Chick Head Shape

[Mindy Waters]

A conversation in a Facebook group got me thinking and I asked in our Alliance Facebook group and didn't get responses. Figured I would try here.

Do you see consistency in head shape in your ameraucana lines? I see a lot of variances, even from the same pairing. Is this something you evaluate and keep track of at hatch? I know in another breed I work with, we look for wider heads because that usually means a wider bird. But even the same pair produces variances. Is this something you've noticed is true for ameraucanas? Do you see variances or uniformity? I'm doing a lot of record keeping and notes as chicks grow this season. Just curious what other breeders see.

Thanks

[Russ Blair]

I think there’s always a little variation even in the same matings. That’s why is crucial breeders hatch enough to be able to cull appropriately. Skull width is definitely worth culling for, or lack of it I should say. Just remember though Ameraucana are a medium type bird, so extreme skull width might not be a good thing.

[Mindy Waters]

Thanks for your insight. There was a lady that had said her ameraucanas have a specific, consistent head shape and that she could tell an EE or outcross (7/8 Andalusian) by head shape alone. I am skeptical of that. My birds vary so much even from the same pairing. It's not something I've paid much attention to at hatch or culled for early on. Definitely made me curious.

[John W Blehm]

Even though the head is often the 1st part of a chicken that I look at, after viewing the entire bird, I haven't paid attention to the shape of the head.  I'm looking at the comb, muffs, beak, etc. when I think of the head.  A weird shaped Ameraucana head would probably stand out and be something to cull for, but I don't recall that ever happening.
The first thing that came to my mind when I read this topic was an article in our 1st handbook titled DEVELOPING HEAD POINTS, by the late Don Cable.  It is available from the Achieves page of our Ameraucana.org site, beginning on page 35.

[Mindy Waters]

Thank you. Now I'll be reading through all the archives.😊

I had made a post (FB) about why it's important to know the background of the chicks you buy instead of just looking for clues that the bird is an ameraucana. This was the picture I posted as my example. Both look nearly identical. One is an ameraucana and one is a crossbreed. She said she could tell based on the head shape itself. 🤷‍♀️

[Mindy Waters]

That's what got me looking at all my chicks' head shape 😊😊😊