Araucana thread anyone?

[cackleberrycoop]

Gosh I wish we could go, but there is no way I can get away from here again so soon - still catching up after that last weekend gone. I hope you make it to the show- I found the Montana one to be a very welcome mental boost heading into the dreaded winter months when my poultry enthusiasm usually lags a bit.

 

[smoothmule]

Here are the pics of the young Araucana's I brought home yesterday. I don't have a clue about ages but estimated about 6 months or near that, some could be older, some younger. Several have so many feathers off the back that you can't really tell if they are tailed or not but only 2 of the 8 do not have tufts and one lil girl has a load of tufts. The ones with tufts all have them on both sides. I saved the images pretty small so I could put them all on here. I'd love to hear from any of you who breed whether they're pullets/cockerels, what color? etc. I named them all pretty quickly so I came up with some pretty weird names.

All observations appreciated as well as what colors you all would choose to breed them with to get back to some standard colors. I am planning to get a "good" black rooster, any other ideas?

Blot - can't tell on the tail but no tufts

Crazylegs - tailed/tufted

Fawn - I thought she was a dirty white but she's a very pale taupey fawn color. - partial tail with good tufts

Lilbit - crazy big tufts, partial tail

Luvdove - tail but sort of an odd downturned tail - tufts - kind of a lavender color with spots.

Macho - Huge, heavy boned bird. Pretty sure its a cockerel and probably older than the others - tailed???dun't know yet, no tufts

Spot - Splash? can't tell about the tail till the feathers grow back. tufted

Tiger - pretty sure tailless, tufted and what a cool color/pattern

 

[coturnix2044]

I can't tell on the sexes because I can't see the pics too well, but They may be in a molt or just got pecked, either way Good nutrition and care should make them better

Tyler

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
Wow, some neat tufts in that bunch - I bet you were really excited to find them. I'm having a hard time seeing the chickens in any detail because of the picture size, but it looks like some of that feather loss on the back is due to roosters mounting and that may help you tell who are the girls at least. I have had hens who's backs were bald, right down to the skin like that, due to roosters. It's awful and doesn't always grow back completely either. I feel guilty every time I find one of my girls looking like that. Have you flipped them "behind" side up and moved the feathers away from their vent to look for mites? That may be a contributing factor also, as you mentioned. Fawns cool looking with that single, great big tuft. Congratulations on a bounty of awesome Araucanas.

 

[smoothmule]

Thanks, I think they're really going to finish maturing pretty nice but it will take some work. The weird thing is that even one of them (Macho) that is the largest and obviously male, has the same bald back. I didn't worry about looking for lice or mites, I just treated them for it with Ivermectin pour on for cattle, a few drops on the bare skin was easy with no feathers to pull back......

The markings on some of the hackle feathers are making it interesting to tell pullet from cockerel. I think Macho is the only obvious male at this point but they're all still young. Two of them are a good bit smaller in size as well as bone (leg and feet). This guy doesn't have bantams or I would suspect they were bantams. I guess we'll see when they're older and weigh them to be sure. I have a bantam rooster coming so it will be fine either way.
Fawn actually has bilateral tufts but the other side has a smaller tuft. All of them that are tufted have tufts on both sides but some are smaller on one side. They all have some degree of feather loss on the backs, it's just weird but I think we'll get it fixed.

Here's a larger pic of Lilbits tufts, they are so nice. Large, fluffy, and equal in size and placing. She's one of the 2 that are smaller. I hope she's just younger and will grow to at least the minimum for a LF hen.

It's really hard to see some of the tufts in the small pics but here is the back of Tigers head, I think Tiger is a pullet. I think she's pretty cool.

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
Ha! Sure beats hunting through the bottom feathers for creepy crawlies!

 

[smoothmule]

You betcha it does

I am pretty sure they have not had anything done for them. They don't feel heavy enough and the breastbone is very prominent. I put them on probiotics, vitamins and will worm them this weekend. I didn't want to do too much all at once. They're eating like little piggies. They're pretty calm and I brought the 2 smaller pullets into the barn in a pen alone. I thought they were being pushed around too much by the larger ones and I worried they wouldn't get enough to eat. They're still quarantined and pampered

The larger ones are in a large rabbit hutch outside the barn. It's got a regular roof, 2 sides are wire, 2 sides are solid and I blocked the hole to the box, they were all getting in the box and stuck so they couldn't get out they were crammed in so tight, silly birds. And it was warm out, they were actually getting too hot all smashed in there together. I think they were just scared and looking for a hiding spot. They seemed to relax more when they had no choice but to be out in the pen. I'm working on another pen for them to finish growing and maturing so they won't have the pressure of a mature rooster hounding them.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Very nice assortment.

Okay, so here it goes on gender. . .

1 - Unsure, need bigger photo

2 - Unsure, need bigger photo.

3 - BOY! That is a big comb.

4 - Boy - Red on shoulders

5 - Girl

6 - Boy, color gives it away. Any red, yellow, or brown/gold on the shoulders always says boy.

7 - Not sure. Color says girl, but comb is kinda big. How old are they?

8 - Boy, again the red on the shoulder.

 

[smoothmule]

Ilia,
Amazing!
Thank you and I have learned a lot from you today.
I don't have a clue about the ages. I don't even know if they're even the same ages.

Here is Blot (number 1 again)

Here is number 2 again (crazylegs)

Here are a couple of Spot (Number 7)

Cathy

 

[Illia]

Spot is a boy, but will do good for any splash project you may want to work with.

Crazylegs, edited - Looks like a boy.

To me, all your babies look to be under 16 weeks of age. Again, if they are older - Then you've got more girls than I said in there, except of course the red shouldered ones.