Araucana thread anyone?

[Illia]

You should head on over to Steve Water's birds, honestly.

A few of my birds are very nice, yes, and a few are not. (most of those are for sale anyway)

 

[puredelite]

Where to/how to find Steve Water's birds? Sitting here watching the rain come down, knowing there are other things I SHOULD be doing but ...

 

[poularde]

Thank you all for the responses. My new cockerel does have an upright stance. He is hunkering down in my photo. So is my new boy destined for my olive-egger birds or is he something I might be able to work with?

Here is a couple photos of my miracle chick. I had both Araucana and Orpington eggs in my hatch. Her name is Thistle and I just love her.

Illia is Steve Waters in WA state?

 

[cashdl]

Hi comb is rather large but if you can get ahold of a hen with a really small tight comb and then selectively keep the pullets with small tight comb you shouldn't have any trouble getting rid of that in your flock. I found it fairly easy. His wattles are on the large side also, but again as with everything about Araucanca your not going to find the perfect bird, you have to breed for it. Each persons idea of perfection is different.

His color is beautiful, and since nothing about his color is an accepted color, I say go for it. Feel free to breed him to what ever you have and see what you get. If you are wanting to go for the standard of perfection in the APA it would be best to start off with a different bird since his color is way off. But for me personally color isn't as important as body type, leg color, egg color ( even though I have two green egg layers, my bad), tufts, rumpless, comb and so on. Those items alone can keep you struggling along for years. LOL!

I believe Ann Cushing of Willow Hill Araucanas has the best body type I have ever seen on Araucanas. Gary Rameys birds are really lovely, I have a few, mine are on the smaller side but their shape is so nice. Ann Horsman has good size birds with good bodies also. I had 1 roo out of Ann Charles ( gotta love all the Araucana Anns as I call them) who had the most amazing tufts, really very perfect. Then you have Hinckjcs beautiful soft colored lavendars, amazing. Each breeders birds look just a little different to me than the others. They each have their idea of what the perfect araucana should look like.


Lanae

 

[Illia]

I actually do not know where Steve Waters is, never even spoken to him or anything, he's kind of a mysterious guy

But I believe he lives in WA. . . He shows his birds here a LOT.

Gary Ramey's birds are a toss up. All of my flock are from his stock, and I've got some poorly put together birds, some big birds, small birds, VERY nice birds, and ones in between.


I myself would love to get some of Steve Water's or Ann Charles' bloodlines; I guess I'm iffy on Ann Cushing - She's got beautiful birds, but I also want to make sure my eggs are of good color, too. (Then again, I don't even know if Steve Waters has good egg color at all)

 

[poularde]

My cockerel came from Ann Horsman. I got him from one of my new chicken friends who had him sent to her. My new friend has too many cockerels so I lucked out and got my new boy.

 

[Illia]

. . . . There are so many Ann's

 

[puredelite]

Steve Water's resides in Marysville, Wa. and that's all that I know of him other than the fact that he does apparently show his birds. May help you up in the NW track him down.

 

[cashdl]

Your roo looks similar in comb to the roo I got from Ann Horsman. Mine was a duckwing and my favorite. Mine had a huge comb but I paired him with two hens with really nice tight small combs and not one of the resulting chicks ended up with a big floppy comb so I am very pleased.

This is my roo from her. Although you cant see his comb from that angle cause it flops over and covers his other eye.

Lanae

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
I met him once !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a very big day in my universe and totally unexpected. He brought some of his birds down to our little teensy Spring Fling here in Hamilton MT. There were some very well known breeders there that day and it was a fantastic show. Steve Waters birds were stunning - the first true Araucana I had ever seen aside from my own little flock of reject araucanas. Running into him and seeing those stunning birds was absolutely unforgettable. He is a very kind man who didn't mind that I knew nearly nothing about the breed. He answered question after question and his love for this bird is so evident. I was at the point were I was going to give up on the breed after nothing but absolute failure after failure to obtain birds. It is without question that meeting and listening to Steve Waters speak with such admiration that inspired me to give it another shot. Now I can't imagine my flock without this fascinating, dynamic breed of bird.