Araucana thread anyone?

[Frazzemrat1]

its not as big or red as the other two... those guys are boy all the way. This one is the least dominant and I think has been hiding as a result. I'll keep them for a while yet, just to make sure with this one. I'll have to decide what I want to do after that. I think I could have gotten by with two cockerels/roosters... but not three.

 

[Trish1974]

Well Loves, this last order from Ann... I ordered a cockerel, a pullet and a straight run. We know that the 'pullet' is a cockerel.... well, so is the straight run. 'S'he finally popped out the saddle feathers. I have three cockerels now... for 5 hens and one pullet. SIGH. I couldn't see them very well, and at first had written them off as dirty and/or broken feathers.

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OH NO!!! I am so sorry.

 

[Trish1974]

If it helps, you shouldn't have any trouble getting rid of two of those cockerels. I know it depends on the area, but it has never taken me more than a couple weeks to get rid a cockerel. Play up that "blue egg gene" if you try to sell them!

 

[Frazzemrat1]

The hardest part is going to be to decide WHO I want to get rid of, or multiple. I had kinda resigned myself to two. I want them to finish growing out at this point, so I can see who of the two tufted has the best... I'm pretty sure that Garrus (the cuckoo) has better tufts than our nameless new cockerel.

 

[Trish1974]

I want them to finish growing out at this point

Yeah, they can change so much from here on out. They'll hit that lanky teenager stage soon where they are all leggy and awkward. In my (limited) experience the cockerels don't change much (body and type) after 8 months. Tufts can change up to a year and a half (but they always get bigger and better not smaller).

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Yeah, they can change so much from here on out. They'll hit that lanky teenager stage soon where they are all leggy and awkward. In my (limited) experience the cockerels don't change much (body and type) after 8 months. Tufts can change up to a year and a half (but they always get bigger and better not smaller).

That's good to know! LOL Cause both of the cockerels with tufts (the cuckoo and the paint) are small. The paint is teeny at this point, with the cuckoo being a bit bigger.

The other thing is, not having 'matching' colors I have to figure out what I want with a breeding program. What I want to accomplish. Just pretty mix colored araucana (which is what I have) or to go somewhere from there.

 

[Trish1974]

That's good to know! LOL Cause both of the cockerels with tufts (the cuckoo and the paint) are small. The paint is teeny at this point, with the cuckoo being a bit bigger.

The other thing is, not having 'matching' colors I have to figure out what I want with a breeding program. What I want to accomplish. Just pretty mix colored araucana (which is what I have) or to go somewhere from there.

Play around with the Klippenjungle (spelling?) calculator to help you decide. It has helped me. In fact, I didn't realize recessive white breeds like black, so I can use Lil Sweet (the white cockerel) on two of the blue hens to create a new line of blacks. Manolito's comb is a mess, and he throws it. Lil Sweet has the tightest comb of all the males, so I'm hoping he will be my saving grace on the blacks.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Play around with the Klippenjungle (spelling?) calculator to help you decide. It has helped me. In fact, I didn't realize recessive white breeds like black, so I can use Lil Sweet (the white cockerel) on two of the blue hens to create a new line of blacks. Manolito's comb is a mess, and he throws it. Lil Sweet has the tightest comb of all the males, so I'm hoping he will be my saving grace on the blacks.

I've played with it a little. I wish I knew more of the backgrounds of some of them. Like my white... She's the only one I have that's not from Ann. I don't know if she's recessive or dominant for white. She's supposed to be a full blooded LF... but I suspect she's really a bantam since she's half the size of Sera; the pullet I got from Ann last spring.
Sera is a lovely salmon color, but she's the one with the most history I know. Her dam was a SDW and her sire was a color cross. I can't remember what with, maybe white and GDW? I thought I recorded it, but I didn't. I have a pic of her sire.
The three blues... I'm not sure. I mean, the blue mottled cockerel... as you pointed out has something in there pulling out all that gold leakage.

 

[chickengr]

The hardest part is going to be to decide WHO I want to get rid of, or multiple. I had kinda resigned myself to two. I want them to finish growing out at this point, so I can see who of the two tufted has the best... I'm pretty sure that Garrus (the cuckoo) has better tufts than our nameless new cockerel.

keep those ones that are closest to the SOP. araucana are supposed to have green legs.

 

[chickengr]

Play around with the Klippenjungle (spelling?) calculator to help you decide. It has helped me. In fact, I didn't realize recessive white breeds like black, so I can use Lil Sweet (the white cockerel) on two of the blue hens to create a new line of blacks. Manolito's comb is a mess, and he throws it. Lil Sweet has the tightest comb of all the males, so I'm hoping he will be my saving grace on the blacks.

females play bigger role in body type, comb, etc. males are more responsible for colour and egg colour gene.