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« on: December 27, 2005, 07:51:40 PM »
Each year we get chick orders for all blue wheatens and all blues. A poultry fancier needs to know that mating blue to blue will produce blue, black and splash chicks. Fifty % blue, 25% black and 25% splash on the average will be produced. A splash is actually a pure blue, carrying only blue genes. A splash is a yellowish-white chick at hatching and will develop white feathers with blue and/or black speckles or spots. Presently there is an agreement with several ABC members, to help get splash a recognized variety in the Ameraucana breed.
Splash is a good source to produce some very good blues. Splash mated to splash produces only splash, because splash is pure. Splash mated to black produces only blue, because the black parent is only carrying black genes and the splash parent carrying blue genes. This creates an offspring with both blue and black genes, which makes a blue chick. Many of our best blues have been produced from a splash and black mating. They are not sex-linked genes, so it doesn\'t matter whether the male or female is splash. Our best blue cockerel from the 2005 hatch is out of a splash pullet which Matthew calls \"Spotie\". Some of the best blue pullets from the 2005 hatch are out of a splash cockerel. Splash mated to blue will produce 50% splash and 50% blue chicks on the average, because the blue parent is carrying both blue and black genes and the splash carrying only blue genes. When the blue parent donates a blue gene to the blue gene donated from the splash parent, a splash chick is hatched. When the blue parent donates a black gene to the blue gene donated from the splash parent a blue chick is hatched.
The most used way to produce blue chicks is from a blue to black mating which results in 50% blue and 50% black chicks on the average. We have used every combination mentioned above to produce our blues, except blue to splash. The 2006 hatching will have some chicks from blue wheatens mated to splash wheatens.
Wheatens, blue wheatens and splash wheatens will produce the same results as blacks, blues and splash. Wheaten takes the place of blacks. Blue wheaten takes blues place and splash wheaten replaces splash. The problem with wheatens is they are all the same color at hatching. Blues, blacks and splashes are easily recognizable at hatching by the different color of their down. The wheaten, blue wheaten and splash wheaten have to start developing some feathers before they can be identified by a variety. This makes it difficult to sell only blue wheaten or only wheaten chicks if the different breeding combination are used which produce more than one variety of wheatens. Presently we have wheaten to wheaten; wheaten to blue wheaten; blue wheaten to wheaten; blue wheaten to blue wheaten; blue wheaten to splash wheaten; splash wheaten to blue wheaten and splash wheaten to wheaten combinations in our breeding pens.
A conclusion, after having bred Ameraucanas for seven years, is \"If you want to raise good blues, then you are going to have to raise blacks also!\" The same thing applies to blue wheatens and wheatens.
Hope this helps those desiring to raise blue and blue wheatens.
Presently we are booking our 2006 hatch chicks. We offer potential show quality day old, large fowl Ameraucana chicks in black, blue, splash, wheaten, blue wheaten, splash wheaten and buff. The first hatch will be Jan. 23, then one every two weeks until May 16. E-mail us at psmith@ntin.net for more information.
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