Origins of the varieties...

[Guest]

Hello everyone.
Where could I find information about how each of the large fowl and bantam varieties were formed? (A road map of how they were created?) If some one could point me in the right direction to get me started I\'d really appreciate it.

Regards,
Dan Demarest
Missouri

[Mike Gilbert]

Dan,

I don\'t think there is really anything written down except for the black gold variety, and that article is in the new handbook.
There are also a few clues in my article in the handbook entitled \"Views on Outcrossing.\"   On page 16 Michael Muenks has an article entitled, \"The Origins of The Standard Ameraucana Varieties.\"    Once you have digested all those, please get back to us with any remaining questions.   But I can tell you it was a lot of hit or miss in the beginning stages.
Basically, easter egg chickens were crossed with other breeds to get the recognized colors.   Of course it took many, many generations of breeding.   Some are still being worked on, such as the large fowl brown red.

Mike G.

[John]

Also check out
http://ameraucana.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=78

[Guest]

Thanks guys,
I started reading the new handbook this afternoon on my lunch hour. Very interesting reading, I probably should have read it before asking, lol. I\'ll get back with both of you later as I\'m sure I\'ll have questions.

Thanks again,
Dan Demarest
Missouri

[bantamhill]

Dan,

I would sugggest also diving into the 1982 Handbook that John so graciously reprinted. I have found more information that I was not aware of! A goldmine of information is the set of Club Bulletins that the club was selling at the National. I tried to combine much of that information into the 2005 club Handbook, but I did not get to question some longtime club members that might have interesting breeding experiences to share, although I did send out requests for information.

Michael Muenks

[Guest]

Thanks Michael,
From what I already knew and what I\'ve read from the handbook so far, I\'m forming a few ideas already. I need to find the last edition of the handbook from when I first joined the club, I seem to have misplaced it. I don\'t think I\'m missing more than the winter edition of the bulletin, I picked up the others while I was at the show.

So far it looks like OE game bantams, Orpington, some Polish and some Australorp have been included in various strains of current Ameraucanas. Since many of the past crosses are murky areas I\'m only concerning myself with the major and more recent additions.

Do you think the opportunity will come up in the near future, for you to chat with the longtime club members you mention? Their knowledge would certainly be of great benefit to current and future members.

Dan Demarest
Missouri

[bantamhill]

I\'m hoping to be able to gather more information around the LF especially.

Michael

[Guest]

Good evening.

Okay, I\'ve read the 2005 handbook (still looking for the previous one in my files). I wanted to verify what I\'ve read before getting ahead of myself, as I\'m already getting several ideas going on-on top of the Ameraucana projects I\'m already working on.

Aside from the wheaten family, we\'re gaining the duckwing family in the Silvers and the other colors/patterns are based on birchen. This gives us E^R, e^wh and e+ at the E-locus to work with. These E-locus alleles as well as many other genetic factors have largely come from Buff Orpington, Light Brown Leghorn, Black Australorp (an Orpington derivative) Old English, Wyandotte and some inclusion of Polish. Is this correct? Did I miss any breeds?

Please forgive me for oversimplifying all of the above, I\'m just trying to get a broad over head view of recent genetic influences.

Regards,
Dan Demarest
Missouri

[John]

many other genetic factors have largely come from Buff Orpington, Light Brown Leghorn, Black Australorp (an Orpington derivative) Old English, Wyandotte and some inclusion of Polish. Is this correct? Did I miss any breeds?

I used an over sized recessive white bantam cock from Jerry Segler over LF buff Orpingtons, white Orpingtons and black Australops to produce those three varieties originally.  Once again this is just what I did...others developed these same varieties also.  I have since used buff laced Polish to get slate legs on the buffs and reduce the fluff.  I have made a second Australop cross to bring down the tail carriage and improve type in the blacks and blues.  I then crossed blacks with whites to bring the nice type and size over onto the whites.
I don\'t know of any light brown Leghorn or Wyandotte crosses, although I do know silver Leghorn was bred to LF silvers and buff Wyandotte was used to create bantam buffs.

[Guest]

Thank you John.

I think that gives me enough to go on for now.

Dan Demarest
Missouri