Araucana thread anyone?

[klf73]

Quote:
just what I have read, wasn't sure if it was opinion or experience

interesting info, how many years have you been working with them? The problem with this breed is that there aren't a lot of people with "the real thing" hence the problem getting a lot of info. I have some and haven't separated my trio yet. My hens are free ranging with my blue wheaten ameraucana.
I am looking forward to breeding my own and gain some experience

 

[klf73]

Quote:
good, so I'm not crazy

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I have read the same info. I have read a lot of stuff about them that isn't holding true for me. Maybe in about 10-15 years I may know more about how people get birds that are deformed with certain breeding. But I am finding that in all the breeds I raise there are all sorts of things that can happen. A lot of time it is trying to change what occurs naturally. That may be fine for some but not me. I don't show so I don't have to force the birds into something that isn't natural for them to make a show on time or have it be a certain age for the show season.
I am on the 4th generation now of my birds and have been breeding a few years. I still have the first flock I started with as well as the ones I have bred and have learned so much about them through experience. I am running 3 flocks right now. I do not breed father/daughter or anything that close in mine. I may take a great grand daughter back to my original roo but I don't know if I will gain anything. I am still looking into that.
They are great birds! I enjoy them so much.

 

[cashdl]

Now I have a dumb question. If you breed two birds that don't have the last vertebre and are tailless, how come you can get tailed birds sometimes. All my birds are rumpless and every once in a while I get a bird with a few tails. They of course are destined for the egg pen if hens and the stew pot if boys.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Well, I suppose that depends on where you get your birds from. I haven't ever had a tailed Araucana hatch. I am betting that back in the lines there are tailed birds but I was fortunate to get some really nice birds from different breeders and haven't had one hatch yet.
To me these birds are not breeding true when they are crossed with tailed birds since you can't show those and are not in the standard. I don't breed for willow colored legs because I don't think the standard is anywhere near what we actually can get. It just isn't realistic. I breed for what I like and want. Last year, my best year so far in quality, I had way more than 60% hatch with tufts, all were rumpless and even my extra roos are all sold. I hatched over 200 chicks from 3 breeding pens. I do not sell at auctions either. I also have never eaten an Araucana though we eat many other breeds here.

 

[cashdl]

How come you don't eat the araucana? If I can't sell it or give it away and it is not going in my breeding pen than it has to go somewhere, and all I have are araucana's, except my EE's which are for eating eggs and selling eggs.

It sounds like you don't have many culls though which I am jealous of and hope to get to some day. If you have hatching eggs or birds for sale please let me know as I always want more.

Lanae

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I have plenty of culls but other people buy them so I haven't had the chance to eat any. This one fella that is a mix Araucana running around the farm is a pet and it would kill my DD if we ate him. But like I said, he isn't a full Araucana, though rumpless and tufted. He is my only "cull" at the moment from the Araucana pens.
At one time I had 68 and wondered what the heck to do with what I didn't need or want but a few months later word got out and people bought everything I had available and then some. Most people don't like the way they look but the ones that do will buy as many as I will let go. It goes in spurts.
Because of my other breeding interests I do not have near the numbers in my breeding flocks as I used to. A few hatched out this morning but I have so many orders to fill this season I haven't even been taking more names.

 

[cashdl]

It would seem patience is the key. I am in the early stages of this years hatches, and no matter what, my only culls would be roos because I sell eggs, so that is good. So far the roos are rumpless.

I am like you. I am not as concerned with show standard when it comes to color. I like the odd colors anyway. I mostly like the look of the araucana's and the blue eggs are a plus for sure. I also have EE's for the blue eggs. I do have a pen that is a duckwing araucana roo with several EE's. I am getting quite a few rumpless all with heavy beards. The EE's I have all lay beautiful blue eggs. The araucana egg color is all over the place. Once I build up my flock more, I think egg color is what I will work on. For now just loving the chickens running around.

 

[bikergirl]

Two of my double tuffed rumpless araucana chicks from last weeks hatch

 

[cashdl]

First congratulations on your babies. Second, what colors do you think they are.