Author Topic: Egg Color  (Read 27477 times)

Guest

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Egg Color
« Reply #30 on: February 22, 2006, 12:03:12 PM »
Take a walk down memory lane......
  How do you think that Ameraucanas became a breed?  They are SHOWN to have specific physical characteristics.  Those are the facts.  There are a lot of us who do show, and we don\'t show eggs, except among ourselves.
  I will acknowledge that \"showing\" may soon be a thing of the past, but the breed characteristics remain the same.  
  The person with the red laced blue wyandottes, or whatever....has an ameraucana because it lays a blue egg...right?  According to your agument, even though it has no breed characteristics aside from laying a blue egg....it\'s an ameraucana.  You may want to re-think your position.
  Those who want just blue eggs, can easily buy runner ducks.  They lay blue eggs...at least mine do....or maybe.....they\'re Ameraucanas too!

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Egg Color
« Reply #31 on: February 22, 2006, 07:34:55 PM »

Well, I for one enjoy the shows, and am all for breedding a great looking bird, however the pitt fall comes when folks sell their stock to unsuspecting 4-Hers and new breeders. They are paying top doallar for their new birds because we have encouraged them to see out a \"reputable\" breeder, and purchase stock form them.  I get numerous e-mails from folks who did just that only to revieve birds that would not breed thue, and just as bad, ones that had off spring that were fine looking, but the parents and off spring laid kacki/ brown and some cream colord eggs. (as much as I dislike the olive green ones, I have to say any green shows a blue gene is present.)
What I suggest highly it to inform your buyers that what they are purchasing are not Ameraucanas, if they are not breeding true, and don\'t lay a shade of blue in their eggs.  they are a \"work in progress\", and rather than have the breeders bad-mouthed by a new owner, because they didn\'t get what they expected, it is much bette to be honest, and I am sure you will find the new owners are eager to help in participate in making improvements..just practice honesty, sinserity,and helpfullness.  it goes a lot farther to build up the breed than deciet and cover-ups.
If a buyer knows up front what to expect, they are not as disapointed when things don\'t go fairy-book perfect.

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Egg Color
« Reply #32 on: February 22, 2006, 11:23:53 PM »
Don\'t you feel that educating yourself and the general public is more on point?  Seems like there is a tremendous amount of ignorance out there about this breed.
  Simply put, it is a hybrid.  It will occasionally throw non-standard characteristics including but not limited to non blue egg coloring.  There is not a reputable breeder alive that will guarantee perfect birds.  Just ask John or Mike....DUH!!
  What you are suggesting, is that none of us are breeding true Ameraucanas, and we are foisting sub-standard birds onto the public.   I truly resent your implications!  I have been beaten in exhibition by birds that I GAVE away to 4-h\'rs.  I\'m sure that I should be staked through the heart for my dastardly deeds!

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Egg Color
« Reply #33 on: February 23, 2006, 12:56:53 PM »
Quote from: Angela
I have been beaten in exhibition by birds that I GAVE away to 4-h\'rs.


I always consider it the highest compliment to have a bird or animal I sold to someone beat me at a show. It means I\'m doing the right thing, putting my good stock out there for other folks to work with. I don\'t sell culls to 4-H kids, I think they deserve the best birds/animals there are. My culls are either eaten or sold very cheaply to folks I am sure will not show them.  Just my two cents...

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Egg Color
« Reply #34 on: February 23, 2006, 01:29:28 PM »
I\'ve never sold a chick to 4-Hers.  I always just let them pick from the batch.  If I\'ve taught them well, they pick the best.....which has left me with \"not the best\" for the last four or five years.
Education is the key.....learn more, and you can make more intelligent comments.

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Egg Color
« Reply #35 on: February 25, 2006, 12:13:44 PM »

Angela, I don\'t understand why you are feeling resentful,
I think the egg color is being taken a bit out of prpopration, as all traits are inportant, however None should be ignored.
I feel that the breed is worth perfecting, and constantly striving to make it better, but were it is lacking, I also think it best to be honest and say they have not \"arrived\" yet, and are a work in progress.
We have been working with ours for almost 8 years, 6 that we count as breeding years.
We know we have a long way yet to go, but have made progress.
We tag all of our birds, so unless they are purchased as eggs, theri is no doubt were they come from.  We don\'t sell any birds that are great show birds, when we do get some we keep some and trade for better breeding stock. the birds we sell are culls and crosses that are strictly for meat & eggs.
While I don\'t believe  anyone has a flock of totaly perfect birds, I have hear from folks that breeders like John and Paul, and I know from first hand experinace with Larry, that they tell buyers right up front what they ar selling. One girl laughed that she ones some of John\'s \"meat birds\", but she couldn\'t find any flaws in them.
True is any situation, one man\'s trash, (Or culls), is another\'s treasure.
but the problems arise when we puff up what we have, or represent it as something it isn\'t
the question at hand was breeding for blue eggs..which IS a trait of an Ameraucana, there for should be the goal of every breeder..the shade of blue is not set in stone, but it should still be a blue egg layer just the same.

 

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Egg Color
« Reply #36 on: February 25, 2006, 12:39:25 PM »
  I think that everyone would do well to remember that the printed word has a mind of it\'s own.  What you write, it does not give me the benefit of you body language or tone, so I have to draw my own conclusions.
  I think that, at this point I have my opinions, and you have yours.  We\'ll leave it at that.
  Just remember,  when you\'re spouting deceit and coverup.....it\'s sounds kinda accusatory.  I\'ve never had that issue with anyone that I have dealt with in the last few years, and it makes me wonder why it\'s such a hot topic with you.

bantamhill

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Egg Color
« Reply #37 on: February 25, 2006, 08:00:55 PM »
Well, the egg color discussion has gotten to be pretty heated . . . let\'s all remember we are in this together and they are only chickens! I can actually understand all sides. I have had several people in this area complain about the egg shell color of Ameraucana\'s they have purchased from a lot of different breeders. They were disappointed because their mixed flock had in their opinion (or memory) a better colored egg, but they had gotten rid of all of those birds. I have had people make all kinds of claims about the color of the eggs they had in their mixed flock . . . either it is true or it isn\'t and the person is complaining because the egg shell color wasn\'t any better than what they had. Interestingly a lot of these folks are still running mixed pens . . .

I had one of those people express pointed disappointment that hatching eggs I had sold (delivered also) to them very cheaply because they were getting old and I simply didn\'t have the room to incubate them. I was up front on the age of the eggs (each egg was dated) and practically gave them away (in hindsight I should have) . . . I simply said I was sorry and I would be happy for them to pick up eggs this spring, because I wanted them to be happy. The reply was that it was okay . . . it really wasn\'t my fault. This is similar to another person who bought 16 chicks from me and got 15 cockerels and a pullet . . . he at least thought it was funny and absolutly terrible odds!

Now a story on myself and egg color. Last year when John was looking for folks to work on the lavender project I voluntered. I purchased a pair of lavender Old English. I picked two of the best type black bantam hens I had. As John can attest one of the hens laid a horribly ugly green egg . . . I sent John eggs and hatched my own from her and the other hen who laid very few eggs. This year as the pullets are beginning to lay it has been interesting to see that one of them lays a much better colored egg than her mother and one is laying a tan egg. I am not worried because any lavender chicks I get will be crossed back to black Ameraucana for type and I will pick up the color genes. Needless to say I have eliminated the hen in question from breeding this year. What fascinated me was that the color of a daughter could be better than that of her mother when crossed to a tan laying breed.

Let\'s all be at peace please!

Michael

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Egg Color
« Reply #38 on: February 25, 2006, 08:16:24 PM »
Hugs and Kisses Michael......no worries, it just reminds me of why I\'ve always kept a low profile.... It\'s always better to keep silent and let people think you\'re stupid, then to open your mouth and prove them right.

See ya at the Cape

Suz

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Egg Color
« Reply #39 on: February 26, 2006, 12:44:35 AM »
Quote
I would like to suggest the ABC publish an official egg color chart.

Hi Will,

I think a color chart for blue eggs is a good idea.  It might help to compare each other\'s egg colors.  I have attempted to make an \"unofficial\" egg color chart.  Click here-  Ameraucana Egg Color Chart

Susie

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Egg Color
« Reply #40 on: February 26, 2006, 07:42:14 PM »

Well I don\'t mean to be offensive, and was not singling out anyone in paticular, but what I do see is an awful lot of puffing, so maybe that is a beter word than deciet, but to me = the same thing.
yes folks can learn to look at a bird to jusde it\'s quality, but when it comes to egg color, the need to know they can trust you to tell them, jsut because it is ok to show a bird not laying the right egg color, the same is true of feather flaws. I can\'t tell you hoe many folks pluck their feathers to \"Make\" them meet the standard...and I suppose if that was your only purpose to win, that may be well and good, but to better your own flock, and to better the breed, it is much better to cull them than to hid the flaw, as it will keep showing up in future generations, and maybe even worsen..minor flaws are ok, especially if that is your best, because as I already stated, one man\'s trash is another\'s treasure.
your cull mayb be far superiour to someone elses starter stock.

Suz

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Egg Color
« Reply #41 on: February 27, 2006, 04:01:58 PM »
I discovered something interesting when I viewed the above-mentioned \"unofficial\" Ameraucana Egg Color Chart from another computer screen.  The bottom two rows have a green tint.  The computer screen that I made the chart with gave all of the colors a blue tint.

I have left the bottom two rows, not knowing how they will show up on other people\'s computers, but added (what I think) are some more blue shades.

Although there are several different shades of standard-bred Ameraucana eggs out there, I, too, would be interested in whether there is some type of consensus among ABC members and/or ruling by the ABC Board of Directors as to what shades of blue we are aiming for, if any, at this point.

Incidentally, this may be unreasonable to do over the internet because of the differences in how computer screens depict the shades.

Susie

P.S. and disclaimer: I can\'t pass the colorblind test for my driver\'s license. :o

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Egg Color
« Reply #42 on: February 27, 2006, 05:04:45 PM »
Well I might as well hang myself now  :D,
I have some firm thoughts on egg color. I run an EE egg flock as well as having offical color breeding pens set up. I hatch out of the layer flock only to sell as easter eggers. I will only hatch the eggs in the breed pens that are a shade of blue. I came to this breed primarily because of a blue egg.  I have all colors from camo green (amer/dotte) to a light pale blue. I want to have a blue egg chicken and to honestly represent the breed which set in it\'s standard \"blue\" eggs.

I have not sold any \"show\" stock, yet, most of mine go to local egg flocks for pretty eggs. We are going to approach the 4-H and FFA leaders soon so the breed can get more coverage in our area.
Glenna

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Egg Color
« Reply #43 on: March 02, 2006, 02:04:28 PM »
When showing color variations, it is most helpful to include something of a known color in the photo which allows for color comparison and adjustment.( When cataloging flowers, we used crayola crayons in red, yellow, blue). Let me see if I have a photo ...

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Egg Color
« Reply #44 on: March 02, 2006, 03:29:44 PM »
This might help to see those various shades of blue....  ;)

For all of you interested in seeing on your computer screen as close as possible what stuff should look like printed or in real life, you should calibrate your monitor.  One of my means of livelihood is digital imaging software for event photographers, so I deal with color profiles and photo prints all the time.

Here are a few quick and easy ways to calibrate your monitor.  Here is one of the best calibration tools I\'ve found (and the standard version is free):

http://www.praxisoft.com/pages/support.downloads.html

Just download the WiziWYG application best suited for your particular operating system (Mac, Win 98/2000/ME, or Win XP), unzip and install it.  Go through the steps.  It will ask you to change your monitor settings for brightness and contrast as well as change out the gamma settings to bring your picture to as close to printed copy as possible.

After you run this and change your monitor, it may seem that it isn\'t right or you\'ve messed up.  Give it a few minutes to become accustomed to it (you have been looking at the other way for years probably and this is just totally wrong).  If after a little time has elapsed and you feel it\'s still not right, just run it again.

You can do the manual methods, which take a little more time and concentrated effort on your part.  If you\'d rather do it all by hand, Google has tons of links to pages explaining color profiles, how to adjust your monitor, etc.