Araucana thread anyone?

[exoticduckluvr]

oh that's to funny Cackle & Lanae

 

[cashdl]

The araucana can be considered a dual purpose breed in the fact that they are good egg layers and you can eat them. They are a smaller chicken but still edible.

Lanae

 

[zekii]

Any reccomendations on where I should look to get some chicks ? Not sure if the local feed shops have this variety, probably not.

 

[cashdl]

No the local feed stores do not have Araucana and hatcheries do not have Araucana either. You need to get them from breeders and they can be expensive. Also its hard to get an araucana that is rumpless, and tufted.

You can get Easter Eggers at your local feed store. They lay blue eggs.

Lanae

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Hi Zeki! Welcome

The Araucana and the Ameraucana are two different breeds who both lay blue/green eggs. Finding the real deal is really complicated and I would have no idea where to send you for good stock, seeing as how you are on the other side of the ocean from me.

I'm pretty sure, however, that just like over here in the states, the feed stores over there probably label easter eggers as Ameraucana/Araucana chickens and sell those mixed, unpredictable birds as something that they are not. This can be OK, depending on what you want in life and where you get your birds from. I have a whole slew of fabulous easter eggers and I breed a line for their hardiness and blue eggs. I love not having to worry about any standard except what I set for these birds and boy, do they ever sell like hot cakes!
The Araucana are a rumpless and tufted bird and due to the tufting gene and some other issues, they can be challenging to breed to standard and most of us here on this thread have gone through some serious money and significant time in obtaining our flocks.
Ameraucana birds have muffs/beards and tails and are slightly easier to obtain. Also, they are bigger birds and probably more practical for dual purpose. If you find out any info on the Araucana in your area, I'd love to know more; I'm not sure if they are held to a different standard of perfection than ours are here.

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
Ha HA HA!! Of course, how could I have missed it! I was thinking swamp creature because of the filthy mess all over her white feathers, but it was just a "therapeutic mud bath"!

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Araucanas and Ameraucanas are two separate breeds. I personally don't consider Ameraucanas the best dual purpose breed, but Araucanas are. They're very cold and heat hardy, they have a lot of breast meat for their small size, they are very broody which allows home raising and breeding, and they lay a plenty amount of beautiful blue eggs. They're also EXCELLENT foragers and fend well for themselves.

You cannot find Araucanas or Ameraucanas at feedstores though. Even if the feedstore claims to have either, what they're selling are mutts we call Easter Eggers, who are not good dual purpose birds and vary quite a bit in egg production.

 

[smoothmule]

Just wanted to share pics of my chicks hatched 2 days ago. They are my hen Slinky's first babies.

Chick 1

Chick 2

 

[Illia]

Ah, I see a little tuft there! Congrats!

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Oh, smooth mule, they are precious! Did you hatch them in a bator, or did Slinky do it all herself?