Araucana thread anyone?

[Trish1974]

Well, my friends... I think I have 2 cockerels... I think Cassandra is an Iron Bull. Thoughts? Oh, and here’s Varric for good measure. Lol cause he’s so handsome!View attachment 1849168View attachment 1849169View attachment 1849170View attachment 1849171View attachment 1849173

How old is she?

 

[Frazzemrat1]

10 weeks or so.

 

[Trish1974]

Probably cockerel, but Araucanas can be tricky.

 

[Trish1974]

@Stiletto you were asking about personalities a few days ago... I wanted to add that Araucanas have a VERY strong family unit. They seem to get really attached to family members, and I've noticed hens MUST be in with a cockbird or they are a bundle of nerves. I kept sibling pullets and cockerels together way past the point where most people would have separated them, and there was no trouble. One son paired up with the mother, and each remaining cockerel paired up with a pullet and nobody fought. When I sold one of the cockerels, I went ahead and divided them into breeding pens. Even though they could see and touch each other through a fence, they still tried to get back in with each other. They would even spend all day sitting up against the fence touching. When I got a big group of birds from a breeder this spring, I had some hens divided out while I decided where to put them, and during that time they were flighty, hyped up spazzes. Once they got in with a cockbird, it was like an instant Valium. They immediately calmed down and acted normal. This breed is just so unique in both personality and appearance. They seem to have a deeper level of intelligence than other breeds. Even my boyfriend, who knows little about chickens said, "No offense to your other chickens (hatchery layers), but these Araucanas are much more intelligent. You can see it in their eyes."

 

[Frazzemrat1]

You know, that was a timely post, @Trish1974. I was planning on asking you if you thought I could keep two cocks together. I'm going to hopefully finish integration this weekend, and get them moved into the coop. The two groups have been out in the yard together, and the only one who has a problem is the araucana x I have. Luckily, in the past, my flock has been fairly welcoming. For chickens.
Anyway... I'm hoping that with 11 hens and 1 pullet, that they'll be happy.


You know... if the dark salmon araucana is a cockerel as suspected.

 

[Trish1974]

You know, that was a timely post, @Trish1974. I was planning on asking you if you thought I could keep two cocks together. I'm going to hopefully finish integration this weekend, and get them moved into the coop. The two groups have been out in the yard together, and the only one who has a problem is the araucana x I have. Luckily, in the past, my flock has been fairly welcoming. For chickens.
Anyway... I'm hoping that with 11 hens and 1 pullet, that they'll be happy.


You know... if the dark salmon araucana is a cockerel as suspected.

Since they are growing up together, I bet you will be able to keep them together. I was going to ask if you were planning on keeping both.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Since they are growing up together, I bet you will be able to keep them together. I was going to ask if you were planning on keeping both.

I'm seriously considering it. If they'll get along. If they don't, then I will have to find a new home for him. I think it would be interesting, if he is indeed a he... to breed him to my white and see what falls out of that.

 

[Stiletto]

@Stiletto you were asking about personalities a few days ago... I wanted to add that Araucanas have a VERY strong family unit. They seem to get really attached to family members, and I've noticed hens MUST be in with a cockbird or they are a bundle of nerves. I kept sibling pullets and cockerels together way past the point where most people would have separated them, and there was no trouble. One son paired up with the mother, and each remaining cockerel paired up with a pullet and nobody fought. When I sold one of the cockerels, I went ahead and divided them into breeding pens. Even though they could see and touch each other through a fence, they still tried to get back in with each other. They would even spend all day sitting up against the fence touching. When I got a big group of birds from a breeder this spring, I had some hens divided out while I decided where to put them, and during that time they were flighty, hyped up spazzes. Once they got in with a cockbird, it was like an instant Valium. They immediately calmed down and acted normal. This breed is just so unique in both personality and appearance. They seem to have a deeper level of intelligence than other breeds. Even my boyfriend, who knows little about chickens said, "No offense to your other chickens (hatchery layers), but these Araucanas are much more intelligent. You can see it in their eyes."

Thank you for sharing! I really appreciate such observations.

Presently, my Araucana lives with two other pullets; a Marans and a Leghorn. The Araucana and BCM often hang out together, the Leghorn will either join them or do her own thing. I'll be integrating these with the other three hens I have, but she's the only Araucana.

Thankfully, she's quite calm and active - not a bundle of nerves at all. She's the first to come up to meet me when I go into their run and is the most friendly and engaging (followed by the BCM and trailed by the Leghorn!).

I'm pleased to read about your insight into Araucanas' intelligence. Yesterday I lured her to put one foot onto my arm and I was telling my DH that I'm tempted to try and clicker train her. We'll have to see if I actually follow through with this idea...

 

[Trish1974]

So I'm thinking about letting the juveniles (the four 8 week olds from my first hatch) out to mingle with the big flock this evening. They have been in a coop within the run of the original flock (layers and Cholo) for 4 weeks now. Since the cockerels are starting to crow and chest-bump, I'm thinking they need to start learning manners and who better to teach them than a group of mean ol' biddies and the sweetest cockbird around. I hope the layers down eat them!

I got my new incubator part yesterday, but I don't think I will set anymore eggs this summer. I NEED to know if it was me or the incubator that killed those eggs; and I am so scared to try it again. I've had the incubator running for 3 days with 3 different thermometers and hygrometers in there, and both temps and humidity is all over the place. One thing is official - the incubator humidity reading is 10% LOWER than what the other hygrometers are reading. I've decided to just broody-hatch the rest of the year. Last Sunday I put 6 eggs under the broody hen in with Triton. I was going to break her because there is another hen in with them setting, and I didn't think there would be enough room for two broods. But whose to say they will all hatch - if any. So that's 2 broody hens each sitting on 6 eggs. I'm still hoping Mama will go broody yet this year. It was August when she sat and hatched out the kids I bought last fall - so there is still time.

 

[Trish1974]

I'm seriously considering it. If they'll get along. If they don't, then I will have to find a new home for him. I think it would be interesting, if he is indeed a he... to breed him to my white and see what falls out of that.

If you end up needing to sell Iron Bull, I wonder if the breeder you got Napolean from would want him? IF she was going to rebuild her flock after the predator loss, that is. Or you could ship him to @Stiletto so she can get some Araucana babies!