Good example photos of why we should wait to compare our Ameraucana to the approved Standards with the APA and ABA until sexual maturity.
The approved color varieties of Ameraucana are built on various e locus alleles and contain plumage color genes that affect their shank color as day olds and at maturity.
The E locus alleles affect the relative distribution of melanin pigmentation in the epidermis.
Wheaten Ameraucana are built on eWh. The eWh allele is known to reduce the expression of dermal melanin. Dermal melanin comes in slowly on eWh chicks and can take anywhere from four to sixteen weeks to come in. This is why wheaten and blue wheaten chicks are born with flesh colored shanks and toes that gradually turn slate with age.
Black Ameraucana and self blue Ameraucana are typically built on Extended black (E). E extends melanic pigment to the shanks and enhances dermal melanin. Give any gaps in pigment on shanks and toes time to fill in prior to culling. The shanks and toes of black and self blue Ameraucana should be slate to black at maturity.
Splash Ameraucana have two copies of the Blue gene. The Bl gene not only dilutes plumage color, it also dilutes shank color. The shanks and toes of our splash Ameraucana should be bluish slate at maturity.
Hopefully this post will help you as you are assessing your Ameraucana and comparing them to the approved Standards with the APA and ABA.
