Black gold

[Lyne Peterson]

Is anyone working on Black Gold in standard size?  I'm feeling pretty discouraged about my lack of progress. Granted my lack of progress is mostly due to moving so much, but I'm still discouraged. I'm getting tired and thinking about disbanding my breeding pens.
Lyne

[Cesar Villegas]

Black Gold? Can you be more specific?

[John W Blehm]

Black Gold? Can you be more specific?

Texas tea. Well the first thing you know ol...oops, wrong subject. 

[Mike Gilbert]

They are basically an overlaced plus shafted version of brown red, with the gold portions a couple of shades lighter than brown reds.   Genetically, they are the gold version of Silver Sussex.

[Suki]

Oh like the sexed linked Black Stars?

[Lee G]

They are basically an overlaced plus shafted version of brown red, with the gold portions a couple of shades lighter than brown reds.   Genetically, they are the gold version of Silver Sussex.

I've always wondered why silver Ameraucanas were made on the silver duckwing pattern instead of birchen like silver Sussex. Was it just a personal preference kind of thing?

[Mike Gilbert]

They are not silver duckwing, they are silver.   As in Silver Leghorns or Silver Dutch bantams.   Silver duckwing males do not have hackle or saddle striping.   Ralph Brazleton first bred them up in bantams, and Jerry Segler got some from him.   That was long before they were known as Ameraucanas.   We are probably talking the 1960's or early 1970's.

[John W Blehm]

They are basically an overlaced plus shafted version of brown red, with the gold portions a couple of shades lighter than brown reds.   Genetically, they are the gold version of Silver Sussex.

I've always wondered why silver Ameraucanas were made on the silver duckwing pattern instead of birchen like silver Sussex. Was it just a personal preference kind of thing?

Here again some terms we use have more than one meaning. 
When it comes to varieties "silver" and "silver duckwing" are similar, but different as Mike pointed out. 
When it comes to e-locus "duckwing" is used interchangeable with wildtype (e+) and the males have a silver or gold wing triangle.  Birchen (the e-locus gene, not the variety) (E^R) is often referred to as crow wing and the wing triangle on the males is black or the ground color of the bird.
Mike pointed out the difference to me decades ago at a show, where I had entered what I thought was a bantam silver but since he didn't have the silver/white wing triangle he was really a birchen (the variety that is based on E^R).

[The Malcolms]

They are not silver duckwing, they are silver.   As in Silver Leghorns or Silver Dutch bantams.   Silver duckwing males do not have hackle or saddle striping.

Could the same breed have both silver and silver duckwing varieties? Do the females have different patterns also?

[Mike Gilbert]

I am not aware of any breed that recognizes both silver and silver duckwing.   The females of these two varieties are nearly identical.  That's just off the top of my head, so somebody please correct me if that is not correct.

[Lee G]

Oh, I see. Thank you for the correction.  And for explaining the differences between silver and silver duckwing. Back to the books (and the field) I go! 

[Mike Gilbert]

Don't feel bad.   Duane Urch, APA judge and my former District APA Director, still advertises his as silver duckwing, and they are silver.   I don't know why, because one look at the males identifies them as silvers. 

[Lee G]

Don't feel bad.   Duane Urch, APA judge and my former District APA Director, still advertises his as silver duckwing, and they are silver.   I don't know why, because one look at the males identifies them as silvers.

Thanks Mike. I'm just seeing your reply now, and no worries! I want to be using the right terminology for the varieties I'm working with. I've been mostly offline for a few weeks due to our old computer dying of hard drive failure. I guess a decade of use is pretty good for a 2005 Compaq, but man oh man, our new machine is like the difference between night and day. I'm so excited now I'll be able to take real good photos of my flock (and children)  hehehe

[John W Blehm]

When it comes to varieties "silver" and "silver duckwing" are similar, but different as Mike pointed out. 
When it comes to e-locus "duckwing" is used interchangeable with wildtype (e+) and the males have a silver or gold wing triangle.  Birchen (the e-locus gene, not the variety) (ER) is often referred to as crow wing and the wing triangle on the males is black or the ground color of the bird.
Mike pointed out the difference to me decades ago at a show, where I had entered what I thought was a bantam silver but since he didn't have the silver/white wing triangle he was really a birchen (the variety that is based on ER).

Here is a photo to show what is referred to as the "wing triangle".

[Suki]

Thanks John.  I appreciate the photo.