Breeding youngins

[Sarah Meaders]

This will be my first year hatching Ameraucanas. Last year was my first hatching at all, but this thread is specific to Ameraucana breeding with the intention of bettering the wheaten/blue wheaten/splash wheaten variety.

I have fully experienced the truth behind the length of time it takes for this variety to fully mature! Three of my Ameraucanas are just over a year old, and they still seem to be changing slightly week by week. My little darlins from Paul and Angela are only 8 months old now, and Marley, my late blooming wheaten cockerel is JUST NOW going through adolescence! My questions are going to be centered around the age to begin hatching.

I have read a couple places that recommend not even trying to hatch from Wheatens who are less than a year old. There was a ditty about the hatch rate, health of the chicks, defects not showing on the cockerel and pullets yet, etc. I would like to hear some opinions from some multi year breeders, especially from the wheatens, but from other varieties of Ameraucanas as well. My New Hampshires, Delawares and Barred Rocks matured extremely early, so I am not as concerned about them.

It is not imperative that I breed any of these this year. I am patient, and can wait if it will save me some frustration and allow me to have a more successful test hatch. I don't have unlimited funds, so I have to be wise with what I do with my program, as I run a family of 9, and need to be a good steward of all the Lord has blessed me, too.

While I am at it, let me share a recent picture of my late bloomer, Marley! He is 8 months old, this picture was a couple weeks ago, but a couple weeks before that, he looked like a 4 month old still! He is in his puberty, for sure!! I am excited for him!

[Birdcrazy]

Sarah, You are right about the Wheaten/Blue Wheaten varieties being slower to develop than other varieties of Ameraucanas. From my experience coloration and confirmation are the factors that take longer than other varieties. The ability to reproduce and with good fertility or no hatch defects does not seem to be a big thing when compared with my Black/Blue/Splash. I usually do not use my last years hatch until 10 months or older, so that may be a factor. The real problem that I find is in the show ring. It is hard for Wheaten or Blue Wheaten to compete against their own variety or even more so other varieties of Ameraucanas if they are under 8-9 months old. I have had some pullets do well at 7 months, but that is not the norm. Cockerels definitely need more time to mature.

If you are concerned about the fertility factors or hatch defects, perhaps try just a small hatch at first for a sample and see what happens. I live in Nebraska and no matter what the age of the breeders, my fertility rate is not great in March hatchings. We can still have a lot of snow and single digit weather then. April improves weather wise and so does the fertility. By May and June fertility is where it should be and I usually stop hatching by the end of June. I hope this helps.

[Don]

Some say that you shouldn't breed from first year birds because they haven't developed fully.  There may be issues that show up later in coloring for instance that might lead you to choose different breeders.  But that means that you have to wait for a second year and you loose a year's worth of young birds in the beginning.  This works well if you have a big family of birds and room to house extras growing out for two years.  But most I think use breeders as they grow out each year.  I would breed from the best that you have this year.  Watch to see how they develop and colors change.  Keep pictures of this year to compare to next years pictures. Then you will have a better understanding of how your strain looks the first year and then again with the later coloring.  In the mean time you might hatch another group of pullets that might give you some more depth in your family.  And you will have even more to choose the best from. 

My experience is that the youngsters may take a few more weeks to start to produce fertile eggs in the winter.  But even with smaller pullet eggs you should have good production.  And your stock will grow out be the same size as your adult stock regardless of the smaller egg size for that age.