Araucana thread anyone?

[Tarac]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-and-discussing-our-birds/19470#post_10885732

I posted in the Americana thread too, pics at the above link (have uploading issues intermittently for whatever reason).

A BYC member acquired eggs from a breeder sold as Araucana. I think they might be legit Araucanas but I'm a complete newbie to the finer points of chicken morphology. The one I focused on in the pics is the lightest of your but they all are blue (except maybe that one- is it? It is much lighter and has those light "eyebrows" where the other three are all dark faced). All their wing feathers are a similar grey color so far and the legs are all the same on each. One does have a small downward curved tail growing in but the rest are like the one in the pic.

I can't tell if the form is right or if these are really EEs. It looks rumpless and I think it has the tufts but I'm not quite sure what a muff and beard look like on a chick either. What are your opinions? Can someone please critique the chick so I know if I am looking at the right characters or not? Thanks very much! Either way they are pets and I love em anyway. I think they're pretty regardless but am curious what I should be calling them properly.

 

[poularde]

I have a real hard time telling from the photo. The chick is still pretty young. I do not see any tufts in the photo. Hard to say. It could be an Araucana. I would let it feather in more and then take some more pics. I am sure we can get a better look and tell you for sure then.

 

[Tarac]

OK, thanks. The one in the pics is the only one with prominent cheeks but I don't know how to tell muffs from tufts in chicks. They are quite obvious from above, muffs or tufts. Something unique about that one's face so far, besides the "eyebrows." They have all been quite slow to feather but one, the mille fleur d'uccles ("bossy" snuck in the second as *she* does for everything lol) are about a week younger and all have full wing feathers and small tails already.

So, to clarify for me, you can't tell Ameraucana, EE, or Araucana apart as chicks unless there is some glaring inconsistency? If there is a particular angle or closeup that would help I can take it.

Also, that is a blue, correct?

 

[BohoKnitterChic]

Me again. I got the chicks 4 week pictures. Do you all mind if I post my cross chicken pictures here? I know they aren't pure Araucana (although I'm not sure about Tesla).

Sadie and the unnamed black (black copper?) chick are definitely Araucana/Marans crosses but the black one has one lone feather sticking out of its backside. It's pretty silly looking. I'm hoping Sadie is a pullet but I still don't know about the black chick.

Tiny Tesla has me so confused. Two toned legs, no feathers on the legs, tuft cheeks, rumpless. He/she is about 2/3 of the size of the other chicks and is the slowest to feather. You can't tell because it's always standing in the front of pictures. I'm thinking it might be a bantam? That's a possibility with the flock they came from. I also can't even begin to guess what it's feathers are going to look like. It looks like on back they're coming in black and on the breast they're coming in black and white? I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's grown.

 

[Flowerbh]

Just want to follow this thread. Would like some Araucanas in the future.

 

[KirstenJL]

Does anyone here use hen saddles on their Araucanas? What size do you use? Thanks!

Kirsten

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

I thought I'd let everyone know that we are back into araucanas! My family was at a show a couple weeks back and won a pair of white araucana bantams. Not the BBR largefowl that I wanted but I'm sure I can use them somehow. The rooster has the weight of a cornish, very hefty guy

 

[Slinglings]

How old are Araucanas generally when they start to lay eggs? I got one in early December that was supposed to be about 4 months old and she has never laid an egg yet, she must be close to 9 months old by now. Her comb and wattles seem to be getting larger and reddening up this week, so I'm hopeful it will happen soon. It just seems so late. This isn't a recent picture, her comb is a little redder than this now. She's a cute little thing.

 

[Slinglings]

I don't know why but this picture made me giggle

 

[hennesseyt]

How old are Araucanas generally when they start to lay eggs? I got one in early December that was supposed to be about 4 months old and she has never laid an egg yet, she must be close to 9 months old by now. Her comb and wattles seem to be getting larger and reddening up this week, so I'm hopeful it will happen soon. It just seems so late. This isn't a recent picture, her comb is a little redder than this now. She's a cute little thing.

My bantam Araucanas didn't start laying until 9 or 10 months. I have heard some say their Araucana didn't start laying until they were a year old. So, Its pretty common I think. You should be getting some eggs soon! She is a cute little thing