Araucana thread anyone?

[mstricer]

Quote: Seriously, there is no harm. A reputable breeder will now what is true and not. If others didn't sell, they those, that want some in their backyard flock, couldn't have them. If I bought off ebay just for my flock, which is what probably 75% of the peeps who are buying them, there for, then bad on me for not researching properly. If you are not showing then it doesn't mater. If you want a SQ bird then you go to a breeder not ebay.

 

[Kassaundra]

A few pics from today Ari and the chick (he's not getting a name b/c I'm probably not keeping him)

 

[imtrying]

Seriously, there is no harm. A reputable breeder will now what is true and not. If others didn't sell, they those, that want some in their backyard flock, couldn't have them. If I bought off ebay just for my flock, which is what probably 75% of the peeps who are buying them, there for, then bad on me for not researching properly. If you are not showing then it doesn't mater. If you want a SQ bird then you go to a breeder not ebay.

some breeders use ebay. fyi.

 

[beausonge]

"I like the top rooster better than the bottom one from what I can see. The pullet is a red pyle based on wheaten. So she has dominant white which can be difficult to breed around. But I would breed her to the top roo and keep the ones that feather out correctly and then you are well on your way to a wheaten based program. The second roo can then be bred to the offspring of the first roo depending on how he feathers out."

Thanks Lanae. I agree with you that the top rooster is the. best quality. He is younger but much bigger than the other rooster and his colors are turning richer everyday. Thanks for giving me direction on starting my breeding program. I am sure I will be asking many questions this next spring.



Vickie

 

[hennesseyt]

I am just starting out with my Araucana adventure this fall. I have three lovely bantam Araucana from a local repretable breeder, S.W. Poultry. They are splash double tufted roo and two pretty black tufted pullets, that have yet to lay. I also have four, week old chicks. I would like to work with the black and blue bantams and black LF for our family 4H project (and for myself), raising them to the SOP. There is so much to learn with this breed it will make for wonderful educational lessons over the years for myself and my kids. Araucana are beautiful and I love all your pictures. Ari definitely has beautiful colors.

Vickie,I'm your neighbor to the north in Bellingham. I can't wait to hear how your project goes.
Theresa

 

[sega]

Check out my two Araucanas on Show Bird Auctions. Would like to sell these two Araucanas. E-mail me for more info.

http://showbirdauction.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.pl?category=largefowlchickens&item=1353247166

 

[Rumbull]

Now that the days are turning cold and the year is winding down, I think it would be great if everyone shared a recap of their year. For those that are working on SOP or project, lets talk about accomplishments and set backs...and pictures would be great. Darn, I wish I would have taken some today.

This years accomplishments: Not as many as I had hoped.

I hatched close to 50 wheatens and have kept 5 with two being tufted, to move forward for the next year. I had hoped to have the hens alot lighter this year than last but not the case. Baby steps. I bought 2 new roos and 2 new hens for my wheaten breeding pens. As I am watching the roos grow, 1 roo I wont be using because he is built wrong, more Jersey Giant than Araucana. So that leaves me with 1 new roo. For my wheaten BBRs going forward with this falls hatching season, I have 15 hens and 3 roosters with a rooster in reserve. Of those I have two close to perfectly colored hens and 2 roos that look really good. Not bad for pulling the wheaten from my wild types years ago. It definately has been harder than just buying them but they are mine, so that feels good.

My duckwing pen has been pretty good this year. I hatched 1 show quality pullet and have had good success showing her. She goes to stockton in January. And then Humboldt county in February. I had hatched a really nice silver roo that had lovely tufts, but I sold one that wasn't quite as nice and it died in transit so I shipped them my good roo as replacement. That still hurts but it was the right thing to do.

I hatched a stunning black pullet that has gotten 1st place at the last poultry show and will be going to Stockton and then Humboldt county for the shows this winter. She was a surprise because she hatched out of my duckwing pen. I guess I have some excess melanizers floating around in that pen. I have two duckwing pens up and running at the moment. One pen is my silvers and another is my goldens. I have 3 hens without a roo at the moment and I traded some of my blacks and blues for an excellantly colored silver duckwing roo to go with them. I get him next week.

In my red paint pen I have the original roo and this year I bred him to a wheaten hen and hatched for red paint pullets who will be bred to him this fall. I am hoping that the color stabilizes and is not sexually dimorphic. So far so good. The pullets are definately red paints just not as much red.

I will post pics later. Heading to dinner right now. But those are the only colors I work with the APA Dark Wheaten ( BBR) Silver Duckwing, Golden Duckwing, and Red Spotted.


Lanae

Thanks for sharing Lanae. I enjoy hearing what others are accomplishing. Anyone else...?

 

[Kassaundra]

Well ..................................... I have two males both to young to breed so.............................. not much going on here! lol lol lol

Sorry I couldn't resist.

 

[Brethren49619]

I bought my very first group recently and they are about 10 weeks old now. In addition, Stacykins recently gave me three of her hens that didn't fit in with her breeding program that are a welcome addition. Time will tell how good any of them come to standard. But whether they fit standard or not, I will enjoy them. It is a start, and I suppose we all need to start somewhere.

 

[smoothmule]

Rumbull,
My year was pretty good. In the spring, I hatched a lot of very nice chicks and sorted them pretty early. I had a couple of hens with the chocolate carrier cockerel but he didn't kick in and produce till summer so when he did, I put him with all my hens and hatched out some nice chocolates and mauves. I also bought a new black cockerel and have one I hatched that is turning out good so that will help. Sort of exploded with blues in the spring and sold a lot then decided to work on blues too so I have 4 nice pullets that will have a black rooster for them in the spring. I had a few new hens I had not hatched from before so I got some cool colors and I kept the best to play with in the spring with some different roosters (duckwing etc).

Some of the cockerels are outstanding other than color. I traded this cockerel for a better colored duckwing cockerel that is CF/rumpless.
He ships out this morning, so I snapped a few before I got ready for work. My husband just left with him to take him to the post office. He was such a willing fella to stand anyway I posed him. I probably should have kept him but in addition to getting a more proper colored duckwing cockerel in exchange, it will be better to outcross with my pullets hatched this year that are duckwing type.