He's Pretty, but what is he? Ameraucana? EE?

So, after reading Chicoryfarms post, I started thinking a little more about my birds. I was under the assumption that they were Ameraucana's when I bought them, but now I'm thinking perhaps not. Really I bought them because I wanted the colored eggs.

Last fall, I seen this pretty Rooster at a sale, and couldn't resist him (Plus I wanted to breed more Blue egg layers since I was down to just 2). I was told he was Ameraucana.

What has me curious is the crossing of the colors with in the breed (Ameraucana's). Do they cease to be Ameraucana's and become an Easter Egger if you breed say a Wheaten with a Blue or Lavender (just color examples off the top of my head)? Then this makes me wonder if I breed (for example) a Silver Laced Cochin to a Blue Cochin, does this make this no longer a Cochin? (I would and have told people that it is a cochin, just not true color standard). Maybe I'm just over thinking things.

Chicoryfarms sent me an awesome message, but I need to spend some time rereading it. I need to to this with informative posts, so all the information sinks in. lol

Anyways, I'm curious to know what color type my boy is, and if he is indeed a Ameraucana or a EE?



Whatever the case, I bought him to make pretty babies, but my curiosity is pipped.

Also, my two hens. I was thinking that one of them is an Easter Egger, because her egg is more green then blue, but the other lays a pretty blue egg. Looking at her today, I noticed that she has a crooked toe. Not sure if it's always been that way, or if it was broke (I have accidentally stepped on a few toes when the chickens crowd me, and these two girls are usually under foot.)

What would their color be called?

he is realy pretty!!!!! i cant tell what he is tho sorry..i have the matching sister of your on in the front of your second pic!!!

I had the same thoughts when I was considering hatching from my mixed house of Pure Ameraucana's. Would they still be Ameraucana's are would they then turn into easter eggers?
I would think the looks of your birds do look like a mix of Ameraucana colors, they definately have some blue wheaton in there I would guess, but they are not pure, the coloring just isnt correct.
If they breed true, lay blue eggs, have slate legs and beards/muffs then I would definately say they are more Ameraucana than easter egger.
I really like the looks of them, will be interesting to see what their babies are like.

They also need to have pea combs. Those ones in the pics don't really look as if they do. . .

ipf wrote:They also need to have pea combs. Those ones in the pics don't really look as if they do. . .

I was just thinking that myself ipf. They look to be small squiggly single combs........other than that I have no idea myself. They are so beautiful though.

Jayme, I quoted you on what I thought was your definition of an Easter Egger....an Ameraucana crossed with another Ameraucana of different feather colouring. That way your guaranteed a blue (or greenish) egg with no brown or white egg genes in them. My memory surprises me sometimes in what I do retain - lol. What do you think?

I have always believed that Chicory, many are adding in other breeds to make easter eggers and I don't always agree with that, those are then call mutts in my opinion.
I looked at the combs and I think they are just poor pea combs, I have seen many EE's with those combs before.

The combs, particulary the hens, are a blade comb. That is the term that is used in Australia anyways, they may be called something else up here. It is what shows up when a single comb is crossed with a pea comb. There are varying degrees, shapes and sizes to them.

Pretty hens and rooster, but not Ameraucanas I am afraid.

This link will show you the recognised colours of Ams. Then there is the Lavenders, which are a work in progress, but breed true and have good eggs. It is only a matter of time until they are in the Standard. And there is also Splash and Splash Wheaten which of course are a spin off from the blues. They are not a recognised colour either, but are accepted by breeders for their programs. I do believe they are trying to get them recognised too.

http://ameraucana.org/scrapbook.html

Interesting questions silkie. And I quite agree with you. IMO crossing two varieties does not unmake a breed, but the offspring would be considered non-standard as they would not breed true.

I thought this article by John Blehm was really good at explaining the differences between Ameraucanas, Araucanas and EE’s.

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/2/2-3/John_W_Blehm.html

As for your rooster, he’s a handsome dude alright. Rotten Ronnie’s nemesis if I remember correctly? Lol He reminds me of one of my first boys, Sgt. Pepper. The hens are nice too. I’ve had quite a few EE’s with similar colouring, including my very first chickens. It's too bad we were closer because I have a red laced blue EE pullet who I think would make smashing babies with your boy!

I also have a few birds with a small S in their combs and plan to breed away from it. I never realized they were called blade combs though. I swear I really do learn something new every day. Thanks coopslave.

OT, but I gotta say that's wonderful news about S/SW becoming recognised. I've always loved the colouring myself.

Thanks for the replies.

There's so much to be learned. I know I will be rereading this post.

Yes, I see the girls have very loose peacombs (Which I can now call a Blade comb, thank you very much. ), now that I look at other pictures of Ameraucana's to compare them to. I will watch for this in the future. It's good to know.

Flicker Chick, yes this is the Dude that put Rotten Ronnie in his place. I think he's very pretty.

In the future I will refer to these guys as EE's.

I was always under the understanding that an EE meant crossing an Ameraucana (blue egg layer) with another color layer. (Which seems to be the case with my birds).

This also leads me to wonder, if I cross my EE Roo (he almost has slight BLR lacing along the sides of his chest) with a BLRW what sort of babies I would get and if they would lay green eggs... hmmmmm...

I know that if you use a Dark brown egg layer (eg Maran) over an Ameraucana hen you should get a green egg, but if you breed the other way around will you still get the green egg (Blue egg roo over brown egg hen?) I hatched out EE (rooster) over a Silkie hen and the hens from that laid blue eggs, but I figured it was because the silkie has such a light egg.

Silkie, I'm only guessing that if you breed your EE (Ameraucana x non-Ameraucana) with a Wyandotte, you are watering down the blue/green egg gene and at some point, whether it be those offspring or their offspring, you won't get pretty green eggs from them and that's why people buy EE's, is for their green eggs, along with pretty feathering.

You may want to consider breeding your EE's to other EE's (however you want to define them) or to a pure Ameraucana.

Just my two bits out of the mouth of a rookie.

Bue/green egg colour is one of the few truly simple genetic things (well the blue bit, anyhow). If your EE roo has only one copy of the blue egg gene, so is O/o, and you mate him to someone who doesn't lay blue/green eggs (o/o) 50% of offspring will be O/o (b/g eggs) and 50% o/o (not b/g eggs). If your EE has two copies (O/O) all his offspring will be O/o and lay B/G eggs. It's that simple. (Give or take a few largely minor modifying genes.)

Breed an EE O/o to another O/o and you'll get 25% O/O and 50% O/o (so all 75% B/G eggs) and 25% o/o - non B/G.

ANY offspring of a pure ameraucana will lay B/G eggs, no matter who mated to. You should be able to figure out why from the foregoing.

Rooster and at least one of the hens look to be 'blue wheaton' colour. Definitely not purebred judging by the combs, so EE's.