Buff Ameraucana offspring

[iuga]

Hi all,
Last year I bought hatching eggs and raised the birds in the first photo. Purebred buff ameraucana!
This year, from their eggs, I hatched 7 chicks: 5 chicks looks pure buff ameraucana (phote 2), but others 2 chicks looks different as in 3rd photo (close to wheaten, but I don't know now).

Is there any genetic explanation?

Pretty sure the hen did not get contact with another rooster.
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[DarJones]

It is probable that your Ameraucanas are not pure meaning there are some recessives still floating around in the genetics.

 

[nicalandia]

Hi all,
Last year I bought hatching eggs and raised the birds in the first photo. Purebred buff ameraucana!
This year, from their eggs, I hatched 7 chicks: 5 chicks looks pure buff ameraucana (phote 2), but others 2 chicks looks different as in 3rd photo (close to wheaten, but I don't know now).

Is there any genetic explanation?

Pretty sure the hen did not get contact with another rooster.
Thanks in advance for your help!

They are 100% Buff Ameraucana. Let them grow and see how they look. Phenotype is always based on adult birds

 

[NatJ]

You could mark the chicks with legbands or something, and then compare after they are grown up to see whether there is any correlation between those chick colorings and the adult coloring.

 

[NNYchick]

The 3rd picture does look like wheaten chicks. I’m not familiar with buff variety or the genetics involved in the variety, this could very well be normal but I wouldn’t know. Are you a member of the Ameraucana Alliance or Ameraucana Breeders Club? I would go to the one of the 2 breed clubs and ask. That is the nice thing about Ameraucana is most of the breeders that developed the breed and varieties are still around and participating in the breed clubs.

 

[nicalandia]

I would say that it's just chick down variability, they will grow up to be Self Buff

 

[JedJackson]

The coloring of the parents is very uneven, and they have light shafting in the darker areas of their plumage. I think there are other color genetics mixed in besides pure buff. Or it could be that color variety hasn't been perfected enough to eliminate variability in the offspring.

 

[NNYchick]

They are 100% Buff Ameraucana. Let them grow and see how they look. Phenotype is always based on adult birds

I don’t agree chick phenotype can tell you a lot about what’s going on genetically.

 

[nicalandia]

I don’t agree chick phenotype can tell you a lot about what’s going on genetically.

And according to you. What is the message you are getting from the chick down? I am very curious.

 

[iuga]

They are 100% Buff Ameraucana. Let them grow and see how they look. Phenotype is always based on adult birds

It's my second year of raising ameraucana.
I have buff, wheaten and black varieties. 2 chicks looks like the wheatens last year.
That's why I was wondering if it's possible that it's a hidden (recessive) gene because they're siblings and recessive genes come out easily.

I have nothing to do but wait for them to grow!