The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Breeding

Leakage

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Don:
Mary,   I wouldn't automatically discount them to EEs if they are out of a viable line of Ameraucanas.  Breeding pens can run into problems such as leakage or egg color and still be workable to turn around and correct.  It is great to know more about the parents if the breeder can help you there.  But I am not sure its a total loss if you are getting some good colored birds out of the rest of the grow outs.  Its just something that you have to consider as you put matings together for the next season.   

Mary Scuderi:
Thanks Don. I appreciate the information.

Mary

Paul:
  When we first started breeding Ameraucanas, seventeen years ago, a large majority of the black and blue cockerels would have extra gold or silver in their hackles and/or saddles by the time they were butcher size (about 5 months).  They are very good to eat!  Only a few cockerels would be free of any extra color (leakage).  The breeders would be selected from the ones that didn't have any leakage.  Several years of repeatedly breeding for clean hackles and the opposite appeared!  The large majority of males were clean and only a few had leakage but it would still occur in some.  We went 5 years without adding any new breeders, then purchased five cockerels.  Unfortunately the leakage problem has increased with their addition.  I've been told both "using a black cockerel out of a pair of blues doesn't matter, because if you can't see the blue-it isn't there," and by someone else "don't use a black cockerel out of a pair of blues because he will mask (hide) leakage modifiers.  The past five years breeding experience-I'm heavily leaning to the theory of not using a black cockerel out of a pair of blues.  it may take another 17 years to definitely confirm that concept.

  Don't throw out the baby with the bath water-keep the black cockerels with either no leakage or at least the ones with the least amount, if you don't have any that are well built without any leakage.

  Best wishes, don't give up, breeding show birds isn't always easy.

Birdcrazy:

--- Quote from: Paul on July 29, 2016, 09:37:52 AM ---  Best wishes, don't give up, breeding show birds isn't always easy.

--- End quote ---

But Paul, that's part of the fun! Or should I say challenge!

Don:
Mary, I sent you an email.   I am glad that Paul was able to join in.  He probably produces more Blacks and Blues than most, so his experience is great context for these varieties. In the past many folks mated Black/Blue/Splash together freely based on type and trying to maximize one color or the other.  There has been a movement in the last years to separate matings of Blacks and Blues for several reasons.  There are threads here that discuss some of the reasons and include several folks suggestions/thoughts.  One thought is that the Best Blacks are based on Gold and the Best Blues based on Silver color.  Another thought by a few breeders is that the Best Blacks are based on EE (extended Black) and blues are based on E^r, (or birchen).  There are a lot of genes that can be disrupted when lines are crossed and problems can pop up for a few generations.  Its one reason to try to stay within a family of birds when you have to go out for new brood stock.  Whatever the breeder can provide you on background will be helpful later.  A lot of the underlying genes are not easy to know for sure.  But breeders might have some understanding based on their chick colors, sheen, etc.  The more info you have will help with your continued matings and new stock down the road as well.    Below is one of the previous Blue and Black discussions. 

 http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/forum/index.php/topic,2736.15.html 

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