Araucana thread anyone?

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
Thermometers. I feel like I could write a book on the thermometer experience. Right now, in the incubator my husband built that functions the best, we use a "Ranco" thermometer/thermostat that he bought for $80.00. Even at that price it is still only guaranteed to be accurate to within +/- 1 degree, but that's been OK. We have three back up thermometers in there and it took us a long time to settle on the "Taylor" brand of probe thermometers and these are only accurate to +/- 2 degrees, but we did a whole lot of ice water tests and tried them against the Ranco and they were were pretty close to accurate - we at least know about how far off in either direction each one is and can adjust for it.
Our big problem now that we have the thermometer situation under control is the hot spots in the bator (thus the three thermometer probes in there). My husband added a second fan to try to fix that problem, but then the chicks would begin to dry and stick to the shell after they piped. So, I think we are going to try a different source of hear next.

 

[cashdl]

In my incubator that I built out of an old kitchen cabinet, I have a water heater thermostat, I got it free from a plumber. I was willing to buy a new one but I couldn't find one that would go down to 90 degrees. Everything I found started at 110. Then for thermometers I bought 3 thermometer/hygrometers at wallmart and they work really well. I have 1 fan and also have problems with hot spots. Tried an extra fan but the chicks dried out, so I took some of my baking pans and used them as deflector shields between the auto turners and the light. That has worked really good. My heat is a brooder light. It gets hot but other bulbs I have tried don't ever get up to temp. I think if I insulate better, I insulated the inside, but am going to run insulation on the outside and underneath also, then drill some real vent holes, that may fix my temp flux's and humidity problems. Course if I could afford a sportsman that would be good too.

Lanae

 

[cashdl]

Hi All,

I have a white tufted roo up for grabs. I have it on Sky Blue Eggs website if anyone is interested. I know she has a tufted pullet on there also. Plus I have other tufted roos available on my website.

Lanae

 

[cashdl]

Broodies are the best. I have a araucana hen that decided to hide and sit on 12 araucana eggs. They have started hatching today. 3 have hatched - 2 splash ( 1 tufted, 1 clean faced) and 1 bilateraly tufted blue (please be a pullet!) 5 more are pipping and at least 1 is chirping and not pipped yet.

Can't wait till morning to see what else I have.


Lanae

 

[poularde]

Congrats cashdl! It must be nice to have a broody. I have quite a few pullets who should have the mother instinct. I can't wait to let the broody do all the work. Please post pics. Would love to see an Araucana mom!

 

[Medicine Man]

could anybody please tell me is rumplessness dominant or recessive?

 

[cashdl]

It is dominant.

Lanae

 

[smoothmule]

Lanae,
COoL

! What a good little broody. I am getting some eggs from a couple of my pullets, one is turquoise but the other is a gorgeous blue color. They're out of the pullets that I've have in the building with the Serama's and it has lights and they are nice and cozy despite the cold weather. They also have a 10 by 10 outside pen so evidently, they're very happy. I've had Rudy in that pen so I decided to move Slinky and Degas in and put Rudy back out at the barn with the Maran hens and Spot, my splash cockerel. He must not be mature enough yet to make the older roosters irritated with him in there. Rudy will get more hens later but since Degas is older than Rudy and id double tufted, I really want to use him as much as I can right now. Rudy will get some nice tufted pullets later in the spring since he's clean faced.

My Serama's are all paired up in cages so now, it's just Degas with the pullets and hens. I figured I may as well pamper them and get some chicks going for spring to get a good start.

The "girls" with Degas starting today include: Slinky (who had stopped laying due to the weather and early darkness in the main coop so I hope she starts up again with the others laying), Inky (big girl, clean faced rumpless inky beetle green sheen/ black - laying I think), Fawn (double tufted/partial tail white - laying? her comb hasn't darkened so I dunno), my two youngsters from your eggs (blue/red pullet, blue/red cockerel both tufted & pullet is rumpless), my 3 youngsters from Ann Charles eggs (black, white, black with brown head/neck - unknown sexes yet), LuvDove (tailed, double tufted, gorgeous pale blue with a few spots) my huge double tufted/rumpless, probable ? Araucana/Ameraucana cross black pullet and Pansy (my bantam Brahma hen who is older and just started laying again. Hoping she will become broody and hatch some chicks later). I also still have the 2 chicks out of Slinky and Degas in the house, it's too cold to take them out to the building since they're not well feathered enough but once we have the permanent door in place, they will be penned up and a light on them until they're ready to join the rest.

I have 5 blue eggs in the incubator, set today, so I'm getting a good head start for spring and will have some to sell or trade this spring.

 

[cashdl]

You here over and over never count your chickens before they hatch, or are at least two days old. URGH!! My double tufted blue died over night. The good news is another one hatched today that could be its twin. It seems week so we will see. So far I have out of 12 eggs, 2 eggs didn't make it, 1 chick died, 8 hatched - 5 tufted-, 1 egg looked dead and watery so I cracked it and there is a baby staring at me, just not ready yet. We will see on that one.


The rest of the babies except the blue look great. They are all fluffed up and adorable. They are out of my duckwing splash and blue pen. There is 1 double tufted splash that looks good. Lets hope its been so cold outside that all the male embryos turned to girls. If they can survive heat better than girls let hope girls survive cold better than boys. LOL!

I love the fact that I don't have to do anything for these guys but feed, water, and clean up after mommy. She will take care of them. She did super good with her first batch this summer. She didn't unbroody untill they were almost 3 months old.

Lanae

 

[cashdl]

I am kicking around getting a little incubator for my counter so I can incubate some eggs this winter without hauling in my huge one. My sweet husband put my cabinets in. Course when we did it we found out that 10 feet of the kitchen wall behind the sink was totally rotten - siding, studs, sill plate - all gone. The window was barely hanging on and when he took the siding off the window crumpled. So there I was Saturday morning, standing in my kitchen with my hair sticking out, wearing my not so pretty pink bath robe, holding a cup of coffe, in front of where my sink should have been and instead was nothing. 10 feet of floor to ceiling nothing. We made a quick trip to the next town and got a window, sheet rock, studs, and supplies. By Sunday night my husband had it all put back together and my sink and dishwasher were working. He is so awesome.

Lanae