Araucana thread anyone?

[Frazzemrat1]

They lock down on The 15th. I’m gonna have Easter chicks, I hope. Lol

That is if I calculated right. I put them in the incubator on the evening of the 26th. That means 'Day 1’ was the 28th, right?

 

[The Moonshiner]

I don't understand how these hatcheries can get away with calling EEs Araucanas? That is blatant false advertising!

Or is it?
I started raising my own birds back in the 70s. Back when hatcheries sent out catalogs and you sent in your order with a check. So it wasn't like popping from site to site on the internet like now days so not sure what was going on with every hatchery or all the breeders but I can explain a little about what was my world back then.
When I first saw blue egg laying chickens from hatcheries they were all called araucanas.
Araucanas and ameraucanas weren't an accepted breed back then. And EE wasn't even a term used.
My first hatchery araucanas were actually what they are today for the most part. Within a couple years I ditched the hatchery birds and got into showing and buying from show folks.
Back then I as fascinated as many were with the blue eggs but breeding araucanas was a pain in the @SS because of the lethal genes. Many of us actually thought the lethal gene was linked to the rumpless and didn't know it was really linked to the tufts.
It was standard to bred rumpless to tailed to get around the lethal gene.
We were clueless. Hatcheries sold araucanas because that's what all of them were called back then.
Somewhere along the line the ameraucana started getting developed. I like many switched over because they didn't have the lethal genes. Hatcheries mostly switched over too.
Some continued calling those araucanas while others recognised they were a different bird headed in a different direction and the name Americana was born. They were the new breed of American araucanas.
Of course somewhere with the breed fanciers they became ameraucana and were eventually accepted and became a breed as had the araucanas years before.
So with the hatcheries some stuck with what they began with. The blue egg layers being sold as araucana. Others switched to selling theirs as Americana and maybe some as ameraucana.
Maybe that sheds some light on why the hatcheries label their birds as they do. I don't believe many if any are deliberately misleading or trying to scam people. They're just guilty of not keeping up with the times or changes in poultry when it comes to the blue egg layers and what's exactly what or supposed to be what.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Welp, Today is day 6 on my eggs. I'm gonna candle tonight and see what happens. Hopefully everything is swell. I will say this, I'm not probably gonna use this incubator again after this. It fluctuates tons, and the temp says its at what it should be, but the thermometer says its not there. So... After this, I may just go back to my original plan of letting my brahma brood. LOL
I'll keep y'all posted tonight...

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Well, I think I'm going to have to wait until my brahma goes broody again this year. She's a stubborn and persistent broody, so we'll see. About half of the eggs didn't start. The ones that did were reddish and opaque.
I've done a review on the dang incubator and I'm returning it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/magicfly-digital-mini-fully-automatic-egg-incubator.11916/

Guess if I do the incubating thing, I'll end up getting a brinsea or something along those lines. Or maybe I'm not cut out for incubating.

 

[Trish1974]

I'm not too excited about incubating either, but I can't wait on broody either. Six more days I get to check eggs for fertility! I hope to set my first batch May 1st.
Bluebell is picking the hell out of Buck's feathers. At the rate she's going he'll be bald by the end of the week. Honestly, the past couple weeks all these birds are driving me nuts and I'm questioning if I really want to breed or not .

 

[Frazzemrat1]

I'm not too excited about incubating either, but I can't wait on broody either. Six more days I get to check eggs for fertility! I hope to set my first batch May 1st.
Bluebell is picking the hell out of Buck's feathers. At the rate she's going he'll be bald by the end of the week. Honestly, the past couple weeks all these birds are driving me nuts and I'm questioning if I really want to breed or not .

I hear you. I have the mixed flock, and while I'd love to get a matched set of araucana and breed them (and maybe make easter eggers off the rest) I don't know if I have the wear with all to do this. Figured I could repopulate my own flock that way.
Currently, we give away our extra eggs. My husband doesn't like the idea of selling specifically EE eggs or Aruacana eggs. Even if they're for the purposes of hatching, rather than eating. Sigh. I don't think he gets it. I don't know, we'll see what happens. Kinda need a rooster before I can go through with these ideas.

 

[Trish1974]

When I had ONE flock it was chicken paradise. What's driving me nuts (other than the problems I have had/am having with the two blues I purchased from Araucana Addiction) is tending to all the different pens. I basically quadrupled my chores. Every morning I make 3 trips from the house to the barn with feed and water, then have to deal with 4 pens individually.
If I do not have fertile eggs by May 1st, I am going to contact Ann Charles about buying some chicks. My biological chick-clock is ticking !

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I think I’m going to switch from zip tie identification to wing bands for my flock.

 

[Trish1974]

I think I’m going to switch from zip tie identification to wing bands for my flock.

What made you change your mind?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

What made you change your mind?

Having to worry about if the zip tie is too tight or if it’s too loose and will ride up the hock. I also have a bird with leg mites who I need to treat and the zip tie gets in the way.