buff Ameraucanas and white feathers

[Lee G]

Thanks for the info Mike. I will regard it as follicle damage, or simply another colour defect to cull for in blacks unless I actually have a pairing throw a white. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind that. White Ameraucanas are gorgeous! 

[John W Blehm]

We've talked about some buff strains carrying dominant white (I), but now I think what may appear as dominant white may sometimes be splash (Bl).  Of course some buff birds could carry both and some neither. 
The other day I noticed one of my "buff" Chantecler cross (buff/partridge) birds had both white and some black in it's tail.  Now when a buff isn't "pure" buff it generally shows some black or if it has dominant white the feathers that would normally be black are white.  But, this bird shows a lot of white with some black. 
Well, this evening in another coop I noticed a blue bird and I haven't bred blues in years.  It was from another buff project, but this time it is the product of a LF Ameraucana buff cock over a black hen.  My assumption is the buff cock carries splash and when crossed with a black the offspring is blue where it would otherwise be black...or white if dominant white.  I've only noticed one started chick that appears blue.
I can only conclude that some buff birds of both of these breeds carry splash/blue here in Birch Run, Michigan.