The ABC (Ameraucana Breeders Club) is currently completing a color variety approval process with the American Poultry Association on the large fowl splash ameraucana. The first pre-qualifying meet was held in Norman, Oklahoma on November 6, 2020, which was a success.
The second pre-qualifying meet for the large fowl splash variety will be held at the Heart of Ozarks poultry show in Fayetteville, Arkansas on November 6, 2021. The ABC will need four head in each class (Cock/Hen/Cockerel/Pullet) at the next pre-qualifying meet to be successful. Please make plans to raise large fowl splash this season and help us with our newest color variety!
The ABC has received numerous questions regarding breeding and conditioning the large fowl splash variety for the approval process. The splash variety can be produced from breeding blue to blue, blue to splash and splash to splash. A blue ameraucana bred to a blue ameraucana will create 25% splash, a blue ameraucana bred to a splash will create 50% splash and a splash ameraucana bred to a splash will create 100% splash.
A few of our members have asked about the beak color of a splash ameraucana. The standard will call for the beak to be varying from horn to black. We have also received questions about the splash plumage color. The splash plumage color is created from two copies of the Blue (Bl) gene. The Bl gene is an incomplete dominant diluting gene. Incomplete dominance means that one allele is not completely dominant over the allele it is paired with. This results in a phenotype that is a combination of both alleles, explaining why we see some variations in the plumage color of blue and splash ameraucanas that are produced in our breeding pens. The standard will call for the splash ameraucana to be sooty white with blue splashes. The splash males will have a slightly darker head, neck, back and saddle as a result of their sexually dimorphic plumage. The shanks should be bluish slate.
The disqualifications for the large fowl splash ameraucana are any appearance of rust in the plumage and more than 50% blue in the plumage. Rust should not be confused with brassiness. Brassiness is a defect that can be hereditary or as a result of sun exposure and diet.
by Lindsay Helton
