THE AMERICAN ERMINETTE
Brought to Farm in 2023!
Let me first say that I am Extremely Excited to bring this breed in and be a part of its continuance and preservation!!
This breed has a very interesting story and is a one of a kind!
Check out the information below to learn more about the history, the breed, and where you can learn more!
More about our Erminettes Further Down.
DISCLAIMER: We do not have this issue often but every once in awhile someone asks why they don't lay blue eggs or have beards and tufts. That is because they are not Ameraucanas that are Ermine. What we have is American Erminette Breed. This Ermine pattern has been brought into the Ameraucanas but that is not what we have.
THOUGHT TO OF BEEN EXTINCT
In the late 1800s there are accounts of at least 4 Breeders that created this "breed" all 4 breeders showed these birds and advertised them with a few trying to achieve APA status for the breed, But none of the breeders had birds that looked alike in type. Their only consistent characteristic was the Co-dominant color pattern, Erminette. No APA approved breeds took this color in either. Eventually the last breeders birds who resembled the Plymouth Rock body type were given to a university for testing and disbanded afterwards with no records to where they went.
A STROKE OF LUCK
Enter Ron Nelson, this man was a collector breeder of rare birds for preservation. He found a house just driving around and seen what looked to him like the Lost Erminette, he stopped and received hatching eggs. He then proceeded to clean up the breed from the offspring he hatched. This went on till his sudden death and the Erminettes went from one hand to another until the found the Sandhill Preservation Center and then to Curt Burroughs and Matt Hemmer. All these individuals and some I left out have an incredible story of how the Erminette came into their lives and what they have done for the breed!
WHERE TO LEARN MORE
This was all a very brief history, Curt Burroughs has done an incredible job in the creation of The American Erminette book that you can find the link to on The American Erminette website!
The American Erminette website also has a Proposed Standard of Perfection so that there is clarity and a consensus behind preserving this breed.
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Check it out in the link below.
@ CROSS B
In 2023
In March of 2023 we purchased 150 American Erminettes from Matt Hemmer at Smokey Buttes Ranch. This was just in time as he sold his entire flock to a Hatchery later that year or in 2024. While, I am glad there is a big hatchery going to be getting this breed in more people's hands, I do not trust they will give the correct attention to breeding this particular breed that they need as Matt was giving them.
We will be utilizing the Proposed Standard of Perfection set forth on the American Erminette website (linked above). In year 2023, we decided to only keep the Ermine colored chicks as the all black or all white chicks do not indicate visually their ratio of color.
What is the Ermine Pattern?
So there is information out there on the internet & forums on this color pattern called Ermine, some of it is very confusing. Some will say it is a mottling gene or a paint gene. Lets make this Simple.
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The Ermine color pattern "Er" is a heterozygous genetic trait. So when you breed an Er to an Er you get a 1:2:1 ratio.
1(Dominant White): 2(Ermine): 1(Black)
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Breeding a Dominant White to a Dominant White results in 100% Dominant White
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Breeding Ermine to Ermine results in the 1:2:1 ratio mentioned above
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Breeding Black to Black results in 100% Black
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Breeding Dominant White to Black results in 100% Ermine
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Breeding Dominant White to Ermine results in 50% Dominant White & 50% Ermine
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Breeding Ermine to Black results in 50% Ermine & 50% Black
Lastly this is the Genetics involved in the American Erminette not just any black or white bird.​
2024 Breeding
In 2024 our Erminette flock was selected down drastically from our 150 chick order that came from Matt Hemmer.
(Our Lines come directly from Matt Hemmer, he sent us chicks from all of his different Erminette breeding pens.)
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We divided 8 ermine ladies between 2 breeding pens and placed the best two ermine cocks on these breeding pens. 1 to each set of ladies. So in 2024 the Erminette chicks were from Breeding pen 1 or 2.
​There is not a Perfect patterned Ermine Erminette that I have seen yet in this flock. Meaning I don't have one that is 100% white or black feather. All of them have a few feathers that have both white and black on them.
Another issue that came to my attention was the variation in color of the egg. From white to cream to tan. Tan is what the standard is calling for. But Cream to Tan is going to be acceptable to breed through with us here at Cross B. While this doesn't affect the birds specifically it is a factor that will have to be worked through. Last year, while I did hatch some of the Erminette Eggs from white eggs, we did not keep not keep any of these for breeding for 2025. The problem with egg color is, it is a multiple generation issue, as we did not know what color eggs the chicks that came to us from Smokey Buttes was and further we had no idea the genetics of the cocks used on egg color. So it is entirely possible the cocks used could of had white egg genetics.
2025 Breeding
In 2025, we will have a minimum of 3 breeding pens with, the option to have more. As of February, we have 3 breeding pens made up. 2 Ermine to Ermine pens and 1 Black to White pen.
Pens are as Follows with breeding notes.
- 2024 Cock #4061 from Cream to Tan Egg & 2023 E1 Breeding on 2023 Hens #3116, 3104, & 3299. These hens were kept on as the most correct color ratio, body type, and egg type. Bred to a cock with good body type but with slightly over color ratio, but extremely sharp and well defined color. Ermine to Ermine Breeding
- 2024 Cock #4342 from Tan Egg & 2023 E1 Breeding on the following Pullets from Tan Eggs and E1 Breeding (#4341 & #4344) and Pullets from Tan Eggs and E2 Breeding (#4052, #4176, & #4242) These pullets all are a little over the correct color ratio but placed on a cock with correct color ratio. Ermine to Ermine Breeding
- 2024 White Cock #4239 from Tan Egg and E2 Breeding bred to two Black Pullets from Tan Egg and E1 & E2 Breeding. (#4143 & # 4340) This particular breeding will make 100% Ermine chicks for the public.
Later in the year we may place 1 Black Cock on 2 White Hens to allow for more Ermine Chicks if the public demands. And we may select the best lady to put with the best cock for single mating for the ranch.
Pricing
Hatching Eggs
I forgot about the EGGS!!! So I want to speak to you about Egg Color First. Have you ever bred for egg color? It is difficult especially when a strain is brand new to your farm and you ordered in hatched chicks. Because you do not know the color of egg that the chick hatched from and that is half your egg color genetics for that particular bird. So the Erminettes as stated above, have a varying egg color right now. The Goal is Tan according to the Proposed Standard on the American Erminette website, but they vary as a whole breed and on my farm from White to Tan. My number 1 and number 2 goal was to breed for SOP type and color last year. Not Egg Color. And while I did note chicks that hatched from what color of egg shell, we are still missing the cock's genetics in that equation until his daughters start laying.
I kicked 1 lady out of the pen for coming from a white egg, yet she is laying a cream to tan egg. And the ladies in my Erminette Pullet pen are laying white to cream eggs. They are bred to a cockerel from a tan egg. My Erminette hens are laying cream to tan eggs and bred to a cockerel from a cream to tan egg. And my last pen is laying cream eggs bred to a cockerel from a tan egg. All of that information is listed above as well in more detail. I will put a picture of current egg colors up, if its not already above this paragraph for you all to see. Without further to do......
Hatching Eggs
$3/ Egg
With every 5 Eggs Purchased you will receive 1 Free.
Live Birds
Prices updated Feb 10th 2025
When ordering chicks to be shipped at hatch they will be all 3 colors as our breeding pens and will start with Ermine to Ermine breeding only. They will be these prices here just below. Solid Blacks and Solid Whites will follow the same pricing below.
St. Run 0-1 Weeks $6 Each
St. Run 1-2 Weeks $8 Each
St. Run 2-3 Weeks $12 Each
St. Run 4-6 Weeks $16 Each
St. Run 7-8 Weeks $20 Each
Pullets 9-12 Weeks $25 Each
Pullets 13-16 Weeks $30 Each
Pullets 17-20 Weeks $35 Each
Pullets 21-24 Weeks $40 Each
Pullets 7-9 Months $50 & Up​
We DO NOT raise Pullets & Cockerels for the Public. Typical we only sell Chicks under 8 Weeks of Age (if we have any still available) or Young Adults at 16 Weeks and then again at ~8 Months, then as Adults. Pricing is Indicated for all Ages for Transparency.
BREEDING FOR REPEATABILITY, UNIFORMITY, AND CONSISTENCY.
Transparency
I do not plan to ever incorporate any outside blood into this original line of birds I received from Matt Hemmer in 2023.
I plan on narrowing down the genome to where the offspring are repeatable, uniform, consistent, and predictable. Then creating at minimum 3 family lines for a rotational program. We will always be working on improving this breed, but it will be done in a way as to not jeopardize the families. There may be a time where I do bring in another line of Erminettes but they will be kept as a separate family and undergo the same breeding practices I utilize in mine.
Different Breeding Practices will be utilized including: Inbreeding, Line-breeding, Backcrossing, In and In Breeding, and Rotational Breeding.
These practices when used correctly produce Great, Good, Average, Mediocre, and Bad offspring. We will be selecting for the good and great offspring and working towards just the greats and the exceptional. All others will be sold as egg layers if no determental defect or eaten on the ranch.
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Some of these practices you may not agree with and that's okay. But keep watching and tell me what you think in 10 years.
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