Splash Acceptance

[Cesar Villegas]

Since the movement to get Lavender accepted. Why isnt Splash being considered?

[Mike Gilbert]

In my opinion, let the ABC spend their money on that.   If we tried they would probably find some way to undermine that effort too, just out of spite.   But I'm willing to go along with whatever our members want.    We are an inclusive organization that listens to our members' requests.   So-o-o, if anybody is willing to help out with the splash project and has been a member of the APA for at least five years, please post here or get in touch with John or myself.   Please!

[Russ Blair]

At the meeting during our National Meet it was discussed Caeser. What surprised me was the cost to pursue getting new varieties accepted. That's when as a body we voted to pursue the Lavender first in APA. Mike knows the cost better but it seemed to be $200-$300 per variety per association (APA & ABA). Again don't quote me on the cost, but I was shocked 😳. Now they changed the rules as well with having to be APA member for 5 years. Which I have joined so in 5 years I will be glad to help with any new varieties 😃.

[Tailfeathers]

I've been a member of the APA and a breeder of Splash Wheatens for more than 5yrs.  I've only shown the SW once I think.  Primarily because it was a pretty good looking cockerel. 

Wrt the SW, it wouldn't be difficult at all to come up with a description for the females as they are exactly the same except for white or light pale blue in the tail and wings where there is usually black or blue.  The males are a different story and some consensus would have to be reached in the overall coloration.  For example, color of hackle and saddles should be the same but how red to orange?  Color in wingbows and bays would have to be agreed upon.  (It's likely that my wingbows are too dark of a red now as that's the case with both my W & BWs.)  And then there would have to be some agreement on how much red would be allows to bleed over into the breast and other body areas.

[Suki]

No need for us to consider them at all.  The ABC will be moving in that direction


https://flic.kr/p/CWdDhV

[Tailfeathers]

I'm bumping this up to bring attention to Splash Wheatens one last time.  I've been approached by somebody who is extremely excited about getting the SWs accepted into the APA.  She has to me that she is "organizing an effort for APA recognition for Splash Wheaten, as you already know, and at this point, the ABC is committing to sponsoring it. I am just doing the leg work and organization since Susan and others are working the self blue.  I want to make sure I am not undercutting an effort by the Ameraucana Alliance. Of course, I would love it so much if both clubs could do this together! The ABC is already committing to the expense and all."

She's aware of what's happened with the split and with the Lavenders and in NO way wants to undercut any efforts the AA is making toward the SWs.  To my knowledge nothing is being done (although I'd like to see us do it) so I'd like to confirm that is the case before telling her such.

Please advise...

[Mike Gilbert]

I doubt we would have enough members who raise splash wheaten, but I could be wrong.   My inclination would be to let them do it.   I personally do not think splash wheaten males are at all attractive, but that's just me. 

[Max Strawn]

I agree. I have never had a request for splash wheaten. However, I have had requests to not send splash wheaten... For those reasons, I set up my pens to only produce wheaten/blue wheaten.

[Mike Gilbert]

Maybe Royce will put a photo up; I don't have one.   But picture a blue wheaten, with the orange sections somewhat faded, and the blue sections changed to a dirty white with gray splotches.    The females, on the other hand, are quite nice looking.   The normal light tan color with the tail being white or nearly white. 

[John W Blehm]

There isn't a shot of one on the website, what do they look like?

Barbara Campbell worked a lot with LF wheaten and blue wheaten.  Here is a photo I took of one of her birds at a show about 10 years ago.  Splash wheaten has the same pattern as a wheaten and blue wheaten, but the feathers that would be black on wheaten and blue on a blue wheaten are "splash" on a splash wheaten.
Note the shanks are darker on a splash than on a splash wheaten.  It is common for varieties that are wheaten (buff, wheaten, blue wheaten, splash wheaten) at the E-locus to have lighter slate shanks than those that are wild type (silver), extended black (black, lavender, white) and birchen (splash, brown red, blue).  We are still striving for as dark a slate shank color on the varieties that are based on wheaten as is practical.   

[Tailfeathers]

Believe it or not in all my years of breeding the WBS thus far I've only had one previous SW cockerel that I can remember and this is the first year that I've got a pullet.  I actually have a single pair of young birds.  The cockerel isn't looking too bad and, as long as nothing happens to him, I plan to take some nice pics for the photo gallery.  The gal is basically the same as W & BW except where there is black and blue, respectively, in the tails and wings there is white with the SW.

I'll attach the only pic I have of my previous SW 7yrs ago.  Just know it's not a great pic but it'll give ya a general idea what they look like.  Sort of like a Red Pyle but not quite.

I'll come back tomorrow and check to see if there has been any other interest.  If not, I'll tell her to go ahead with the ABC.

[Tailfeathers]

Out of curiosity, what is it that you see that "needs a lot of work either way"?  I actually don't see where they do.  In fact, due to the diluting genes being really the only difference, I don't see where they'd need any more work than the W or BW.

The only question I have, and maybe Mike or someone else can answer this, is with regard to the red in the body coloring where it should be white.  Could that possibly be due to the darker edging in the BW?  And, if so, wouldn't eliminating the red be harmful to using the SW with a W for a BW?

I ask because ideally I would thin a SW male would look best with no red in the body coloring but one definitely wouldn't wanna get rid of that if it causes the edging/lacing to go away on the BW.  Also, if you look closely, the red in the body appears to be mostly in the shafting.  What might that tell us about the color of the shafting in the W & BW?

Lastly, just for the record, I'm gonna go ahead and tell the gal to go with the ABC for the SW Recognition.  I won't be participating in the recognition but I will be looking for what their proposed SOP is and commenting on it accordingly.