Araucana thread anyone?

[smoothmule]

Syble,
As long as you have a way to over winter them, go for it. I hatch any time of year. Generally, I give my hens a break from late Sept/early Oct to December. I will be picking out who to breed for a few to hatch in December. I still have some young pullets so they and any hens I don't use in Dec will have their own pen.
I incubate, have a brooder inside but not a whole lot of room for over wintering young. I'm working on making an outside brooder/warmer to see if it will work here. It all depends on the winter weather which we can't really predict here. Last winter was very mild. The previous winters have gotten as low as 13 below zero so I try not to hatch too many too early. I can say that in January one year, if I could get to the eggs before they froze solid then I could hatch them. Araucana's seem to be very suited to temperature extremes. They did just as well at 113 degrees here this summer, the whole summer was bitter hot.

I generally go ahead and start in by January to February and they're fine outside by the time they should be outside.

 

[syble]

I am limited in the space i have though i do have some space to work with. I may end up culling heavily early on and just raising the ones with potential this time... Thankfully i think my friend is hatching spring sale pullets and the like lol.

I added the cockerel to that pen yesterday, i will start collecting eggs to hatch next week lol. I'll blame you guys if my family decides on an intervention.

As a side note, what is the preferred type of tuft? I'm assuming the more even/uniform the better, but i have some birds with up swept puffs, and others with pin wheel flare tufts?

 

[smoothmule]

I'm not aware of any type tuft being preferred. Full, equal sized and positioned tufts are desired. I have both the upswept and spiral tufts here.

 

[cashdl]

The SOP considers swept back, curled ringlet to be the ideal form but judges should not place undue emphasis on the shape, size and symmetry, but reward matching types and sizes appropriately as they occur. If at a show and there are two birds that are evenly matched it may come down to the shape of the tufts to determine which is going to place higher.

Personally for me it is the backswept upright tufts that are preferred. I do not like the droopy ones at all.


Lanae

 

[syble]

they aren't droopy, they are like cartoon exploded cigars lol

 

[imtrying]

they aren't droopy, they are like cartoon exploded cigars lol

ha

 

[syble]

I tried to take a photo of the tufts, but apparently taking pictures of a black bird with black tufts is nearly impossible to show detail lol. they are curled little pin wheel tufts. the rooster had better ones but has been plucked by some commercial hens

 

[poularde]

Do not mean to butt in. Are the tufts like my lovely girl Crocus tufts?




Tufts are very hard to get a photo of.

 

[syble]

by all means butt in, its an open conversation. but yes, those are the ones! She is a very pretty girl! I only produced one clean faced rumpless blue pullet this year, but shes a beaut! I just wish she had tufts like yours!



Shes still young yet, but I look forward to hatching a lot of her eggs come spring! I have a black tufted roo to breed her with!

 

[poularde]

Thank you. I wish her tuft on the other side was as big. I love your description. Exploded cigars... I will have to remember that one. Your girl is lovely too.