Recent Posts

1

Exhibiting, Promoting & Club Notes / Re: lavender vs self blue

« Last post by John W Blehm on Today at 12:54:04 PM »

Here are a few more photos of lavender Ameraucanas.

2

Breeding / Re: Possible Columbian Project

« Last post by Suki on December 04, 2019, 01:23:07 PM »

Hi Johnny


Sorry to hear that, but I'm glad you're good with the decision.


Sue/the Commonwealth

3

Breeding / Re: Possible Columbian Project

« Last post by Johnny Parks on December 04, 2019, 10:39:09 AM »

Sue,
They were sold at an auction barn.  No way to know the interest for them.

4

Exhibiting, Promoting & Club Notes / Ameraucana Photos page being updated

« Last post by John W Blehm on December 03, 2019, 09:05:56 PM »

I started our gallery of Ameraucana photos many years ago when I started our website, so many to most photos were originally of my birds and many, especially of the chicks still are.  We've replace the photos with better ones when they've been submitted.  I've appointed a committee, of Jeff Sonsalla, Mike Gilbert and myself, to decide on which submitted photos make the cut.  If you have some to submit, please email them to me.  They must be from Alliance members that give permission for us to post.  We are looking for photos that are overall better than what we have there…understanding how hard it is to find the perfect bird and get them to pose. 
We'll only post photos that we unanimously agree are better than what we already have.

5

Breeding / Re: Possible Columbian Project

« Last post by Suki on December 03, 2019, 08:04:55 PM »

Hi Johnny
Did they go to people who were interested in following this project?  Sue

6

Breeding / Re: Possible Columbian Project

« Last post by Johnny Parks on December 03, 2019, 06:18:47 PM »

Young columbian males that I culled and sold from the project this season.  Too tall for my bantam project.

7

Exhibiting, Promoting & Club Notes / Utah Fancy Poultry Association Spring Show - March 13-14, 2020

« Last post by Michelle Muldowney-Stevens on December 01, 2019, 01:45:43 PM »

Utah Fancy Poultry Association Spring Show

Double Show

March 13th & 14th, 2020

Legacy Events Center
Building 3
151 South 1100 West
Farmington, Utah 84025

Entries due March 1st, 2020
Late entries accepted until March 5th with $1 late fee per bird

Coop in on the afternoon/evening of Friday March 13th or early morning on March 14th.
Judging takes place on the 14th with coop out that evening.

8

Breeding / Re: Possible Columbian Project

« Last post by John W Blehm on November 30, 2019, 10:46:30 AM »

Johnny Parks emailed me recently with some background on his bantam Columbian Ameraucana project that he has been working on for a few years now and some questions.  I prefer having questions and answers posted on our forum to get the most input, plus the posts benefit many others that check out the forum so here is my reply.

I’ve never bred a Columbian variety, but have had it (Co or maybe Db) pop up in some bantam silvers with white breasts and self buffs have both genes.
You may already know this, but here are some things to consider… 
Undercolour: (by Dr Okimoto)
“Wheaten has a cream feather undercolor. e+ and eb have a gray feather undercolor even in the presence of Co. eWhe+ Coco+ heterozygotes have the gray feather undercolor and birds that I have that are eWheb CoCo (I crossed a New Hamp to a Columbian Wyandotte) also have the gray feather undercolor, but it is lighter and looks more silvery than gray. If you find that your birds are eWheb and they have a white or cream feather undercolor they may have melanotic. Birds with melanotic often have a white feather undercolor, but this may be an interaction with some other genes because I don't think that they all have a white undercolor.”
Both the Columbian gene (Co) and Dark Brown (Db) are Columbian type restrictors and it may be hard to tell one from the other in adult birds, but I believe the chick phenotypes may have some clues.
Why do you want them to be eWh?  Buff Columbian as in Wyandotte, Brahma, etc are eb Co.  It sounds like you are breeding silver Columbians, but other than the silver gene maybe they would be based on eb also.  Even so it looks like they could be based on e+, eb or eWh with the under fluff color your determining factor if it matters.  To reduce size I always suggest outcrossing with the smallest male possible and a silver Ameraucana male may be my choice.  They may not have the best Ameraucana type, but they are silver (S) and I believe e+ has white/silver under fluff.
Brain Reeder said…
“The most desirable Silver Columbians are those that are homozygous for Aph^I, and have no Mahogany or other red intensifiers, as these will be a clean white silver. Further, when such genes as Dilute (Di) and/or cream (ig) are also present on these Aph^I silver Columbians, as we have discussed in previous articles on obtaining clean white silver plumage, the effect is magnified and we see none of the brassiness that even some good, clean lines show when exposed to sunlight.”
Silver (S/S) varieties based on e+ or eb or eWh alleles, with Columbian (Co)Phenotype = Genotype Columbian - e+/e+ Co/Co Mo/Mo Lav/Lav bl/bl Rb+/Rb+ S/S

9

Breeding / Ameraucana Standard weights

« Last post by John W Blehm on November 22, 2019, 02:18:59 PM »

I keep the "standard" weights posted in my chicken barn and also next to electronic scale, in my hatchery area, were I weigh birds.  I know we can go +/- 20% on weight before a bird is disqualified, but there are also "defects" for birds being too much under or over weight.  I know judges aren't going to weigh my birds at a show, but I try to breed as close to the standard as I can so I do this for my own satisfaction. 
I've taken the time to update my weights poster/sign and include minimum and maximum weights in parenthesis, using the APA defect and disqualification figures for my limits.  I've always known it is better for a bantam to be undersized and a large fowl to be oversized, but these numbers show how true that is.  Please check my math and let me know of errors.

Ameraucana APA Standard Weights
*Disqualified if more than 20% over or under weight

•   Cock (C) = a male one year old or more
•   Cockerel (K) = a male less than a year old
•   Hen (H) = a female one year old or more
•   Pullet (P) = a female less than a year old

Bantam
Cut Points for Defects…
1 point for each 2 oz. under standard
½ point for each oz. over standard

Cock………30 oz./1.875 lbs. (1.75 - 2 lbs.)
Hen……….26 oz./1.625 lbs. (1.5 - 1.75 lbs.)
Cockerel…26 oz./1.625 lbs. (1.5 - 1.75 lbs.)
Pullet…….24 oz./1.5 lbs. (1.38 - 1.63 lbs.)

Large Fowl
Cut Points for Defects…
Males 2 points for 1st lbs. under & 2 points for each ½ lbs. thereafter.
Females 1 point for each ¼ lbs. underweight.
Males & females, no cut for 1st lbs. over.  2 points for each additional lbs.

Cock……………….6½ lbs. (5.5 - 8.13* lbs.)
Hen………………..5½ lbs. (5.25 – 6.88* lbs.)
Cockerel………….5½ lbs. (4.5 – 6.88* lbs.)
Pullet………………4½ lbs. (4.25 - 5.63* lbs.)

10

Exhibiting, Promoting & Club Notes / Re: Ameraucana Meet Policy update

« Last post by John W Blehm on November 21, 2019, 09:54:27 PM »

How are you defining class?   Total entries of one variety, or must be 3 hens, cockerels, pullets or cocks?

Ribbons for wins at Ameraucana Club Meets are only given at the "Breed" level or class (BB & RB), so for example if three bantam Ameraucanas are in competition an award is earned.

Alliance members that don't want to continue to receive ribbons may opt out, as several of us have.  The same goes for members that want to opt out from earning Exhibitor Points.