Araucana thread anyone?

[smoothmule]

Just went out to look at some of the youngsters and made two discoveries.
First, is it possible I hatched mottled chicks? I am replacing my main roo for next years breeding so I have rotated 3 roosters into the blue/black pen in hopes of getting an unrelated cockerel chick. These two chicks are black and white but not barred. I thought mottling was recessive so both the hen and roo would have to have a copy of the gene. Is that right? Does this look like mottled to you?





Second chick




Now the second discovery. Look again at this second chick again.

She has a third tuft on her/his neck!

Interesting third tuft, sometimes health issues can come up from extra tufts, depending on where they are. The color looks black to me, I'm betting the white areas will end up black when the chick is mature.

 

[smoothmule]

I have really focused on the facial features of my barred araucana when deciding where to cull. Here is a face shot of one of the cockerels that has made it through the culling thus far. He has made it far enough to start crowing and dancing for the girls. I love how red his head is! His barring is quite nice as well. If only there were big barred tufts on that red face, oh my!


This is my one black pullet that made it through also. I have several younger black pullets that I am waiting to evaluate.

She has the best tufts that I have hatched.


Here is a group photo of some of the early springs hatching that I have held onto. The cockerel in the middle is the second one that has made it through. His barring is not as crisp but his comb is tighter. He is a few weeks behind the first boy so I will see how his comb looks as he matures. He has small tufts.


I have several good blues as well. Tufted but small tufts.


This is my best candidate for a good black cockerel. No leakage yet but to early to say he will stay that way. Have my fingers crossed. Nice double tufted.

This was a good year. I am happy with my birds that will be going into next years breeding plan. I still have more weeding out to do which is a good thing. My "rejects" this year are so much better than the birds I started with several years ago.

They are looking awesome, Love both roos and I love seeing each years progress. Working with project colors as well, it's interesting how subtle the shape of the head, length of leg, all sorts of things begin to catch your eye when you're breeding in a new variety. I'm very impressed with your flock

 

[Rumbull]

Hatched my first chick from the dun hens this morning, definitely dun. Wow, I thought it was blue but not. Looks chocolate but far cooler in color and it's rumpless. Very nice big chick by the same cockerels I'm getting all these chocolates from.

Here are 5 chicks, a black (E), a black (Er) Araucana chicks then 2 chocolates, one much darker and like all the other chocolates so far but one is a paler chocolate (No idea why yet) and then the dun chick. I put them together so the colors would show the differences. The far left is the dun chick, middle dark chocolate next to the lighter chocolate, the E black on top and Er chick on bottom. I have 8 eggs under one of the dun hens, hoping for more dun. The dun hens will go to my double tufted/rumpless black roo next.

You will have to share photos as these mature. It will be an education for most of us to see the difference between chocolate and dun as chicks, adolescents and mature. Very cool. Could the difference between the two chocolates be like blues where you can have light blues and dark blues?

 

[smoothmule]

You will have to share photos as these mature. It will be an education for most of us to see the difference between chocolate and dun as chicks, adolescents and mature. Very cool. Could the difference between the two chocolates be like blues where you can have light blues and dark blues?

I don't know at this point. I don't know the cause of the lightness or darkness of blues either. I don't have blues here but I've had them in the past and from palest powder blue to darker. They aren't just variances, in my opinion, but other genes that affect how that blue or dun bird appears visually. There is still a Lot we don't have knowledge about.

 

[chickydoos]

I came across someone who had to move out of their house immediately. They were breeders and said all chickens were free. So i went to see what they had. And i got quite lucky i think! I got a buttercup hen and a rumpless pair of what i believe are araucanas. The roo is mainly lavender and chocolate colored. Very handsome! And the hen is blavk with splashed of white on her. She is rumplessbut has two or three feathers that point downward. But looks completely rumpless as well other than that. Im familiar with the araucana breed as i breed ee and know the difference. But they are clean faced. Which i know not all araucana come out with tufts. I wish i could post up a pic but i get horrible service here. I have some great pics tho and will post them as soon as i get to a 4G area...

 

[smoothmule]

I came across someone who had to move out of their house immediately. They were breeders and said all chickens were free. So i went to see what they had. And i got quite lucky i think! I got a buttercup hen and a rumpless pair of what i believe are araucanas. The roo is mainly lavender and chocolate colored. Very handsome! And the hen is blavk with splashed of white on her. She is rumplessbut has two or three feathers that point downward. But looks completely rumpless as well other than that. Im familiar with the araucana breed as i breed ee and know the difference. But they are clean faced. Which i know not all araucana come out with tufts. I wish i could post up a pic but i get horrible service here. I have some great pics tho and will post them as soon as i get to a 4G area...

Please do, maybe you can get a friend to post for you

 

[chickydoos]

Araucana roo?

Cant seem to get a good pick of her but this is the hen. Semi rumpless. Taking a dust bath. she lays a pretty blue egg.maybe a slight green tint. Is she araucana?

 

[chickydoos]

They are very small. Like a bantam size. But the hen lays a rather good size egg.

 

[Rumbull]

What a great find! It is hard to tell from just a photo but he looks to be the lavender version of a gold duckwing? He might be blue though, I can't tell. I am wondering if she might be mottled. Both are unique. Welcome to araucana ownership. You can't beat free! What part of MO do you live in? I could hook you up with a tufted black pullet to get some tufts into your flock.

 

[chickydoos]

What a great find! It is hard to tell from just a photo but he looks to be the lavender version of a gold duckwing? He might be blue though, I can't tell. I am wondering if she might be mottled. Both are unique. Welcome to araucana ownership. You can't beat free! What part of MO do you live in? I could hook you up with a tufted black pullet to get some tufts into your flock.

Thanks! Im glad he has the lavender in him. I just love lavender coloring. And i would def be interested in a pullet. Would like some tufts. I live in jefferson county area. Where are u located?