Araucana Sex ID.

[cluckcluckluke]

O.K I know these are only chicks and not even I can tell the sex but some of these little ones have little lumps on their heads, well not lumps but like a small mow hawk.
I was wondering whether the ones with little crests were males?

I have 5 in total but the one on the left ( grey chick ) has the little crest, the other 2 have normal heads.

Will update with some more pictures soon.

 

[ramirezframing]

the crest (lump) has nothing to do with gender, just means a vaulted skull and a bigger crest once feathers come in

 

[cluckcluckluke]

the crest (lump) has nothing to do with gender, just means a vaulted skull and a bigger crest once feathers come in

Oh so is it a problem?
Should I not breed them?

 

[ramirezframing]

I wouldn't buy a polish of any type as a chick if it DIDN'T have this lump. I know alot of people are like this with silkie chicks as well. That lump means a good crest, so you would want to breed that one if you wanted a good crest size. The others may still get crests, but they wont be as big and puffy as the vaulted skull ones. Now with that being said there is wry neck (injury to head) that can happen to the vaulted skull ones. I've had vaulted skulls for over 10 years and only had two (one polish rooster and a silkie chick) get this. If you want I can get you a link about it.

 

[farmerChef]

from this picture, it does look like this araucana has a vaulted skull. Our araucana are different here in the US, so I havnt seen any personally.

pictures from crestedbreeds.com



this is a vaulted skull, most crested breeds have them, silkies, polish, etc. Its like a bubble, and sometimes you can have problems if it doesnt form right.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Thanks guys.
My araucana's are Aussie standards so they will be a bit different.

When breeding should I breed a crested with a non crested so that they don't get neck problems or will 2 crested be alright?
It looks interesting and I wouldn't mind getting a bit more info on it.
I will update you on the chicks if you want as well so watch the crest grow.

 

[ramirezframing]

wry neck happens as a head injury or vitamin deficiency so breeding two crested birds will not be a problem here's the link I was taking about Dragonflies and Dandelions - Alan Stanford on CROOKNECK (from injury to head)

 

[cluckcluckluke]

wry neck happens as a head injury or vitamin deficiency so breeding two crested birds will not be a problem here's the link I was taking about Dragonflies and Dandelions - Alan Stanford on CROOKNECK (from injury to head)

Wow, thanks for the info. So is the brain just covered by the feathers? I has to have the skull covering it, doesn't it?



So if I want to successfully keep crested Araucana's I have to avoid all head bumps.

 

[ramirezframing]

Some have more skull than others as you can see from Alan's picture compared to the one farmerchef posted. I think it depends on the bump and where and how hard it was to if you end up with wry neck. But now you know what to look for and you have the information on how to try to fix it if it ever happens. It took me to long to find this information for my polish rooster. He didn't do a full recovery, but he lived for a year after what ever happened to him to cause his wry neck. My silkie chick did a full recovery and you cant tell she was ever affected by it. Good luck with your breeding, look forward to seeing them all grown up

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Some have more skull than others as you can see from Alan's picture compared to the one farmerchef posted. I think it depends on the bump and where and how hard it was to if you end up with wry neck. But now you know what to look for and you have the information on how to try to fix it if it ever happens. It took me to long to find this information for my polish rooster. He didn't do a full recovery, but he lived for a year after what ever happened to him to cause his wry neck. My silkie chick did a full recovery and you cant tell she was ever affected by it. Good luck with your breeding, look forward to seeing them all grown up

Thanks heaps. I can prevent it not a bit as well.

I shall keep you posted.