The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Breeding
A lesson in tails....
dixieland:
Can one of our gurus put some pictures to the standard when it comes to correct tailfeathers, angles and carriage?
I would love to see an ideal and then some \" less then ideal\"...
Mike Gilbert:
Actually there are pictures IN the Standard that depict correct tails. I\'ve been biting my lip, but the tail on that lavender female in another recent thread looks very pinched, or else she is missing the majority of her tail feathers. The tail is to be moderately spread, with coverts running well up the tail. Moderately spread means the main tail feathers, usually seven on each side, are neither pinched together nor fan shaped, but somewhere in the middle. We also need to avoid the appearance of a convex cushion area on females, as there should be a fairly defined break between slope of back and rise of tail. Does that help? I\'m afraid too many exhibitors and judges are preferring a modified Orpington look, and that is not the intent of the Standards.
Jean:
I think the tail on my silver project bird is pretty nice.
Mike Gilbert:
Not bad at all. It might still be just a tad fan shaped, but it is better than most. And there is no convex cushion in front of the tail either. The tail in my avatar is pretty good, but I think a little too long. There is too much main tail showing beyond the coverts. It is so nice to be talking about type instead of color for once.
Jean:
Yes, Mike, a bit fanned out, but better than pinched I would say.
I had an issue with my whites also having pinched tails. Most birds will have a pinched saddle too.
I think I will be crossing my whites to black this year to get rid of the barring gene and improve the tails.
You can see a wheaten hen in the background that has a pinched tail also.
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