Best of three- Black Ameraucana Rooster

[hebertchick12]

I'm a newbie to breeding pure ameraucanas. I have a blue wheaten rooster with a mixed flock. We have been hatching and selling EEs for about a year. The EEs and Ameraucanas are our favorite breed. I got my hands on some lavender ameraucana pullets so I want to try my hand at breeding these to a black to better the quality of the feathers from the lavenders

I found three black ameraucana roosters to choose from to purchase. Just not sure which would be best.

#1- from the seller "I hatched him in early April from a show breeder in TX, he has one light feather on one wing but otherwise he is decent." This one is only four months old, same age as my pullets.




#2- only picture willing to send. Has many to choose from. "came from old Toxaway farm which has some of Paul smith line along with some others."



#3 This one is the most expensive and furthest from me... and I have to purchase as a quad of Rooster, Hen, and two 4 month old pullets. "These birds came from the best in show winning breeding pens of Paul Smith."



PLEASE HELP me pick one! LOL I would love to know your thoughts.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I'll start by saying that I know nothing about Ameraucanas. This is just a general comment about purchasing poultry.

If someone wants you to buy a purebred cockerel/cock with the intention to make him your foundation flock sire, they need to be willing to send you individual pictures. To send you a flock picture that shows nothing of their conformation, along with a statement that is casual about the bird's genetics and lines, basically telling you that there has been no breeding selection practiced, is not someone that I would buy from. So I wouldn't even consider buying from #2.

Conformation (frame) changes many times during growth. There are many young birds that can be eliminated as breeder stock due to overt problems, but no bird can be fully evaluated when it is only 4 months old, IMO. I would never buy a 4 month old cockerel with the intention to base my flock's future on him, unless he was an ultra-rare breed and I was willing to take my chances because the opportunity to get one wouldn't likely come up again. He still has too many changes to undergo before you know whether he will be breeding quality. Also, someone who is selling a breeding quality cockerel/cock should not describe him as "decent." If there is going to be a description of his quality, it should be specific to qualities that are defined in the SOP. The fact that he is described in a "non-SOP" way indicates that the seller's breeding program is not SOP-based. Using birds from such a breeder will often set your breeding program back many generations. So I would not consider buying bird #1. (Plus, he looks a little roach-backed to me, but it could just be these particular pictures, which are not really complimentary.)

When real breeders sell breeding stock to a new breeder, they typically sell adult or near adult trios or quads that they have selected as breeding quality birds. Real breeders have years of knowledge and experience with their line, so they know the potential of their birds at that age. Getting a cock, a hen, and 2 pullets is a reasonable alternative, especially if the breeder is to the point that they have consistency in their stock. You get at least one pair of known quality breeders, selected by someone with experience, plus two additional potential breeding females. Buying this type of package allows your breeding program to advance forward, instead of potentially starting with poor quality birds that will have your breeding program bogged down for years, assuming that you can ever correct the problem. So for me, option #3 is the only one I would consider. Even though they are more expensive, they are a lot cheaper than wasting time and feed money and all the other expenses of having a disappointing breeding program that you eventually give up on or cull every bird and start over with better stock.

Now, I'm not saying that option #3 has good quality birds that are worth the money. Like I said at the beginning, I know nothing about Ameraucanas. But option #3 is the only one I would even consider, and take the time to determine if these birds are of a quality that would fit into my breeding program, and are worth the money. But honestly, good quality birds are almost always under priced. The market rarely accepts the good quality bird selling for 10-20 times the cost of most people's culls, so the birds that are 2-3X more expensive are often worth much more, but would never sell for the true value they provide to a new breeder.