- Jun 28, 2011
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Though most famous for its blue eggs, the Araucana is a very unique looking bird, recognizable by its feather ear tufts. The rest of the standard varies by country, (muffs, beards and tails allowed or required in some countries but disqualifications in the US and Canada), all standards require the bird to have ear tufts and lay blue eggs. They come in bantam and standard sizes. Originating in Chile, the Araucana is said to descend from various ancient breeds or landraces native to Chile and is thought to be of pre-Columbian origin.
They are a medium sized bird, cold tolerant, are good foragers and get along well in a flock. They are generally fairly people friendly, they are said to have nice temperaments, though they are often said to be "quirky", to go along with their unusual appearance. The girls are fair to good layers and they will go broody. The APA accepts five recognized colors, Black, White, BBR, Gold and Silver Duckwing, though breeders are working on many other colors. Hatch percentage is poor, since the eartufts are caused by a gene that is lethal to the developing embryo when in a homozygous state, so they can be quite challenging for breeders.
It is on the Livestock Conservancy's Study list.
Details:
Breed purpose: Blue Eggs
Comb Type: Pea
Broodiness: Average
Climate Tolerance: Cold Hardy
Weight: Hens 4 lbs. Roosters 5.0 lbs
Egg Productivity: Good
Egg Size: Medium/Large
Egg Color: Blue
Pic by @cackleberrycoop
Pic by @cackleberrycoop
Pic by @Stacykins
Pic by @Ksane
Pic by @Kassaundra
Pic by @Ksane
Pic by @wilds of pa
BYC Breed reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/araucana
Breed discussions thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/288425/araucana-thread-anyone/0_20
Do you own Araucanas? Are you an Araucana breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/
They are a medium sized bird, cold tolerant, are good foragers and get along well in a flock. They are generally fairly people friendly, they are said to have nice temperaments, though they are often said to be "quirky", to go along with their unusual appearance. The girls are fair to good layers and they will go broody. The APA accepts five recognized colors, Black, White, BBR, Gold and Silver Duckwing, though breeders are working on many other colors. Hatch percentage is poor, since the eartufts are caused by a gene that is lethal to the developing embryo when in a homozygous state, so they can be quite challenging for breeders.
It is on the Livestock Conservancy's Study list.
Details:
Breed purpose: Blue Eggs
Comb Type: Pea
Broodiness: Average
Climate Tolerance: Cold Hardy
Weight: Hens 4 lbs. Roosters 5.0 lbs
Egg Productivity: Good
Egg Size: Medium/Large
Egg Color: Blue
Pic by @cackleberrycoop
Pic by @cackleberrycoop
Pic by @Stacykins
Pic by @Ksane
Pic by @Kassaundra
Pic by @Ksane
Pic by @wilds of pa
BYC Breed reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/araucana
Breed discussions thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/288425/araucana-thread-anyone/0_20
Do you own Araucanas? Are you an Araucana breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/
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