Araucana thread anyone?

[flyingmonkeypoop]

When we used to be big into breeding the araucanas, the tailed smooth faced birds would just get sold as easter eggers. To me, if it doesn't have at least 1 of the main body traits (tufted or rumpless) then I won't sell it as an araucana.

 

[MaineiacJay]

thank you guys, you all make very good points and im beginning to think that i may pass them up. i got photos as well and the only one that is really nice looking to me is the second one, the other two look a little scruffy. maybe its just a molt, but im not sure. but they do look like just regular chickens with the tail and smooth face.

 

[beausonge]

thank you guys, you all make very good points and im beginning to think that i may pass them up. i got photos as well and the only one that is really nice looking to me is the second one, the other two look a little scruffy. maybe its just a molt, but im not sure. but they do look like just regular chickens with the tail and smooth face.

I agree with you. Pass them up. They might have Araucana but doesn't look like much...

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: And that "nicer looking" second one has the wrong comb...

 

[MaineiacJay]

and thats why i like this forum

thanks guys, going to pass them up

 

[KirstenJL]

I have a question for the serious breeders out there. What's your system for record keeping? I've been flailing away using a combination of a spreadsheet and the "Pages" app on my iPad. What I would really like is a page for each bird with all pertinent info, pics of chick down, juvenile plumage, and adult plumage. A pedigree with pics would be great too. I'm about ready to just cave and do it on paper. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[smoothmule]

I am just now getting things manageable by selling down to only a black pen and my projects. I'm not keeping written records, I am doing color banding to keep them sorted out. I don't worry about who's the mother but I do keep track of the roosters used with the hens. I have my adult hens banded with metal, numbered bands that help me keep track of age, etc that I just put on a regular spreadsheet. If I know something particular about each hen I write it down, like if I see her lay then record the egg color for more work down the road. The chicks are just banded by color to tell me what color pen they came from and they will get a permanent band and record the year hatched, any faults noted etc to help me later in the summer for sorting and culling.


Here is my chocolate Araucana pullet (first generation cross) and she is fully rumpless and has a large tuft and tiny tuft. She was broody so I let her set some Serama eggs for me, they're hatching now.

 

[KirstenJL]

She's beautiful! And what a cute baby!

 

[Shaffer]

This was such a great year for fertility. I had near 100% in both my Lavender Araucanas and Black Araucanas. Could not believe it. I probably could have sold hatching eggs but have heard so many complain about shipped eggs they bought from others I did not want to have that stigmatizium labeled with my birds. I have culled most of my breeders since I got such a nice flock of youngsters coming up not saying the breeders were bad just I need to cut back after a fantastic hatching season in all my birds.

 

[Rumbull]

This was such a great year for fertility. I had near 100% in both my Lavender Araucanas and Black Araucanas. Could not believe it. I probably could have sold hatching eggs but have heard so many complain about shipped eggs they bought from others I did not want to have that stigmatizium labeled with my birds. I have culled most of my breeders since I got such a nice flock of youngsters coming up not saying the breeders were bad just I need to cut back after a fantastic hatching season in all my birds.

Congratulations! That's a great first half of the year. It is exciting when you have that kind of improvement in the young ones that you can move on to using the new generation. I have been hatching more eggs than the previous two years. I have a lot of young ones that are in the grow out stage to see who gets to stay as the best of the best. I plan to replace both of my roosters this year with better offspring.