Ameraucana - rooster critique

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:42 am

Killerbunny wrote:QR_BBPOST Hey you just answered my question OC! My 2 black ameraucanas from Joan (but your lines) have dark slate legs with cute white toenails. They are under a year though.

Well then, PERFECT!!! Can I have them back??

My best Ameraucana cockerel this year is going to be a Black one, which I can't use, he is a bit of a wimp which in Ameraucanas is a good thing, still comes to snuggle under MY wing, although I have mentioned to him several times already, that he can't live here...
I am just saying...........

Post by **Killerbunny** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 12:06 pm

They're pullets though!

Shnookie · Post by **Shnookie** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 12:38 pm

His muff is rubbed out a bit. His color is probably not looking its best - he's never had a bath and he lives in a dusty building with a sand floor. I've never bathed a chicken.
I'll have to see if I have pictures of him at 1 year old or so.

I have very few Ameraucana girls. I have trouble hatching them, and haven't been able to buy some nice ones. I only bred him to 2 hens. One was a splash who has a thinner muff and is a bigger bird, and the other was a black (secretly a blue) with a fairly good muff, and a smaller bird.
The hens are not related.

This one was from the smaller hen. He's 10 weeks old.

The chicks from the splash vary - some have a fuller muff and some have a thinner one.
What age would you evaluate the muff on a young Ameraucana?

Post by **Killerbunny** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 1:07 pm

Maybe he should come and live in a private palace with my 2 girls and you could have eggs?

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 4:09 pm

Shnookie wrote:QR_BBPOST

The chicks from the splash vary - some have a fuller muff and some have a thinner one.
What age would you evaluate the muff on a young Ameraucana?

I have never really worried too much about the muffs, either they have single copy of the gene and then the muffs and beard are thinner or a double copy for a better density, but as long as they have a muff in the right place I pretty much ignore it, mainly because there is so much that still needs fixing, and the moment I fix one thing something else craps out, I will probably never get to worrying about the muffs.

Shnookie · Post by **Shnookie** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 5:26 pm

Killerbunny wrote:QR_BBPOST Maybe he should come and live in a private palace with my 2 girls and you could have eggs?

Who do you mean - the black roo, or the blue chick?

Post by **Killerbunny** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 6:51 pm

OCs black boy LOL! Sorry for the confusion. My late Wyandotte boy came from her too.

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Thu Aug 18, 2016 9:33 pm

Shnookie wrote:QR_BBPOST
I have very few Ameraucana girls. I have trouble hatching them, and haven't been able to buy some nice ones. I only bred him to 2 hens. One was a splash who has a thinner muff and is a bigger bird, and the other was a black (secretly a blue) with a fairly good muff, and a smaller bird.
The hens are not related.
The chicks from the splash vary - some have a fuller muff and some have a thinner one.
What age would you evaluate the muff on a young Ameraucana?

I think you may be rushing things a bit, not sure if there is a reason, but 10 week old bird is too young to be making any final choices.
I would certainly continue to use your rooster as long as you can, there is never a guarantee that a replacement will give you better results.
How large is your flock now, and how many are you going to keep thru the winter?

Post by **Killerbunny** » Fri Aug 19, 2016 8:11 am

I wonder if they know what we talk about with winter coming?????

Shnookie · Post by **Shnookie** » Sun Aug 21, 2016 11:32 pm

Right now I have 18 Ameraucanas and 19 Basque. I can't keep them all for the winter. If I am going to keep my Ameraucana rooster, then I can try to sell all the young ones. I listed 3 of the 11 week old ones for sale today. I have some 4 week old chicks too that I may have to keep for the winter. If roosters didn't fight, I would keep more of them. I wouldn't choose to keep an Ameraucana only because of its muff, but I do prefer them to have a full one.