Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[bruceha2000]

Looking forward to spring so I can let my chickens (supervised! I have tons of predators!!) out to enjoy the new grass.

Spring?? Winter just started. And stopped, and will start again. Raining today and 49F will be 6F Wednesday night. The girls have been coming out on the "kind of cleared" paths (getting bigger every minute today) and snacking grass. They won't be doing that much longer.

Beautiful bird, one of my June EEs is colored like that but she hasn't nearly as much "facial hair".

 

[abbevilleoz]

That's where we honeymooned!!!

Us, too. That's why we come back for one weekend a year when the crowds are smaller.

 

[abbevilleoz]

Oh believe me, I'll start collecting eggs again Friday

Hey scflock, are you planning to toe punch your upcoming hatch?

 

[scflock]

Hey scflock, are you planning to toe punch your upcoming hatch?

Yes sir. More than anything just to get in the habit

 

[abbevilleoz]

Yes sir. More than anything just to get in the habit

How intricate are you making it? By hen & roo, or by roo?

 

[chickee]

I agree, beautiful group. Are they all siblings?

Thank-you. The two pullets in the center of the group are out of MrsBachbach's eggs. The hen in the front is one of mine that is Paul Smith x Pips&Peeps breeding. The 2 roosters are Smith/Pips&Peeps x Cree.

They are beautiful. I need to try again for my BW roo, later this winter.

Thank-you. Good luck with getting your BW rooster.

me too

Yes, you have been hit harder than us this year! But it is good for the drought at least! My chickens are SO muddy from all the rain!

Very nice group you have there. I love that one girls tail and the muff is sure nice on the male. I hope they bring the improvements you are looking for.

Thanks, that is my special girl from your eggs. She sure is a beauty!! Need to get her in with my best BW rooster, the full brother to the hen in the picture out free ranging. Then that hen will go in with one of your super handsome wheaten boys! Can't wait to hatch some chicks!!

 

[WalnutHill]

I have a general question about Ameraucanas. From what I learned years ago before they were so popular, shanks were supposed to be slate, but now I am seeing photos of both chicks and adults with willow, yellow, and washed out slate on Ameraucanas as well as slate. What is "allowable", in other words where would you draw the line on selecting the birds to keep rather than cull? I only have one bird with true slate shanks and she is an Easter Egger, and one with willow shanks and she is a buff Ameraucana that laid clear blue eggs (she's about five years old and pretty much retired now). I will be getting some hatching eggs from nice birds this year but want to know which should be penned with Ams and which should go off to the EE pen.

 

[junebuggena]

I have a general question about Ameraucanas. From what I learned years ago before they were so popular, shanks were supposed to be slate, but now I am seeing photos of both chicks and adults with willow, yellow, and washed out slate on Ameraucanas as well as slate. What is "allowable", in other words where would you draw the line on selecting the birds to keep rather than cull? I only have one bird with true slate shanks and she is an Easter Egger, and one with willow shanks and she is a buff Ameraucana that laid clear blue eggs (she's about five years old and pretty much retired now). I will be getting some hatching eggs from nice birds this year but want to know which should be penned with Ams and which should go off to the EE pen.

Your confusion is probably the result of people posting pictures of Easter Eggers, but calling them Ameraucana. True Ameraucana only have white skin, with a 'slate' wash on their legs. Willow legs are the result of the slate wash over yellow skin. Easter Eggers can lay blue eggs, but it's not guaranteed. Sounds like both of yours are Easter Eggers.
This is a great resource to familiarize yourself with the Ameraucana standard colors. They are the only colors allowed for Ameraucana, all other colors/patterns are technically Easter Eggers.
http://ameraucana.org/gallery.html

 

[scflock]

How intricate are you making it? By hen & roo, or by roo?

Just by roo for now

 

[WalnutHill]

I did see that page, and that is actually what started my confusion.

The Wheaten Pullet shown on that gallery appears to have willow shanks, the Wheaten Cock has only the slightest slate cast on his shanks, the Buff and Black Cocks have somewhat light shanks though still slate-y, and many of the chicks have shanks that are yellow, orange, or mixed.

I have many birds that are classed as Easter Eggers as the colors are not right, or that I know are mixed breeds even if they have good secondary characteristics. This is one of them as a young pullet, about 8 weeks old. She has lovely slate shanks but obviously her coloring wasn't going to fit the standard. She lays a blue-green egg.



Here is another, a Wheaten/Silver cross Easter Egger as her shanks are not slate. She lays a blue egg, but it does have a slight aqua tint. She has lovely muffs and beard, and her baby picture is my avatar.


My question is what makes an Ameraucana an Ameraucana? Does a bird that conforms to the SOP for the breed qualify to show or breed as that breed, even if the parentage is mixed? I know that breeds and lines are constantly crossed, and once crossed it's not possible to go back to genetically "pure" though 3/4, 7/8, 15/16 is readily attainable in only a few generations.