Author Topic: Laced Blue Ameraucana  (Read 89732 times)

Christie Rhae

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« on: March 20, 2012, 06:04:49 PM »
I am very interested in working on a blue laced ameraucana.  I have been reading a lot about it and I know it will take a long time and a lot of hatching.  I have nothing but time and am fascinated by the project.
 
I am going to use Blue Andalusians and Black Ameraucana.  Blue Andalusians have white skin, white eggs, single comb, white ear lobes, and very pinched flat tails.  So those are some of the things I will be working with.  It seems that it is not agreed upon whether andalusians are E/E or ER/ER.  Their genotype is E/E or ER/ER, Co/Co, (Mi-Pg)/(Mi-Pg).  Regardless I will be starting with black ameraucana that are E/E based.

I have discovered that breeders of Blue Andalusian prefer to only breed blue to blue which of course only gives you a percentage of actual blue.  I am thinking right now that the reason they do this is to get paler blue? If they only use the palest blues with the palest blues then the offspring would get lighter correct?   If the pattern genes are there it really would not matter if you bred black to splash to get all blues but the really striking blue andalusians are the ones that are ice blue with dark lacing.

 I have ordered my copy of the SOP but do not have it yet so cannot check what really is the desired shade of blue for blue ameraucana.  

I have run countless calculations to see what I will get and what would be the quickest route.  The F1 generation will all have Pg/Pg+  Ml/Ml+.  According to the chart below from Chicken Genetics there might be some dismal lacing...

The F2 generation is where I am going to have to hatch TONS of chicks to get the right genetic roll of the dice.  But once I get it the F3 generation is where it will get easier, then I can start breeding for type.  

Anyway, all of this is just theory and I am sure I will learn so much along the way.  In the end I may learn that it just does not work.  lol! Then no one else will have to bother going down this road.  lol  I hope that is not the case but the reward is in the journey for me.  

My Blue Andalusian eggs were sent yesterday so I decided now was the time to start a topic.  I have to actually get some blue Andalusians so sure hope I can get some to hatch.  If not I will keep trying.  The breeder I am getting eggs from has very nice birds that appear in photos to have the correct and full pattern genes.

I will report back to this thread whenever I have an update.

Mahalo (\"Thank You\" in Hawaiian) to John Blehm and Mike Gilbert for helping me get this far in my project plans!  

Stay tuned!



dixieland

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2012, 07:21:12 PM »
Awesome!!! I think this is a very worthwhile project!


E pili mau na pomaika i ia oe!


PS---Before I read your post, I just looked at the pictures at the bottom...At first I thought I was looking at drawings of various styles of ladies necklines and cleavage.....I will never be able to look at a laced bird again with out giggling to myself...... Yes, my mind was in the gutter  B)

HappyMtn

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2012, 01:22:44 PM »
Blue laced _____?

Christie Rhae

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2012, 01:55:31 PM »
Quote from: HappyMtn
Blue laced _____?


Ameraucana?  Easter Egger?  lol!  :rolleyes:
...I don\'t follow.

HappyMtn

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2012, 02:08:55 PM »
lol! Blue laced red? Blue laced gold?

bryngyld

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2012, 02:23:55 PM »
I\'m confused.  (I have a coffee cup that says that because someone gave it to me.  huh)

Aren\'t the blue Ameraucana supposed to be laced?
Lyne Peterson
Northern California

HappyMtn

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2012, 02:42:11 PM »
Quote from: bryngyld
I\'m confused.  (I have a coffee cup that says that because someone gave it to me.  huh)

Aren\'t the blue Ameraucana supposed to be laced?


Yeah- blue are already laced- that\'s why I asked.

OldChurchEggery

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2012, 02:42:29 PM »
Quote from: bryngyld
I\'m confused.  (I have a coffee cup that says that because someone gave it to me.  huh)

Aren\'t the blue Ameraucana supposed to be laced?


That\'s what I thought, too. I was under the impression the blues were already supposed to have the darker lacing around the edges of the feathers.

Christie Rhae

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2012, 04:38:14 PM »
Oh! Lol sorry, I\'m a little slow...

Yes blue ameraucana are supposed to be laced but they really are not laced. Mostly what there is on them is edging, not lacing or the pattern genes that blue andalusians have.  Not trying to come up with anything new just improve what\'s already there.... Well maybe saying \"improve\" is too ambitious for me to say.  I just want to work on it because it fascinates me. :)

Mike Gilbert

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2012, 07:54:38 PM »
Christie is correct.   Look at the Blue Andalusians pictured on Feathersite, and you will realize all we have in LF Ameraucanas is edging, not lacing.   When you need something from a genetic standpoint, you go to the source.
She is on the right track using Blue Andalusian blood - hope she gets some well - laced ones from those hatching eggs.  I did the same thing with bantams a number of years ago, only I used a laced Sumatra bantam pullet.   If you saw Jerry DeSmidt\'s winning bantam cockerel and my bantam hen at the last national meet you will realize the progress made.  Jerry\'s bird is descended from one of mine.  They are still not as good as Andalusions, and if I had to do it over again I would go that route instead of Sumatra.  Single combs and white lobes are not that difficult to breed out of a strain.

Chicklover

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2012, 11:13:32 PM »
Mike- What would you look for to breed out the lobe color, would you just keep those that have the correct color and comb and breed back with blacks or blues? I have been thinking about the same project. I have some good lace Andalusians from Steve Jones line.  and some blacks and blues from Wayne\'s line.  What about blue to blue or will that be alot more work?

Christie Rhae

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2012, 11:15:28 PM »
OK!  I am in possession of Blue Andalusian eggs!  I will let them rest till tomorrow then incubate them for a few days without my egg turners on just to try and get the air cells set.  About half of them look a little loose.  The air cells are still on the small side so that is promising.  White eggs so I am actually going to be able to see veins.  

Whew!  Step #1 (get eggs) has been accomplished.  Now I only have one million more steps.  lol!
I am very excited.  
 :p

Christie Rhae

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2012, 11:19:56 PM »
Quote from: Chicklover
Mike- What would you look for to breed out the lobe color, would you just keep those that have the correct color and comb and breed back with blacks or blues? I have been thinking about the same project. I have some good lace Andalusians from Steve Jones line.  and some blacks and blues from Wayne\'s line.  What about blue to blue or will that be alot more work?


I have read about ear lobes.  They are not a black or white thing... or in this case red or white. lol  They can be half and half, red with white edges, etc.  I plan to just select for red to eventually eliminate the white.  I am sure I will learn more about it as I go but that is the info I have now.

IamBlessed

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #13 on: March 23, 2012, 01:14:45 AM »
I\'ll put a pic of Lacy on here if someone tells me how to post a pic.  She our daughter\'s bird.  She is a Blue Andalusian and has really great lacing.  This is the bird Chicklover is referring to.

vanalpaca

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Laced Blue Ameraucana
« Reply #14 on: March 23, 2012, 08:01:42 AM »
I am interested in Blues with better lacing too. I will be getting my blues in this spring and it will be a while before the chickies grow up and I see where they are at.

Christie, can you elaborate on this project and how the crossing works. I haven\'t got my chicken genetics book in the mail yet, so I am WAY behind on this.

No idea what a blue andalusian looks like. A little frustrated with the chickens I already have (Welsummers) as they are not consistent from breeder to breeder. So am a bit hesitant to jump into getting andalusians when I don\'t know what I am trying to do yet. It will be a couple of years with the Ameraucanas FIRSt, before I do experimenting/projects.

Still basically figuring out chickens! But would LOVE to follow this thread!!