tend to fly around a bit more than the heavier girls.

Please keep us posted as this develops, as it is very helpful. That said, I'm sorry about the luck of your draw! It's Fair time in most states ~ maybe you could buy a few Ameraucana pullets and sell the roos.


Jen in TN
~:<>

 

[arlee453]

Yeah....my son and I were out there tonight looking at which ones are the walking chicken nuggets and which ones may get to stick around for egg laying.

They still aren't crowing or picking on each other since they got thrown out in the big pen. They just huddle together for comfort and protection against the big girls.

If anyone needs a Amer. cockerel...they're still up for grabs. Otherwise, anyone want to come over for BBQ chicken in about a month??

 

[FlockEweFarm]

Darn! I wish you were closer, I wanted a Amer. Roo, and all of mine ended up being pullets. I wanted all Brahma pullets, and got all Roos! Funny how that happens. Sorry about your luck, they are beautiful birds.

 

[babszoo]

Usually it is the adult feathers. which are the first real feathers that apear on their backs.

 

[pips&peeps]

Looks like you have a few clean faced birds. I would start by culling them. Your pullet also looks cleaned faced. If you keep her and breed her, you will be perpetuating that gene.

There is a line of these birds that seems to be more predisposed to hatching clean faced chicks.

Also get rid of the roos that have any silver/gold in the hackles no matter how little it is.

Sorry you got so many roos....

 

[Kesta]

that light gray one in the second pic looks like it might be a pullet as well

 

[sara]

My almost 4 1/2 month old pullets have no red in the combs yet. I guess they are going to be late layers. I'm sorry you got so many boys. looks like I'm not the only one with a rooster hatching incubator

 

[flakey chick]

Thankyou for posting this. I got one girl out of 5 EEs so your post makes me feel better about it.

 

[arlee453]

It's official. 15 hatched. 14 roosters. No kidding.

Can anyone top that crappy ratio of girls to boys in your hatched eggs??

I've already had to cull 6 of them - can't pay anyone to take them, and they were fighting and plucking and being the most hateful chickens I've had. When these upstart snotty tweeny roosters started mounting my silkies, they had to go.

Felt guilty not keeping them a few more weeks for meat, but can't say as I miss em.

For the first 'cut' I picked out 6 that were the most aggressive of the bunch.

In watching the other 9 for another couple weeks, sure enough - 1 girl, 8 roosters.

Now I'm deciding if I want to grow them out another few weeks for the little bit of meat I'd get off them or just dispatch them now so I don't have to feed them.

Anyone want a rooster?? sigh....