Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[jerryse]

Hello! So I am raising out some LF wheaten/blue wheaten ameraucanas that look nice except for a few key traits.

I am looking to raise out show quality birds sometime and I'm having one heck of a time getting SQ stock (ANY stock really) so I am starting with what I've got and working my way there. I'm not there yet but I have to start somewhere.

If I were to cross in another chicken to start improving some traits, what should I cross in presuming that I can't get LF wheatens that have the traits I want. I am especially looking at leg color, lay rate, egg color, and bird size (a wee bit too small right now). Which one of these would be best? And which one would be second best if I can't pull off the suggested first?

A LF ameraucana of another very common color such as BBS of good quality origins
An 'Easter Egger' that's half LF wheaten ameraucana, lays blue eggs, has similar colors and has the traits I want but some other traits are much worse (such as no muffs, very different body shape or a single comb).
A higher quality bantam wheaten ameraucana
Some other chicken entirely?

Please give me your thoughts! Thanks!

Stay within the breed . Buff will cross well with the wheaten family and silver as a second choice . With silver cross wheaten over silver hens and save only pullets as they will not have the silver gene (sex linked) .

 

[ChocolateMouse]

@jerryse, thanks for the advice. Unfortunately there's only a scant handful of decent quality ameraucanas around here and I have never seen any of the colors you have just listed. Almost everything is a BBS. I feel like I have seen a few lavenders for pretty high prices. Things that are listed as other colors of ameraucana tend to actually be easter eggers around here. Hence my request for first and second best options from my list.

So would crossing to a BBS be better than crossing to a mixed breed that I *know* is part wheaten ameraucana?

 

[jerryse]

@jerryse, thanks for the advice. Unfortunately there's only a scant handful of decent quality ameraucanas around here and I have never seen any of the colors you have just listed. Almost everything is a BBS. I feel like I have seen a few lavenders for pretty high prices. Things that are listed as other colors of ameraucana tend to actually be easter eggers around here. Hence my request for first and second best options from my list.

So would crossing to a BBS be better than crossing to a mixed breed that I *know* is part wheaten ameraucana?

Well it can be done but any black based color will take longer to get rid of black . Mixed breed will likely be even harder as you do not know what could be hiding .

 

[bruceha2000]

Jerry is a very knowledgable breeder, I am not. BUT it would seem that introducing another breed into your Ameraucana would only invite generations of work making sure you have SOP Ameraucana. I would GUESS it would be worth the money (not to mention the lack of aggravation breeding out "bad" traits) to get eggs, chicks or young adults of the colors you want shipped to you from a quality breeder.

 

[Alaskan]

Hello! So I am raising out some LF wheaten/blue wheaten ameraucanas that look nice except for a few key traits.

I am looking to raise out show quality birds sometime and I'm having one heck of a time getting SQ stock (ANY stock really) so I am starting with what I've got and working my way there. I'm not there yet but I have to start somewhere.

If I were to cross in another chicken to start improving some traits, what should I cross in presuming that I can't get LF wheatens that have the traits I want. I am especially looking at leg color, lay rate, egg color, and bird size (a wee bit too small right now). Which one of these would be best? And which one would be second best if I can't pull off the suggested first?

A LF ameraucana of another very common color such as BBS of good quality origins
An 'Easter Egger' that's half LF wheaten ameraucana, lays blue eggs, has similar colors and has the traits I want but some other traits are much worse (such as no muffs, very different body shape or a single comb).
A higher quality bantam wheaten ameraucana
Some other chicken entirely?

Please give me your thoughts! Thanks!

I wouldn't mix.

It will cause much more harm than good.

Hatch out as many as possible and cull down to the best 3. That will help greatly.

 

[jerryse]

I have helped create many of the color varieties . Yes with crossing . Takes 10 years to get good birds . Crossing is not a easy fix .

 

[FowlStuff]

Stay within the breed as Jerry said. Outcross to another Ameraucana variety if you feel you need to, but don't cross breed.
Join the Alliance for support and advice with your project.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Thanks! After 3 years of trying to get decent hen stock for my first rooster, I can confirm it is NOT easier to got decent birds of the wheaten/blue wheaten LF variety here. Of course if anyone here knows someone with live chicks they're willing to ship that isn't totally sold out for the rest of the year I would be happy to consider ordering them. But after several disastrous attempts at hatching shipped eggs in an incubator (8 eggs giving me 1 birds for example), no broody hens, finding out that many of the 'big names' (like paul smith) are literally on the other side of the country, and contacting everyone I can on the APA list within 5 hours about getting birds... I think I have to work with whatever I can get my hands on at this point.

I will look into getting a couple of the nicer bbs we have in the area to throw in and start breeding out as project pens. I am patient.

And I will still keep my eyes open for something to crop up that I can order.

 

[FowlStuff]

Our 2018 Ameraucana National Meet is just over in WI this September. Check with some of the exhibitors that may have what you want and make deals in advance to pick up birds there.

September 29-30, 2018
Ameraucana National Meet
Wisconsin International Poultry Club – Wisconsin International, Portage WI
Contact: Steve Tone [email protected] (608)371-WIPS

Our Ameraucana Directory lists at least one OH breeder of LF wheatens and blue wheatens that may have hatching eggs, chicks and birds to sell when available.
Others are in neighboring states and some may be at the national meet.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yeah, I can't travel to WI. That's not really an option for me. It's an 7 hour drive just to get to the edge of the state. :T I appreciate the thought, though.