This is a great line of dialogue...
While I am in favor of continual breeding of the accepted color varieties of Ameraucanas, I would think our club would come to a stagnancy if we did not try to introduce new colors. I\'m not sure what others have to say about the genetic diversity of some varieties, but I fear the potential for bottlenecking.
When I started out, I knew I wanted to breed Lavender Ameraucanas. This will be my 3rd year with this variety, along with Black and Wheaten/Blue Wheaten. (Buff, Blue, Splash and Silver didn\'t make the cut. ) It has been time consuming, costly and unbelievably frustrating in some cases breeding a project color. It also has afforded me a glimpse and foundation for better understanding of genetics and where I can draw knowledge to make improvements to my flock and pass that on to others who are also interested in raising Lavs. The progress that I have made, and witnessed others make with their respective projects, has been the ultimate reward! When I started, this was all just for fun! Now it has become a mission. I don\'t think we should close all doors to opportunity to broaden our club\'s interests. We should push ourselves to grow, and with that, breed for more project colors. Variety is the spice of life! I have another Ameraucana project on the side that will be taking a good chunk of my time. These projects that we are working on are EXCITING! Implementing a breeding plan/program and keeping records gives these projects a boost of validation and a determined foundation from which to start. The worst that will happen is that we end up with an incredible variety of EE\'s! Heck...even the best laid plans....go often askew! A reality we are aware of when we enter into breeding for these project colors.
I find it healthy for the overall interest of the breed to pursue growth and interest. If that comes in the form of new colors, so be it.
Meagan