Araucana thread anyone?

[NatureChica]

Yup, agreed with

If you want guaranteed tufted, you will need to go to an auction. Buying chicks there is no guarentee.

I personally want to get chicks from a hen and rooster where one may have tufts and the other not and go from there. I like the chances of raising my own better...eggs or chicks for me personally so long as one is tufted you will get a few tufts. If both are tufted then some will die. Fatal tuft gene....

 

[Cockatrice6420]

They're shipping them at hatching stage???
Wow...um, ive never heard of that before. I didn't think it was possible since they need a high humidity and consistent temps. The jostling during shipping, suffocating in packing material if they pip early... I dunno how well that's gonna work. Anyone with experience know?

Most of the hatcheries, including Cash's Blue Eggs and Chicken Scratch Poultry, do warn that all be it cheaper the eggs have much less viability when shipped. It's nice though that there are ways to get started on a modest budget

 

[Ravynscroft]

These three chicks were hatched 3 and a half weeks ago, they are British Standard Araucana. They were from eggs that a nearby breeder sold me, they come from a few different colours of Araucana hens so are not related. I am curious about the colour of the brown partridge coloured one. I think that this is going to be a Blue Red, would anyone else have any knowledge of this? I wondered if the salmon colouring coming in on the chest feathers might indicate a female or if that might change as it gets more feathers. Any help gratefully accepted!

First chick looks to be classic Black Breasted Red... in first set of feathers both sexes seem to get those feathers in the breast... if the second set come in black on breast, male, and if they stay salmon colored, female... nice little blacks too!

 

[graphicali]

Thank you very much for that information, what age do the second set come in with araucanas or does it vary from bird to bird? The last photo is of a chick that looks like it might be blue, it never had the white "shirt front" and although it is difficult to see in this photo (it was all fluffed up against the breeze) it is a dark grey colour. It's feathers are coming in much darker than its down was.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Thank you very much for that information, what age do the second set come in with araucanas or does it vary from bird to bird? The last photo is of a chick that looks like it might be blue, it never had the white "shirt front" and although it is difficult to see in this photo (it was all fluffed up against the breeze) it is a dark grey colour. It's feathers are coming in much darker than its down was.

Ach, you're right... just took a closer look at the last chick and see the lacing on the feathers, it's a blue...
The yellow chick down on front of the black just means it's based on E, extenended black (means the black will extend through that area as it feathers out)...
Usually they molt anywhere from 2 to 4 months with any lf breed...

 

[graphicali]

Thank you that is very helpful to me!

 

[littlemissbatam]

Do you guys think it would be a good idea to put araucana pullit in with a flock of bantams and two

 

[NatureChica]

Im sure others will chime in as well but since I noticed there was no response I thought id post a comment.
I personally dont mix sizes. Bantams stay with bantams and large fowl keep to their own. Even had problems with skinny bird breeds getting picked on by the chunkier ones so I tend to keep them seperated unless necessary.

If I have to add them in I do what most people do and sneak them in at night. I put them on an empty roosting space and then first thing in the morning I observe behaviors and continue to do so for awhile each day til im convinced no one is going to bully anyone else.

 

[NatureChica]

An araucana and bantams might be fine together since araucana's are very slight birds.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

I have a composite flock myself. Faverolles, marans, welsummer, sussex, wyandotte, partridge rock, ameracaunas, etc. We also have three coops, we haven't had a problem too much with age differences if there is a mommy bird to protect babies. Other than that we do keep ours in a brooder area until they're old enough to divide into the coops.